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OCR Rendition - approximate
Characterisation, especially by Letters 511 ever see any English, if we do they are men and rather second-rate. Plenty of fat overfed Frenchmen! Very much love to you and Aunt Wheler, Your ever affectionate niece, EVELYNE. Uncle Frank was a saint over my fire, wasn't it dreadful! I am ashamed of myself. I did not burn Aunt Wheler's mantilla, but my evening bodice and night-dress and dressing -gown. Extracts from Letters of his Sisters to Francis Galton. 5, BERTIE TERRACE, LEAMINGTON SPA. Friday, April 14th, 1899. Erasmus goes to-day to Ryde, and will stay there till June-He says-Vessels without sails to steady them, must roll-In his day, a three-decker scudding in a gale of wind, having so much top hamper, caused by three tiers of guns, took he believes nearly 30 seconds in recovering herself-I wrote him word, what you said, about the Packet rolling* E. S. GALTON. Tell Eva that Gussie went with Sophy Breet to see the Twins. It appears they can't speak English, only Hindustani. Margot sat on the rug listening to the conversation and hearing Gussie say "Sophy Bree and the Archdeacon..." Margot with a face full of fun mimicked her, saying "Soapy Bree and Archchicken" to their great amusement E. A. WHELER. Address up to April 29 inclusive, to Hotel de la Poste, Clermont-Ferrand, Puy de Dome, France. MADRID. April 21, 1899. DEAREST EMMA AND BESSY, Your letters of Friday 14th were here on ourr arrival last night, which had been delayed two days by our taking Toledo by the way, instead of doing it, as was intended, during our stay at Madrid. Nothing can have been more successful than our tour thus far; perfectly healthful, full of interest, while Eva is a model companion with abundant artistic pursuits of her own; so, on the few dull days, I take to my arithmetical. figures, and she to drawing human figures, and we are both happy. In an hour or two, we go to the grand picture gallery which is the last great sight left to us in Spain. It is grievous to come north already. The glorious vegetation of S. Spain is now left quite behind, and Madrid has a northern and Parisian look. But all good things must finish, and so must this long-looked-for journey. I gave both your letters to Eva to read; it was she (not I) who drew for you the sketch of Cape Trafalgar. What a budget of news you send. I chanced to see Lady Frere's death I in one of the few English papers that I have lately come across. It was very suitable that she should be buried in St Paul's. I am very glad that Darwin§ seems distinctly better. The coming summer will bring pleasure to you all. Eva asks me to say how interested she is to learn that the "bat" pattern, which Lucy is working, comes out well. If a bat is a symbol of sleep, a mosquito should be one of wakefulness. We have not however been much teased by them. There are none here, not even mosquito curtains, nor at Toledo, which has the repute of being the centre of Spain. We shall stay some four days here in Madrid (Hotel de Rome), then a hateful railway journey of some 18 hours to Barcelona, after which all will be straightforward. There are two ancient feudal towns in France that I have always longed to see and which are on our way to Clermont-Ferrand, viz. Carcassonne and Aigues-Mortes. Very amusing about the "twins and Archchicken." With best loves, ever affectionately, FRANCIS GALTON. So glad that Bessy enjoyed the outing. Address up to May 1 inclusive to Hotel de la Poste, Clermont-Ferrand, Puy de Dome, France. I propose leaving Clermont-Ferrand early on May 5th and to be home on or about May 7th (Sunday). MADRID, on the point of starting. April 26, 1899. DEAREST EMMA, We have done Madrid and leave in three hours for Barcelona, thence by Carcassonne, etc., to Nimes and to Clermont-Ferrand. Nothing could have been more successful ' See our p. 507 above. t See the first footnote p. 494 above. Gussie, Augusta B. Stewart, Herman Galton's second wife. t Wife of Sir Bartle Frere. § Galton's brother.
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