| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 4 August 1888 |
ENGELS TO FRIEDRICH ADOLPH SORGE
IN HOBOKEN
London, 4 August 1888
Dear Sorge,
Your two letters[1] received with thanks. I am most grateful for the hospitality you offer me, but whether I shall be able to take advantage of it is somewhat problematical, as you will see from what follows.
For if all goes well, Schorlemmer will be coming too—he is in Germany and not particularly well but has telegraphed saying he'll be here on Monday. Since we shall have to remain together—Schorlemmer and I, at any rate—Aveling has already booked rooms for all of us at an hotel, which means that I shall have to go there—to begin with, at least. What happens after that remains to be seen. At all events Schorlemmer and I shall stay in town for a few days only and set off as soon as possible on a tour of the country, for at the beginning of October he has got to start lecturing again and we are anxious to see as much as we can.
That I shall find little Cuno lying in wait for me is to be expected. But I think I've got a magic formula that will make him tractable. If I go back there just before I leave for home, I suppose I shall have to see one or two of the Volkszeitung people; it would be unavoidable and wouldn't do any harm. It's just that I'd rather they left me alone at the start.
We are sailing on the City of Berlin on the 8th of this month. Aveling has made a successful début in the field of drama and is to help stage 4 plays (of which 3V2 are by him) in 4 cities over there.
Since Monday is a Bank Holiday,[2] when nothing can be done because all the shops are closed, and we have got to leave here on Tuesday, there's a lot of shopping to be done—besides which I have got to be at Charing Cross at 5.40 to meet Lenchen and Pumps (who has been married for 7 years and has 2 children) on their return from Germany resp. Paris, and hence must close. I, too, look forward tremendously to seeing you again. So no more till we meet.
Your
F.E.