[1]

DOWN,

BECKENHAM, KENT

RAILWAY STATION

ORPINGTON. S.E.R.

Mar 5 1882

My dear George

Your voyage [insertion:] (to Jamaica)

will be an old story by the time you get this; but it was most unfortunate to have had so bad an attack — I think you were in great luck to have such friendly & agreeable companions — We shall want to know how you stand the heat. I see Leo has been writing to you; but we shall tell different things. Laura came down w. little fatigue in an invalid carriage

[2]

which made Hen so sea-sick she was afraid she should have had the disgrace of giving up the post of nurse & following in a Hansom, however she got better —

Laura was so exhilarated by finding herself safe here that I was afraid she wd have a reaction. It has certainly given her a great step forward & she sat some hrs in the drawing yesterday & saw a good many ­—

Prof. Max Müller & his wife called from High Elms & we recd them in the smoking room — He was very interesting

[3]

in his talk; telling us of 2 Japanese priests who are living with him in order to learn Sanscrit to be able to translate some ancient Buddhist M.S. No one in Japan or China knows Sanscrit — It has been such am immense difficulty to them that Max M. felt quite hopeless more than once & advised them to give it up, but they have at last conquered — They are most nice amiable little men, but dull. One of them has left a wife, & when Mrs Müller asked him whether he was not very sad away from her, he answered No — it was his duty to come away — he was bound not to love his wife, only

[4]

to pity her — Some official of Japanese Ambassador is translating a Japanese novel of 1000 yrs ago — 10 vols in length — however we are only to have a sample of 3 vol — Still more extraordinary, it is written by a woman — Poor Claudie [insertion:] (Farrer, Ida's brother) is at home in bed with pleurisy. I am afraid it was dreadfully rash of Dr Clark ordering him back to school. His passion for keeping people at work carries him too far — I am afraid there are fears for his lungs & his mother's family was consumptive — I am superstitious because he is so much the nicest of the 3 brothers.

[from p. 1:] Horace & Ida's visit had been perfectly smooth in Bry Sq & the baby much admired — They are staying on a little longer to see how Claudie goes on —

yours my dear old man. E. D.

I have written to Mr Young to tell him you are in Jamaica