AT LE PERREUX 

London, 4 April 1892 

My dear Laura, 

Today but two words to ask you to look after the Eclair— On Fri- 
day” morning all of a sudden Emile Massard came down upon me 
with a demand for an interview for that iridescent paper. As he prom- 
ised to submit the ms. to my correction, and as I thought to be 
thereby able to put a flea in the ear of the Parisian gogo,° I consented. 
Yesterday I looked over the ms. and almost entirely recast it. Would 
you be good enough to send me about 4-6 copies of the paper as soon 
as it appears? If correct I shall want them for various regions, if incor- 
rect, I shall at once protest against the breach of faith. 

* The end of the letter is missing.- 1 April-° juggins 

Anyhow this new experience with the eternal interviewing nui- 
sance will help me to refuse in future, as I always have to do the real 
work (from 11 to 3 yesterday, instead of being out this warm weather) 
and even then it’s not what I want and does not bring out my ideas. 
Damn the lot of them. 

I was in Ryde for a week, has done me good. Pumps and the 
children are well, Percy has had influenza, pneumonia, pleurisy, 
inflamed throat, etc., one after the other and is only just recov- 
ering. 

I am busy with an infernal preface* for the never-to-be-satisfied 
Swan Sonnenschein and Co. and that, as it will be long, will take me 
all week. As soon as finished you get a long letter. 

Salut to the travelling parlamentarian” who is not only a peripa- 
tetic grass widower but also a grasshopper, and love from Louise 
and yours 

everlasting old 
General 

Next week we expect Bebel here unless stopped by ill health —he 
seems a deal out of sorts by overwork and overexcitement.