8 Nov. 1866. Dear Engels, My silence will have struck you. I believed the receipt of the £5 had been notified to you, as Laura had undertaken to do so, but, as later turned out, she forgot. For the rest it was desperate circumstances that prevented me from writing. You know that the £10 you sent me before your departure were only for tax payments; the later £50 for house rent. For months, therefore, I have been cleaned out. The so-called inheritance turned out – divided among at least 20 to 30 people – and my share came to me at the beginning of summer – 80 Thaler! All my attempts to raise money in Germany or Holland have failed. The pawnshop (and my wife has pawned everything so utterly that she herself can hardly go out) reminds us of its existence only by the interest it demands. I have therefore, as in the worst refugee period, had to borrow small sums right and left in London – and that in a narrow and itself impecunious circle – merely to meet the most indispensable cash expenditures. On the other hand, the household suppliers are threatening, and some have cancelled credit and threatened legal proceedings. This state of affairs all the more fatal as Lafargue (until a few days ago, before his departure for Bordeaux) was constantly in the house, and the real state of things had to be anxiously concealed from him. Through all this I have not only been much interrupted in my work, but have also, since I tried to make up at night the time lost during the day, brought upon myself again a fine carbuncle not far from the penis. I know that you have done everything in your power and more. But some sort of remedy must be found. Is it not possible to take out a loan or some transaction of that kind? Salut, Your KM