240 LIFE or PROFESSOR HUXLEY chap, xvi 



and let the devil have his own way. And I will be torn to 

 pieces before I am forty sooner than see that. 



I have been privately trading on my misfortunes in order to 

 get a little peace and quietness for a few months. If I can help 

 it I don't mean to do any dining out this winter, and I have cut 

 down Societies to the minimum of the Geological, from which I 

 cannot get away. 



But it won't do to keep this up too long. By and by one must 

 drift into the stream again, and then there is nothing for it but 

 to pull like mad unless we want to be run down by every collier. 



I am going to do one sensible thing, however, viz. to rush 

 down to Llanberis with Busk between Christmas Day and New 

 Year's Day and get my lungs full of hill-air for the coming 

 session. 



I was at Down on Saturday and saw Darwin. He seems 

 fairly well, and his daughter was up and looks better than I 

 expected to see her. — Ever yours faithfully, 



T. H. Huxley. 



Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to make the child's 

 birth a new link with his old friend, and wrote as follows : — 



14 Waverley Place, yoK. 3, 1861. 



My dear Hooker — If I had nothing else to write about I 

 must wish you a Happy New Year and many on 'em; but, in 

 fact, my wife and I have a great favour to ask of you, which 

 is neither more nor less than to stand godfather for our little 

 son. You know my opinions on these matters, and I would not 

 ask you to do anything I would not do myself, so if you consent, 

 the clerk shall tell all the lies for you, and you shall be asked 

 to do nothing else than to help devour the christening feed, and 

 be as good a friend to the boy as you have been to his father. 



My wife will have the youngster christened, although I am 

 always in a bad temper from the time it is talked about until the 

 ceremony is over. The only way of turning the farce into a 

 reality is by making it an extra bond with one's friends. On the 

 other hand, if you have any objection to say, " all this I stead- 

 fastly believe," even by deputy, I know you will have no hesita- 

 tion in saying so, and in giving me as frank a refusal as my 

 request.* 



* As against his dislike of consenting to a rite, to him meaningless, 

 he was moved by a feeling which in part corresponded to Descartes' 

 morale par provision,— in part was an acknowledgment of the possir 



