| 5 Sept. 1866.
My beloved
master ± ∞ ∓,
I bow to the earth before your immensity, whatever part you may condescend to
act, that of the infinitely small or the infinitely grand.
Your letters have enchanted us, and we were really
bursting out with laughter on reading that fine passage in which you
describe the spontaneous explosion produced by the exhibition
spinster.
I am much belaboured by
a Gorilla offspring
who can hardly stand the separation
of
from
a velvet mouse
he has put his mind upon. If he knew her as well as I do—he would of course be
still more
Calypso
, qui ne pouvait se
consoler du départ
d'Ulysse.
She may be a
Calypso
, but he is not an
Ulysses
, with all that. A
spoony fellah rather. However, he deserves some praise at my hands.
He has worked hard
in 
//
(from 1 o'clock p.m. to 9) in translating the instructions
I
sent 
//
had to draw up for the Geneva
Congress Delegates.
He has worked not less hard as a tailor at certain 
| gymnastic apparatus you
are to
y 
//
use. Last, not least, he affects
great attention to the scientifick gabble I affect to treat him with, although
he and myself are far away from the scene of
that
mental entertainment.
The day before yesterday
the Lormiers
were here, and
the negrillo
too.
Old Lormier
, on the
pretext of having to communicate him some gymnastic trick, told him
“secretly”
, and discreetly, of course, he must stop that
fountain of saliva which, while smoking, he is in the habit of inundating the
chimney with. When both returned from the kitchen, where the secret
communication was taking place, our poor Negrillo looked rather downcast, and
behaved like a “good
g
uy
boy
”.
In fact, I like the boy. At the same time, I feel rather jealous of his
encroachments upon
my old
“Geheimsecretair”
.
Don't forget to write me
immediately
what you have to pay
per week
.
The damned weather. I hope it will still mend.
Address of
Mimmelchen:
“
Mrs. Goodbun
. Rose
and Crown. Dover”.
Adio, my dear child. Many kisses to you and to the immortal
Cacadou.
Yours
0
∞
/ You don't want to write to
Mamma
, as she probably leaves Dover on Friday morning for
another place. /