London, 24 December 1889 

Dear Mrs Liebknecht, 

First of all my most sincere thanks for the greetings you and your 
son* so kindly sent me on my last birthday, which was a most merry 
occasion. We all had to sit up until midnight so as to kill two birds with 
one stone, for the next day was Aveling’s birthday and this we proceeded 
to celebrate together. 

We were glad to hear that you are all in the best of health. We, too, are 
getting on pretty well; Nimmi has had some bad colds and all of us have 
had attacks of rheumatism—not that it can be wholly avoided in this 
climate, but so long as it doesn’t get too bad, no one complains about it. 

All is also well with the Roshers, except that last Sunday Papa Percy 
caught a bad cold which very nearly developed into pneumonia. 
However he’s improving though it will, of course, put paid to any 
Christmas jollifications so far as he is concerned and he won’t be allowed 
to leave the house tomorrow. At the moment Pumps is without a maid; 
the last one upped and left a fortnight ago while she and the children 
were out, and when Pumps returned she found the house deserted and 
locked and, since she had no key, the company had to come round to me 
and await Percy’s arrival; until then they were unable to get in. So here 
too, you see, all kinds of petits miséres> keep cropping up. 

There will be a big party here tomorrow evening if Pumps and her chil- 
dren are able to come; besides them, the Mottelers, Fischers and Bernsteins 
will be coming, as will the Avelings, of course, and then there’ll be 
Schorlemmer, who has been here since yesterday. The number coming 
corresponds exactly to the number we can, at a pinch, find place for. 
Nimmi is busy cooking and baking—the plum puddings were made a week 
ago. It’s an awful chore, with no purpose other than to bring on attacks of 
indigestion! But such is required by custom, and one has to conform. 
Nevertheless we'll make merry, even if we’re sorry for it on Boxing Day. 

4 Theodor Liebknecht — ° little calamities 

Ever since the dock strike,? when she worked day and night on the 

committee—the real executive work was done by 3 women—Tussy has 
been deeply involved in the strike movement. While the dock strike was 
on, a small strike broke out in Silvertown**? on the furthest outskirts of 
the East End, some 3,000 people. She was in the thick of it, organised a 
branch of the union for the girls and had to make her way there every 
morning—after 12 weeks, however, the strike ended in defeat. She is 
presently taking part in the gas strike in South London*” and on Sunday 
morning spoke in Hyde Park, but it isn’t so exhausting, of course, and 
gives her more free time. She and Aveling will be taking on the assistant 
editorship of a monthly* which has been acquired by E. B. Bax with 
effect from 1 January and that will be work enough in itself. Besides this 
she is secretary to two women’s trade societies. 

T also got a letter from Liebknecht yesterday*”* and would ask you to 
be good enough to thank him for it on my behalf. He will doubtless be 
with you tomorrow. We over here are anxiously awaiting the verdict at 
the Elberfeld trial.°°? I have long since lost all faith in the Prussian judi- 
ciary and only trust that Bebel won’t be convicted along with others. 

The people in Paris are, it seems, to have a daily paper again—but my 
hopes on this score have so often been dashed that I won’t really believe 
it until I see it. Our French parliamentary group of eight men has not 
done at all badly up till now and has shown remarkable discipline when 
one considers that they have come together from all parts of France and 
are, to a great extent, strangers to one another. 

And now, dear Mrs Liebknecht, I should like to send my best wishes 
for a merry Christmas and a thoroughly enjoyable New Year to you, 
Liebknecht, Theodor and all the other children, not forgetting Mrs 
Geiser. I heard from the Schliiters yesterday; they seem to be getting on 
pretty well. 

With warm regards from Nimmi, the Roshers and myself 

Yours very sincerely 
F. Engels