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584   Life and Letters of Francis Galton

Miss Elderton has certainly been a remarkable success at the Eugenics Office; but I think her marvellous energy and quickness to learn anything new would have enabled her to succeed at anything she undertook.

. Hoping that you are in good health, and have not been too much troubled with bronchitis lately. , Believe me, yours very sincerely, EDGAR SCHUSTER.

QUEDLEY, HASLEMERE. September 30, 1907.

DEAREST MILLY, I was remiss yesterday- in letting the Sunday post-time pass, without writing to you. -A -lady who says that she knows you, Miss Bennett (I as to number of n's and t' s), has been staying with our friends here, the Lionel Tollemaches, and returns to Bovey to-morrow. She will tell you about these surroundings and ourselves. I continue to think the choice of this place a wise one. The neighbourhood is rich in nice people and there are numerous drives, each different from the other. The house too is convenient in itself, very much so' in its position, and is growing pretty inside under Eva's artistic' touch. I have been occupying' all my novel-reading hours with reading Sir Charles Grandison, and am ashamed rather to say how much I am carried on with it. Richardson has a remarkable power of keeping his characters distinct and vivid before the reader. What an enormous length his novels are l My, edition of Sir Charles Grandison is in four closely-printed,'' large 8vo volumes, and Clarissa Harlowe is I believe about the same length. Violet Macintyre arrives in England to-day from America. Her baby is- with Walter Biggs. She goes straight to Constance Pearson. The baby vastly improved while here, hardly' any of her fits of yelling, of which she had many at first whenwith her former nurse. Poor little thing ; her look-out in life is not a happy one, to all appearance. If Violet finds a good ayah to take her back, it will be a great gain to the child. I trust your own many domestic troubles are dispersing. Has Guy actually begun his new work? Howis Amy? Where is Hugh? Is Bob better? We had a pleasant visit from my old and rather invalided friend, Lady Welby, who motored here for lunch all the way from Harrow and back again. She is a wonderful woman in many ways, and of wide experience' in life, beginning as a pet godchild of Queen Victoria, and for the last ten or more years 'steeped in metaphysics ! It is so pleasant to meet Mrs Tyndall and to talk of old times, as for the most part : "All, all are gone, the old familiar faces." Best loves to all. Ever affectionately, FRANCIS GALTON.

I have not yet found out the meaninb of Quedley.

QUEDLEY, HASLEMERE. November 2, 1907.

MY DEAR GEORGE DARWIN, I fully sympathise with H. M. Taylor's [blind Fellow of Trinity*] proposal [for the blind*] and gladly send £2 to help it.

But my strongest sympathy is with the deaf. Had I a fairy godmother, I would petition that every experimental physicist should be made as deaf as I am, until they had discovered a good ear trumpet, and then that as many fairy-gifts should be heaped on the discoverer as should exceed all he could desire, as well as the thanks and gratitude of all whom he had relieved!

I am spending most of the winter here in hopes of evading much bronchitis and asthma. The place promises well.

Miss Biggs is not quite recovered. But now she is in a healthy position, among old friends who love and break-in horses, and she is busy and hard working all day, with little time to worry herself. You will be particularly interested just now at Charles' debut and progress. All good luck to him. Affectionately yours, FRANCIS GALTON.

To SIR GEORGE DARWIN,, K.C.B.

QUEDLEY, HASLEMERE. November 25, 1907.

DEAREST MILLY, You will be most welcome here on or about January 7, and for as long as you like. Eva will be pleased too, very pleased, to see you. She does not now seem to care about going clean away, but I am glad she should have variety, for I unaided can be but a tedious companion, and next to no companion at all out-of-doors. What you say about not requiring Charlotte, removes the only possible difficulty. I fear she would-be impossible. Matters go on as smoothly now, though hardly so securely, as in old times. I have had a little bronchitic warning but nothing more, no fever at all, and sleep like a baby and eat like a boy. Methuen,

* Interpolations by Sir George Darwin.


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