| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 29 January 1873 |
ENGELS TO EUGEN OSWALD
IN LONDON
[London,] 29 January 1873 122 Regent's Park Road
Dear Oswald,
My wife[1] and I thank you cordially for your kind invitation, but we are unfortunately not yet in a position to say whether we shall be able to take it up. My wife has again been plagued by all sorts of illnesses ever since Christmas; she is suffering from the after-effects of pleurisy, and so it is very doubtful whether she will be able to go out in the evening—it would be the first time for 2 weeks. For my part, I have promised the German Workers' Society13s that I would, if required, put in an appearance at the meeting on Saturday evening and give a talk, and I shall be unlikely to hear before Friday whether it is due to take place this Saturday or the following one.
When your children came yesterday afternoon I was just working with Marx on something that absolutely had to go off by the first post and so could not get away for a moment. My wife believes that Pumps[2] delivered 'A SAUCY MESSAGE' instead of my words:
TELL THEM TO GIVE OUR COMPLIMENTS TO M R AND MRS OSWALD, AND THAT WE ARE
MUCH OBLIGED [tO t h e m ], BUT THAT I CANNOT JUST NOW TELL WHETHER WE CAN COME. If this is the case, you now know what happened. Our best regards to Mrs Oswald and to your sister.
Sincerely yours,
F. Engels