| Author(s) | Karl Marx |
|---|---|
| Written | 6 November 1866 |
MARX TO ENGELS[1]
IN MANCHESTER
[London,] 8 November 1866
Dear Engels,
It will not have escaped you that I have not written. I thought you had been informed of the receipt of the £5, as Laura had taken charge of the matter, but, as emerged later, she forgot to do so. I have, furthermore, been in such desperate straits that I was prevented from writing. You know that the £10 which you sent me before your departure[2] were only for payment of taxes and the subsequent £50 for rent. I have thus been completely broke for months. The so-called legacy[3] proved to be divided between at least 20 people, so that the share that fell to me at the beginning of the summer was — 80 talers! My attempts to drum up money in Germany or Holland have all come to nothing. The only thing that still makes us think of the pawnshop (and my wife has pawned so many possessions that she herself can scarcely go out) is the interest it asks for. I thus had to go round London begging small loans left and right, as in our worst refugee days—and that from a limited number of people who are themselves impecunious—to make even the most essential cash purchases. On the other hand, I am being threatened by tradesmen, some of whom have withdrawn their credit and threatened to take me to court. This state of affairs was all the more critical in that Lafargue (until his departure for Bordeaux a few days ago) was constantly in the house and the REAL STATE OF THINGS had to be anxiously concealed from him. Not merely has my work[4] been frequently interrupted by all this, but by trying to make up at night for the time lost during the day, I have acquired a fine carbuncle near my PENIS. I know you have done everything in your power, and more. But recourse of some kind must be found. Would it not be possible to take up a LOAN or some such transaction? Salut.
Your
K. M.