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Darwin Correspondence Project

To George King   2 October 1880

Down, | Beckenham, Kent | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)

October 2nd. 1880

My dear Sir,

I am very glad that you will come here, but am sorry that you cannot keep.—1 Monday will be better than tomorrow, for we shall tomorrow have a very large party of my children & relations here, most of whom will be gone on Monday.—2 I do not know how you will be able best to get here.— Orpington station is 4 miles—Bromley 6 miles from Down. You can get a fly at either place, & keep it here.— We dine at 712, but if the trains suit, will you not come about an hour before dinner?— I must tell you one thing with much regret viz that I cannot talk long to any one, as the excitement of much conversation brings on giddiness. Therefore I am sure that you will allow me to leave you for a time after dinner.— It is very good of you to come such a distance to make my acquaintance.—

My dear Sir | Your sincerely | Ch. Darwin

P.S. Beckenham is full 7 miles from Down.— I fear from your note that you think that Down is close to Beckenham.—3

Footnotes

CD had invited King to dine and stay overnight at Down House (see letter to George King, 29 September 1880. The copyist probably misread ‘sleep’ as ‘keep’.
According to Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), on Sunday 3 October, Henrietta and Richard Buckley Litchfield and Horace and Ida Darwin were at Down House.

Summary

Glad GK will come. But cannot talk long to anyone.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-12735
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
George King
Sent from
Down
Source of text
DAR 146: 18
Physical description
C 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12735,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12735.xml

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