19/I. 1916.

Dear friend!

This is already the third postcard I am sending you. This time in French, to make the censors’ work easier if they are the cause of the delay. To tell the truth,
* — do you understand? Ed.
I have been worried for several days now: no news from you! If you are offended with me, you would probably have written to other friends, but, as far as is known, you are not writing to anyone! If I do not receive a letter from you in the next few days, I shall write to our friends to find out whether you have fallen ill. I have already enquired about letters *poste restante* more than once—there is nothing.

The conflict with our young friend the Pole has been resolved successfully; there was only a certain “misunderstanding” (that is what he declares). Now everything is going well; the compilation of the journal has already begun; it should be published already in January.*

We wrote to “your” editor in one of the towns of Romance Switzerland. He answers absolutely nothing. Strange, is it not? We are all waiting impatiently for you to arrange things somehow with the novels and short stories in Paris, where you will surely find many people, writers, publishers and so on, since you work in the National Library and know this public well.

The weather is splendid. Last Sunday we undertook a magnificent outing to “our” little mountain. The view of the Alps was extraordinarily beautiful; I was very sorry you were not with us.

One of these last few days Camille Huysmans delivered a very long and “diplomatic” speech at the congress of the Dutch party. I do not know whether you will be able to find its text in the French newspapers. If not, you will find it here. He touched “in passing” on the September conference, he protested very strongly against “attempts at expropriation” (he does not want to be “expropriated,” this secretary!) and so on and so forth. A great diplomat, a politician!.. What worthless means!

How are you feeling? Are you satisfied? Are you not bored? Are you very busy?

You are causing me much distress by depriving me utterly of news of yourself!..

* The reference is to the journal *Vorbote*. Ed.

V. I. LENIN

Where do you live? Where do you eat? In the “buffet” of the National Library?

Once again I beg you for letters “poste restante.”

Devotedly yours,
Basil

P.S. Once again, nothing! No letters from you.