400 LIFE OF PROFESSOR HUXLEY CHAP. XVI 



be seen in all North Italy free from all the gaudy finery 

 and atrocious bad taste which have afflicted me all over 

 South Italy. The town is the quaintest place imaginable 

 built of narrow streets on several steep hills to start 

 with, and then apparently stirred up with a poker to 

 prevent monotony of effect. 



Moreover, there is Catherine of Siena, of whom I am 

 reading a delightful Catholic life by an Italian father of 

 the Oratory. She died 500 years ago, but she was one 

 of twenty-five children, and I think some of them must 

 have settled in Kent and allied themselves with the 

 Heathorns. Otherwise, I don't see why her method of 

 writing to the Pope should have been so much like the 

 way my daughters (especially the youngest) write to their 

 holy father. 



I wish she had not had the stigmata I am afraid 

 there must have been a leetle humbug about the business 

 otherwise she was a very remarkable person, and you 

 need not be ashamed of the relationship. 



I suppose we shall get to Florence some time this 

 week ; the address was sent to you before we left Eome 

 Hotel Milano, Via Cerretani. But I am loth to leave 

 this lovely air in which, I do believe, I am going to pick 

 up at last. The misfortune is that we did not intend 

 to stay here more than three days, and so had letters sent 

 to Florence. Everybody told us it would be very cold, 

 and, as usual, everybody told taradiddles. 



M unites in fondest love fo you all. Ever your 



loving father, T. H. HUXLEY. 



To HIS SON 



SIENA, Feb. 25, 1885. 



... If you had taken to physical science it would 

 have been delightful to me for us to have worked together, 

 and I am half inclined to take to history that I may 



