London, 8 August 1885 

My dear Laura, 

To my astonishment I find that in all copies’ I can lay my hands 
on, the index has been omitted in the binding. I have at once written 
to Meissner for explanations and shall send you a copy as soon as 
received. 

* Marx’s - © of the second volume of Capital 

It is quite right that you should go to see Mother Vaillant at Viller- 
ville but that is no reason why you should not see us. We intend leav- 
ing here on Tuesday 1! 1th, and shall be back September 11th at lat- 
est. *?! Schorlemmer will leave about same time for Germany and 
return via Paris about middle of September, and we cannot see any 
reason why you should not then come over with him. If Paul cannot 
go to Bordeaux now, he may manage to go then and so everything 
would be for the best. *3* 

Your letter reminds me that indeed Deville’s publisher can stop the 
translation for one year after publication of the original. **° But that 
year has passed, as it is now two years since I had the manuscript at 
Eastbourne, * after which time it was brought out almost immediate- 
ly. The man who is to bring out the translation is William Reeves, 
185 Fleet St., but we cannot either procure a copy or hear anything 
more about it. 

Tussy and Edward were to leave yesterday for Deal, but I have not 
yet had a note from them with their address. They intend staying 
from 10-14 days. The Kautskys have gone to Eastbourne. The 
mother Kautsky is a singularly unaffected woman for a German au- 
thoress. I have read one of her novels,” it is not at all bad. However 
- I advised her to study Balzac and she has taken a few volumes, but 
will her French be up to that sort of reading? 

The scrutin de liste?7* is no doubt at first against our people, but 
that does not matter so long as our people are not more numerous. If 
they succeed in making a decent show in Paris and some great pro- 
vincial centres, there will be a necessity for the Radicals next time to 

“make a combined list with them in some places, and then some may 
get in; besides by that time, they will be a good deal stronger, and 
a good many of the outside sects, Possibilists, 7°? etc., will be broken 
up. If this next election’ brings Clemenceau into office, I shall be 
quite satisfied. He is the last man, as far as I can see, that the bour- 
geoisie has to put forward. After him le déluge. And at the same 
time the elections here with an entirely new electorate ?7°° which must 
be the beginning of the end; and old William @ on his last legs (he fell 
upstairs again yesterday at Gastein) — we shall see what we shall see. 

After the elections here — which will, I hope, carry all the Potters, 
Cremers and other faux fréres into Parliament— the basis for a so- 

* See this volume, p. 46. - > M. Kautsky, Stefan vom Grillenhof. - © See this volume, 
p- 330. - ¢ William I - © false brothers 

cialist movement here will become broader and firmer. And therefore 
I am glad to see that Hyndmanite movement will not take serious 
roots anywhere and that the simple, clumsy, wonderfully blundering, 
but secere movement of the Socialist League **° is slowly and appar- 
ently surely gaining ground. Justice is of an increasing vacuousness, 
and Yo-Day is dying, if not dead. 

Good-bye —I have to write a heap of letters yet —love from all 
of us. 

Yours affectionately, 
F. Engels