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Darwin Correspondence Project

From Emma Wedgwood   [30 December 1838]

Maer

Sunday

My dear Charles

I am rather ashamed of writing to you so soon again but if I disguise my writing in the direction I am in hopes the post master at Newcastle will think it is somebody else. I want to persuade you dear Charley to leave town at once & get some rest. You have looked so unwell for some time that I am afraid you will be laid up if you fight against it any longer. Do set off to Shrewsbury & get some doctering & then come here & be idle. I can’t make up my mind to only a flying visit here & I shall be rather jealous if you stay longer at Shrewsbury than here & I am sure the Dr will think it highly contrary to the strictest etiquette so be a dear good boy. I am sure it must be very disagreeable & painful to you to feel so often cut off from the power of doing your work & I want you to cast out of your mind all anxiety about me on that point & to feel sure that nothing could make me so happy as to feel that I could be of any use or comfort to my own dear Charles when he is not well. If you knew how I long to be with you when you are not well! You must not think that I expect a holiday husband to be always making himself agreeable to me & if that is all the “worse” that I shall have it will not be much for me to bear Whatever it may for you. So don’t be ill any more my dear Charley till I can be with you to nurse you & save you from bothers.

The weather these two days has been surprizingly warm & pleasant. I don’t think I can send our own servants linen very soon as it is gone to be bleached but I will borrow enough for Margaret & send it this week. I don’t know how we shall settle between the two cooks. I am going solemnly to consider wedding cake today. Don’t you wish you could be married like a royal Prince without being at your own wedding? You may be allowed to carry a few pinches of snuff in your pocket for that morning only. I have no important news to tell you since yesterday morning & I will not write again these three or four days thats poz.

So Goodbye my dear Charley yours Em W.

Papa would be much obliged to you to buy him a respirator & if there is any improvement to get it of the newest fashion & desire it to be sent to Whitmore station by railroad

Summary

Seeks to persuade CD to leave town at once, go to Shrewsbury for doctoring and some rest, then come to Maer for more rest, for he has looked "so unwell". She knows it must be hard for him to be unable to do his work.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-465
From
Emma Wedgwood/Emma Darwin
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Maer
Source of text
DAR 204: 157
Physical description
ALS 3pp †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 465,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-465.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 2

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