My dear Willy

We have got your Sunday & Tuesday letters.— Will you tell M^rs Kynnersley² that I am very sorry to say that really have not one single aquaintance left in S. America: it is now 24–25 years since I was there, & the English population is a floating & changeable one.—

Mamma has used you very ill, & quite forgot about your Flute, but I have found it, & it shall go off tomorrow morning by the Post together with this note.— So you may “tootle” to your heart’s content. What a dining out gentleman you have become!—

With respect to allowance we will settle it this summer Holidays: ^£40 sounds a good lot, nearly as much as Parslow’s wages;³ but I daresay it is not too much. Try & find out more particulars, & whether any other Boys have an allowance.—

Mamma, Miss Thorley & Etty returned yesterday:⁴ I grieve to say Etty is not one bit better: everything must bend to her health, & Mamma will take her to Moor Park in a fortnight’s time, stay a fortnight, & then I shall go there again for a bit.—⁵ What we shall do in summer, it is really impossible to say: if we do not go to Malvern, we will try our best to think of some lark or amusement for all of you.—⁶ Mamma thinks if Water Cure does suit Etty, we had better go to Malvern to complete it, but I sh^d. prefer leaving her longer at Moor Park.—⁷ It is very disheartening for me, that all the wonderful good which Moor Park did me at the time, has gone all away like a flash of lightening, now that I am at work again. And eheu, eheu, I have left off Snuff for nothing!—⁸

On Friday Aunt Susan is coming, on Saturday Uncle Harry & Aunt Jessie, on Monday Fanny Frank, & on tomorrow week Aunt Catherine, so we have lots of visitors expected,—a good lot too many, now poor dear Etty is so indifferent.⁹

What a capital Hand you have directed your two last notes in; it was quite Ducal.—

Ever my dear Son | Your’ affect Father | C. Darwin