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Fragment of a letter from [Horace] Darwin to Camilla [Pattrick], congratulating Camilla on her engagement to Mr. Pattrick. The letter is presumed to b
Show moreFragment of a letter from [Horace] Darwin to Camilla [Pattrick], congratulating Camilla on her engagement to Mr. Pattrick. The letter is presumed to be written by one of the Darwin children, and is signed with the initials H.S.D. Transcription: "My dearest Camilla I am so very very glad to have this happy news. I was calmly strumming at the pi. when Mama walked in with a beaming face + yr. letter in her hand. I do congratulate you most heartily dear Camilla + hope you may be very happy - you deserve to be I'm sure + I think Mr. Patrick is a very fortunate man. It was not quite sur- prise to us for I was clever enough to guess it when you were here in November at wh. I daresay you'll be surprised. You know I'm un- strayminded enough to think that the [] view of women are better + happier married + of course for you separated from all home ties I can only rejoice entirely. Indeed I am so glad to think that now you can look forward to a home - + not the long vista of tossing about from me stronger to another. I think that having this in prospect will letters change your present life + make you content to wait until it is prudent for you to marry - I have always thought I shd like being engaged very much. I shd like uniting endless answers _ the happiness of resting ont eh feeling that gone are likes you the best in the world undisturbed by also the small worries of married life but it wd all depend on whether uniting letters to some on you are [] with is a pleasurable exercise. This is an incoherent letter but I hope you'll forgive it. I must say one coherent word at the end dear C. that I hope you don't take all my slapdash statements about clergy men to be my literal opinion. I am not so narrowminded as not to see that there are many really deep quite honest minds who can rest on this church. Not to say that my least be [heard] is one of them, at least far more than I shd have thought beforehand possible for such a powerful mind a's hers is brought up as she has been. I hope you will write us a fuller account of Mr. Patrick + yr. prospects. Ever dear C. yrs affectionately H.S.D."
The Robert M. Stecher Collection of Charles Darwin Books and Manuscripts
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Creator

[Darwin, Horace, 1851-1928]

Permanent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/2186/ksl:ditalldar00137