My dear Sir

Your MS. is invaluable. I will correct my little discussion and give some of your evidence on the connection between the circulation of brain and skin.¹ I have quite overlooked any statement to this effect, no doubt from not seeing that it concerned me, although I have read a good deal about the vaso-motor nerve-system. I daresay the relation betwen intense blushing and mental disturbance appears to you obvious; but I believe I have read everything published on the subject of blushing, yet have met with no allusion to this point.

Many thanks for the remarks by your sister in law.² As she speaks about blushing when by herself, should you object to ask her whether she has ever felt a blush when by herself in the dark. I have long thought that Shakspear was in error (though this is high treason) when he makes Juliet say to Romeo “Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face, else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek”, &c.³ Will you ask her whether she agrees to the following statements;—that no one blushes for a fault committed when quite alone, and if not afterwards discovered or suspected by any one. Thus, I believe that if a truthful man had been led to tell an undetected falsehood, he would bitterly repent of it, but would not blush. I can however well imagine that if the thought suddenly occurred to him “had this or that happened, I should have been detected”, then he would probably have blushed, though at the time in solitude. When a person blushes at the thought of a past fault, is it not always at one committed in the presence of others, or afterwards known or suspected by others? Little breaches of etiquette, which perhaps cause more intense blushing than even grave faults, imply the presence of others. Perhaps your sister-in-law will not object to give you her opinion on these points in confirmation or opposition to your own. Please to glance over your enclosed MS., and return it, as I may wish to reconsult it.⁴ The single pencil line down the MS. is my mark that I have used it once. My query refers to your first case at the bottom of p. 1.⁵ At first I thought that the unfastening the chemise and examining the chest, actually caused the chest to blush; but on reflection I presume it is more probable that the previous blushing was thus rendered more intense and consequently spread further down the body. Can you enlighten me on this point?⁶

You offer to send me fragmentary notes on blushing; if you can get any one to copy them I shall be truly glad to read them, as all your remarks have been most useful to me. My chapter on blushing, however, is already rather too long, so I should read your observations more for the sake of corrections than for additions.⁷ When I think of all the trouble that I have caused you, my sole excuse is that I hope I may thus give to the public some scraps of your knowledge. Anything which I may publish from you would not, however, interfere with any more elaborate papers by yourself, should your health and leisure hereafter permit you to publish. You most kindly offer to look over my MS. or proof-sheets on blushing.⁸ This would be an enormous advantage to me, but my MS. will not, I believe, be ready for rather a long time, as I intend to refresh myself with some botanical work this summer.⁹ When I am ready I will enquire how your health and leisure are. Many thanks for the dreadful photo of the imbeciles and especially for your very curious paper on psychical intoxication, which I have been particularly glad to read.¹⁰

Yours very sincerely obliged | Ch. Darwin.