258                                                                                  [chap. XVIII
 

CHAPTER XVIII

1882—1884

A letter to Anthony Eich and his answer—Leonard Darwin's mar-
riage^—The purchase of the Grove at Cambridge—Francis
Darwin working at the Life of his father—His marriage to Ellen
Wordsworth Crofts^—Greorge Darwin's marriage—^The Green-
hill and Stonyfield.

After my father's death his chUdren agreed that the fol¬
lowing letter should be sent to Mr Anthony Rich.
 

W. E. Darwin to Anthony Rich.

My dear Mr Rich,                                             [^^2/, 188^].

Since my father's death my brothers and sisters
and I have been thinking much over your generous inten¬
tion of leaving your property to my father, and, as we
understood, to us as his heirs. We wish to teU you how
truly grateful we feel to you for this emphatic recognition
of his services to science and the world. It deeply gratified
him, and we never shaU forget this. I gather that it was
your intention that his death should make no difference in
the disposition of your property, but we want you to be
assured that we feel that a new state of things has arisen,
and one of which you coiUd not calculate the effect until
it actuaUy came. No one as long as they live can help
acquiring new mterests, and it is impossible for you to
foresee what may happen in the years I hope you may stUl
have to live.

We, therefore, earnestly beg you to remember that  if
you should see fit to alter the disposition of your property,