{London,] 29 January 1873 
122 Regent’s Park Road 

Dear Oswald, 

My wife* and I thank you cordially for your kind invitation, but 
we are unfortunately not yet in a position to say whether we shall 
be able to take it up. My wife has again been plagued by all sorts 
of illnesses ever since Christmas; she is suffering from the 
after-effects of pleurisy, and so it is very doubtful whether she will 
be able to go out in the evening—it would be the first time for 2 
weeks. For my part, I have promised the German Workers’ 
Society that I would, if required, put in an appearance at the 
meeting on Saturday evening and give a talk, and I shall be 
unlikely to hear before Friday” whether it is due to take place this 
Saturday or the following one. 

When your children came yesterday afternoon I was just 
working with Marx on something that absolutely had to go off by 
the first post and so could not get away for a moment. My wife 
believes that Pumps‘ delivered ‘a saucy Messace’ instead of my words: 
TELL THEM TO GIVE OUR COMPLIMENTS TO Mr AND Mrs Oswa cp, AND THAT WE ARE 
MUCH OBLIGED [to them], BuT THAT I CANNOT JUST NOW TELL WHETHER WE CAN 
come. If this is the case, you now know what happened. 

Our best regards to Mrs Oswald and to your sister. 

Sincerely yours, 

F. Engels