| Author(s) | Karl Marx |
|---|---|
| Written | 30 September 1882 |
MARX TO ENGELS
IN LONDON
Paris, 30 September 1882
Dear FRED,
Just as I was on the point of leaving Argenteuil for here (i. e. la Gare[1] St Lazare), to wait for Laura, dine with her in Paris and return with her to Argenteuil, I was caught by the facteur[2] with your letter and enclosure. Laura will be arriving in ABOUT A quarter of an hour, PROBABLY with your letter to her.
Today I was examined by Dr Dourlen in Jennychen's PRESENCE. The rale muqueux[3] has disappeared; SOME whistling remains but I am well on the way to ridding myself of this persistent catarrh, the character of which has already changed considerably. My GENERAL habitus[4] has, it appears, improved enormously in addition to which I have grown 'fatter'.
Under no circumstances does he wish me to spend more than a fortnight — 3 weeks if the weather is really fine — in London. He is less afraid of moderate cold than of a moist atmosphere. Nor, under any circumstances, am I to travel via Calais by the special night train, but go to Calais by day and not leave there till the day after, by the morning STEAMER.
For the rest, la campagne de l'hiver,[5] as he called it, should start early, in the Isle of Wight, Jersey, Morlaix (Brittany) or Pau. Otherwise he would sooner I didn't stay anywhere too far south except IN CASE OF NEED, which is also why he had considered Vevey a better place for me than Montreux which is warmer. He assumes that normal temperatures, etc., will not suddenly rebel again in consequence of my arrival. Finally, he will not give me definite 'permission' to leave for London until his mind has been set at rest by the meteorological bulletins for the next few days. (French doctors are strongly prejudiced against the London climate.) He is now certain the cure will be complete, provided no mistakes are made. Hence I shall not get away before Tuesday[6] at the earliest.
If the French government — AS REPRESENTED BY THE SWINDLING FINANCIER Duclerc — knew of my presence here (particularly in view of the absence of the Chamber), it might, even without Dr Dourlen's permission, send me packing, the Marxistes and Anti-Marxistes having, at their respective socialist congresses at Roanne and St-Etienne, both done their damnedest to ruin my stay in France. Nevertheless, I regard it as some compensation that the selfsame Alliance gang—the Malons, Brousses, etc.— should have seen their hopes so sadly dashed in as much as (to use our Bruno's[7] favourite turn of speech) the 'unspoken' innuendo, 'Marx is a "German", alias "Prussian", hence French "Marxistes" too are traitors', could no longer cut any ice with anyone, nor yet dare make itself 'heard', even for a moment. C'est un progrès.[8]
Clemenceau has been seriously ill and has not quite recovered yet. He, too, took Capital with him from Paris to read while he was ill. It would now seem to be the fashion for FRENCH REAL OR WOULD BE 'ADVANCED' LEADERS —IF 'THE DEVIL BE SICK'.
Love to all, not forgetting Jollymeyer.
Moor
I shall write or telegraph before I leave France.