We go up to town Monday next, and I am thinking of being off the Monday following (April 30).  I have come to the same conclusion as yourself, that Glion would be better than Grindelwald.  I should like very much to see you.  Just drop me a line to say when you are likely to turn up.

Poor Arnold’s death has been a great shock [Matthew Arnold died suddenly of heart disease at Liverpool, where he had gone to meet his daughter on her return from America.]—­rather for his wife than himself—­I mean on her account than his.  I have always thought sudden death to be the best of all for oneself, but under such circumstances it is terrible for those who are left.  Arnold told me years ago that he had heart disease.  I do not suppose there is any likelihood of an immediate catastrophe in my own case.  I should not go abroad if there were.  Imagine the horror of leaving one’s wife to fight all the difficulties of sudden euthanasia in a Swiss hotel!  I saw enough of that two years ago at Arolla.

Ever yours,

T.H.  Huxley.

4 Marlborough Place, April 25, 1888.

My dear Hooker,

All my beautiful Swiss plans are knocked on the head—­at any rate for the present—­in favour of horizontality and Digitalis here.  The journey up on Monday demonstrated that travelling, at present, was impracticable.

Hames is sanguine I shall get right with rest, and I am quite satisfied with his opinion, but for the sake of my belongings he thinks it right to have Clark’s opinion to fortify him.

It is a bore to be converted into a troublesome invalid even for a few weeks, but I comfort myself with my usual reflection on the chances of life, “Lucky it is no worse.”  Any impatience would have been checked by what I heard about Moseley this morning—­that he has sunk into hopeless idiocy.  A man in the prime of life!

Ever yours,

T.H.  Huxley.

4 Marlborough Place, May 4, 1888.

My dear Hooker,

Best thanks for your note and queries.

I remember hearing what you say about Darwin’s father long ago, I am not sure from what source.  But if you look at page 20 of the “Life and Letters” you will see that Darwin himself says his father’s mind “was not scientific.”  I have altered the passage so as to use these exact words.

I used “malice” rather in the French sense, which is more innocent than ours, but “irony” would be better if “malice” in any way suggests malignity.  “Chaff” is unfortunately beneath the dignity of a Royal Society obituary.

I am going to add a short note about Erasmus Darwin’s views.

It is a great comfort to me that you like the thing.  I am getting nervous over possible senility—­63 to-day, and nothing of your evergreen ways about me.

I am decidedly mending, chiefly to all appearance by allowing myself to be stuffed with meat and drink like a Strasburg goose.  I am also very much afraid that abolishing tobacco has had something to do with my amendment.