AT LE PERREUX 

London, 5 May 1892 

My dear Laura, 

A few lines in a hurry. What was intended as a defeat for us here, 
has ended in a veritable triumph.*’! We had only two platforms on 
Sunday,* but they were the only ones that drew, both public and 
press. You will have seen our involuntary caricatures in the Daily 
Graphic I sent you.*’? Platform No. 14, the international platform, 
was the great success of the day. By a conspicuous piece of good luck, 
Roussel of the Bourse du travail” >’ was, it seems, sent out of the way of 
Prudent Dervillers and Argyriades by them and Adolphe Smith and 
came on our platform, so that we had two Frenchmen,’ two Russians,‘ 
a German, Bernstein, an Austrian, Louise, a Pole, Mendelson and 
a Jew,° besides /a Espattola Mrs C. Graham and the Britishers.' 

The demonstration itself was immense, even compared with the 
two previous ones, and showed that things are moving here, though 
they move in that peculiar roundabout way in which the English de- 
light. 

In the evening we had the Mendelsons, Bernsteins, ‘Tussy and Ed- 
ward of course, and Bonnier brought Roussel, we were very jolly, had 
a Maibowle, and fat Roussel was effusively delighted, while Argyria- 
des and Co. owned next morning to him, they had been bored to 
death in the company where they had, or rather had been, moved (sans 
calembour!) 

IT am very anxiously awaiting the Socialiste to learn something 
about our electoral successes on May Ist in France,*? the papers you 
sent me do not contain anything to go by, and surely if we had not 
secured majorities, we must have got in at least some minorities. 

Anyhow I am glad the thing passed off quietly everywhere. The 

4.1 May-° Labour Stock-Exchange-° Paul Lafargue and Ferdinand Roussel - 
4 Felix Volkhovsky and Sergei Stepnyak-Kravchinsky -° Shajer-' Edward Aveling, 
Eleanor Marx-Aveling, William Morris, Thomas Mann, Peter Curran and others - 
S this is not a pun 

idea that the Ist of May is to be a day of rows and riots is a mere trap 
set by the bourgeois and we have no interest whatever to fall into that 
trap. We want to show our strength, that’s all, as to when we are to 
use that strength, that’s our business, not that of our opponents, if we 
can help it. 

Thanks for the papers— Dinner Bell! I have Pumps, Percy and 
family here, so cannot write much, must take them out to see some of 
the sights they have missed so long in the Isle of Wight. They send 
their kindest regards to you and Paul. Ditto from Louise. 

Ever yours, 
F. Engels