[Argenteuil,] 9 August 1881

Dear Frep,

Have just received your letter. I am registering this one; Longuet
says that, while there can be no question of Stieberian tampering

* July in the ms.

with letters, registered ones, especially at little places like Argenteuil,
are handled with greater despatch.

On Saturday? we took my wife to Paris; she watched it go by from
an open carriage, which pleased her much (on myself it made the impression of a foire perpétuelle’). A few pauses, of course, and sitting DOWN
perore cafés. On the way back she felt momentarily sick, but
wants to go there again.

Her condition is, as usual, sometimes too much to bear, sometimes
better for hours on end. She grows steadily thinner and at the same
time weaker. Yesterday there was slight cutaneous bleeding which
the doctor‘ considers a symptom of debility. I told him we must
seriously consider going home; he said we could wait a day or two before finally deciding. She herself, after I had spoken to her about leaving at the end of this week, played a trick on me by sending out
a mass of washing which will not be returned until the beginning of next
week. At all events I shall let you know by telegraph when we are
leaving (should there not be time simply to notify you beforehand by
letter). Oddly enough, though I get damned little rest at night and
my days are racked with worry, everyone tells me how well I look —
as is, indeed, the case.

Jennychen’s asthma is bad, the house being a very draughty one.
The child is heroic, as always.

On Sunday I was to show Helen‘ round Paris. I wrote and advised
Hirsch* of it beforehand — and In the nick of Time. He was just on
the point of leaving for Germany (to the intense annoyance of Kaub
and the chagrin of his wife). He wants to show the party leaders
in Germany that there’s nothing out of the way about exposing oneself to apprehension by the police. He made off yesterday.

A pleasant couple, Jaclard and his Russian wife,‘ came to déjeuner
here yesterday. Today we expect, for the same performance, Lissagaray and our doctor’s wife (along with her sister).

From Jaclard we learned that he had attended an election meeting
at Batignolles where the following put themselves up as candidates:
Henry Maret, our Dr Regnard and— Pyat, who turned up—
SELF-UNDERSTOOD with the permission of the police —suddenly and unexpectedly. Pyat was frightfully jeered at. When he mentioned the

* 6 August- perpetual fair-° Dourlen-4 Helene Demuth-* Carl Hirsch (see previous letter).-' Anna Korvin-Krukovskaya -* luncheon

Commune there was a general cry of ‘Vous lavez lachée!’?* Regnard
fared no better. In order to appear paradoxical and profound, the
idiot opened with the declaration: ‘Je suzs contre la liberté!’? GENERAL
How.Inc! His subsequent declaration that it was ‘liberté des congrégations’* he had meant availed him nothing. The champion of anticlericalism !’? was a flop, likewise Henry Maret.

It may be that the extreme left will slightly increase its numbers,
but the chief upshot of this will probably be victory for Gambetta.
Things being what they are in France, the shortness of the election
period will decide the issue in favour of faiseurs’ with numerous
‘strongholds’ in their possession, prospective bestowers of places in the
machinery of government, and the men who control the ‘exchequer’,
etc. The ‘Grévystes’* could have licked Gambetta if, after the latter’s
recent FAILURES, they had had the energy to throw his appendages, Cazot, Constans and Farre, out of the cabinet. Since they didn’t, the
place-hunters, speculators on the Bourse, etc., etc., are saying to
themselves, ‘Gambetta IS THE MAN? THEY HAVE NOT DARED TO ATTACK HIM IN
HIS STRONGHOLDS, YOU CANNOT RELY UPON THEM.The general onslaughts
daily made upon him in the radical and reactionary press CONTRIBUTE
TO ENHANCE HIM DESPITE ALL HIS TOMFOOLERIES. On top of which the
peasants regard Gambetta as the nec plus ultra’ in possible republicanism.

At the same time as this letter, another will go off to Tussychen, telling her what to do. I shall need a little more money, since this time
the journey is going to cost a lot (the doctor thinks, moreover, that
a few days in Boulogne might do the patient good because of the
sea air), we shall have to meet a large doctor’s bill and also make
some compensation to Jennychen for all the expenses we have put
her to.

So Gumpert is founding a 3rd (or is it 2nd?) family? Good luck
to him. It seems a sensible thing for a doctor to do. My wife has
heard a number of people extolling the Bocker woman of Manchester.

Salut.

Your
Moor