| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 21 October 1882 |
ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE
IN PARIS
London, 21 October 1882
My dear Laura,
The day before yesterday we received from Paul[1] the two first nos of the transplanted Citoyen.[2] From the Justice we had already seen what a Coup de Jarnac 3 9 9 the noble-hearted Prospère[3] had tried to give the Parti ouvrier[4] ; from the above two Citoyens we saw that le coup avait manqué et[5] from the stupid shot in the Citoyen et Bataille against He lâche[6] Paul Lafargue' we saw that Prospère le savait parfaitment,[7] and was reduced to unmask himself as what he really is, a Cassagnacquian spadassin. 40° Of course Paul will not have been such a fool as to donner dans ce panneau.[8]
Now for two days there have not arrived either Citoyen, or Citoyen et Bataille, and today even La Justice is not to hand. We are therefore quite at sea. Has the Citoyen been stopped for want of funds after two nos, or has it merely been owing to the génie éminemment organisateur des français[9] that we have not received it? You know, in a crisis like this we ought to be regularly supplied with that information which we cannot obtain here. I have written a long letter to Bernstein yesterday[10] about both Malon-Brousse and this last affair; but every day something may happen in Paris about which it would be important to communicate at once to Bernstein the correct version. How can I do so without materials? Is it really impossible for the Parisian friends to do those things which are the most important to their own interests?
I heard from Mohr today that you have written to him and that Jenny is better. Mohr is very well on the whole, Donkin who examined him was almost surprised at the great improvement he found (barring the unavoidable remnants of the two later pleurisies); he thinks he can pass the winter on the English South Coast. He will have to go soon, we have a perfectly beastly wet day to-day — but warm — and when other people have fine weather we begin to have fogs.
I wish you could first pop in some Sunday evening and see the change. Mohr of course cannot go out at nights, so there is nobody but the Pumpses and now and then Helen.[11] The 'crimm' has entirely disappeared. The other day the great Loria called again. That evening Jollymeier happened to be here, and as we were all a little bit on, poor Loria had to undergo some chaffing, he asked Helen had she also studied political economy and told us he had tasted Moselle wine in Berlin but it tasted like sugar and water. Well, you can imagine the explosions. I appreciate, the poor pedant has enough of our 'sarcastic' company. Imagine he would not believe that you and Tussy were sisters and stared when he heard who your father was.
Today Signor Alessandro Oldrini called at Mohr's while I was there, but with a consistency of which I was very glad, he was not received. If Mohr had seen him, God knows how many Zanardellis would have followed.
The Pumpses are getting on very well, they have been a fortnight or so in their new house, but it is not yet quite furnished — for want of cash. The baby[12] has had an abscess on the chest but is getting better. Charley[13] and Miss Bevan have been married three weeks, I have not yet seen them since the happy despatch.
Now it is getting on fast for post-time and as I want you to have this letter tomorrow morning I must conclude. Kind regards to Paul and if you see them, Guesde and Mesa.
Yours affectionately,
F. E.