398 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. XVI 



I trust he may succeed, and that the unfitness of these 

 people to be trusted with anything may be demonstrated. 

 I regret I am not able to help in the good work. Get 

 the thing out of their hands as fast as possible. The 

 prospect of being revenged for all the beastly dinners I 

 sat out and all the weary discussions I attended to no 

 purpose, really puts a little life into me. Apropos of 

 that, I am better in various ways, but curiously weak 

 and washed out ; and I am afraid that not even the 

 prospect of a fight would screw me up for long. I don't 

 understand it, unless I have some organic disease of which 

 nobody can find any trace (and in which I do not believe 

 myself), or unless the terrible trouble we have had has 

 accelerated the advent of old age. I rather suspect that 

 the last speculation is nearest the truth. You will be 

 glad to hear that my poor girl is wonderfully better, and, 

 indeed, to all appearance quite well. They are living 

 quietly at Norwood. 



I shall be back certainly by the 12th April, probably 

 before. We have found very good quarters here, and 

 have waited for the weather to get warmer before moving ; 

 but at last we have made up our minds to begin nomadis- 

 ing again next Friday. We go to Florence, taking Siena, 

 and probably Pisa, on our way, and reaching Florence 

 some time next week. Address Hotel Milano, Via 

 Cerretani. 



For the last week the Carnival has been going on. 

 It strikes me as the most elaborate and dreariest tomfoolery 

 I have ever seen, but I doubt if I am in the humour to 

 judge it fairly. It is only just to say that it entertains 

 my vigorous wife immensely. I have been expecting to 

 see her in mask and domino, but happily this is the last 

 day, and there is no sign of any yet I have never seen 

 any one so much benefited by rest and change as she is, 

 and that is a good thing for both of us. 



After Florence we shall probably make our way to 

 Venice, and come home by the Lago di Garda and 



