| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 29 May 1885 |
ENGELS TO LAURA LAFARGUE
IN PARIS
London, 29 May 1885
My dear Laura,
So then at least one thing is settled, and that is poor Paul in his Kittchen[1] in Ste Pélagie. 4 0 2 Hope it will not be for four months — the four best of the year too! Anyhow, what a consolation it is for him, to be no longer crucified between the braconnier[2] on one side and the vol avec effraction (de puanteur)[3] on the other! And to consider it a hard- fought victory that he can have his old Kittchen again in company with a spouting anarchist. Well let us hope Révillon and a few more deputies will make it hot for the Liberal ministry and procure his re- lease.
Harney is gone to Macclesfield yesterday, and arrived safely. He is a good deal better, intrinsically, but of course the pains do not go all at once, and as soon as he is a bit better, he begins stirring about in cabs; he did so for two days before he left, then the journey, and of course arrived worse. I am afraid he will never get quite over it, part- ly because the complaint is too inveterate and partly on account of his inconsistency and listening to everybody who has a remedy to propose. It has been a hard time for poor Nim, and I am glad for her sake it has come to an end. Sam Moore had to go to Pumps', I think he rather liked it this time as he was bent on exhibitions, picture galleries, Royal Academies and the like, and so he and Pumps have a fine time of it. Today they are gone to see a cricket match at Lords.[4]
I had this morning the last proof-sheet of my preface to Second Vol- ume," so from that you see that the report of its being out is another canard. You may be sure that as soon as it is out and we get copies, you have one sent the same day. The 3rd edition of the 18th Brumaire[5] is in the press, two sheets printed.
The Italian translation of the Ursprung is also in the press. But you will at once see that it will be hardly possible to translate from that into French. 4 0 3 If Paul uses it merely to facilitate to him the compre- hension of the original, well and good; otherwise it would only enable him to give a very enfeebled Abklatsch[6] and poor rechauffé[7] , and I have no ambition to appear before the French public in that shape. The man[8] has done his best and some passages are really good. But it is not to be expected from him, who learnt German without assis- tance in Bénevento, that he should put idiomatic German into equally idiomatic Italian. And that defect I could not remedy, as my idiomatic Italian is not Italian but only Milanese, and that, too, nearly forgotten.
I hope there will not be much more ofthat fighting about red flags, etc., in Paris — the police want a few barricades, and if they get them, there will be a jolly massacre — the people have not a ghost of a chance of victory.[9] Even if the government should show hesita- tion, the reactionary military chiefs will take care to be ready for ac- tion and to act.
There is one consolation for Paul — that he will be virtually 'out of Paris' on the day of the French Grand Old Man's[10] funeral.
What with proof-sheet, and writing to Harney 3 9 and making par- cels up for him and writing to a confectioner from Colmar[11] 3 9 who asked my advice as to his finding work in London (answer: certainly not) and one thing and another, it has become 5.20, and so I must close if I want to catch this post. So with hopes that Paul will not be too unhappy, nor too long where he is, and that you will keep up, in spite of all, your state of, in Paris, abnormal health, here is the conclu- sion.
Love from Nim.
Yours affectionately,
F. Engels