AT LE PERREUX 

London, 20 July 1891 

My dear Laura, 

The Culine business is very bad indeed—worthy of the fellow’s 
name ?82—-but what’s to be done? With such a weapon in Constans’ 
hands, we can only hold our tongues. 

Louise went on Wednesday* and Jollymeier came on Saturday, 
but he is getting more and more Tristymeier, you have to work very 
hard to get a smile out of him now. Anyhow [’ll try my best. 

Paul asks me to send you a cheque, so enclosed £20; please let me 
know the receipt. I send it off quick because Jollymeier is still out at 

* 15 July 

his walk, so if I close this letter all of a sudden, you will know the rea- 
son why. 

We are preparing a tour at sea, but have not made up our plans 
yet, and I have not yet finished my ms.*—but am at the last addition 
as far as I can see. Hope to have done by Wednesday ” at latest. 

Paul thinks Tussy is troubling herself more than necessary about 
Brussels '3°—I don’t think so. Everything may go well, and probably 
will go well if everybody comes up to the scratch, but I have too 
much experience of such congresses, not to know how easily every- 
thing can go wrong. The Belgians have convoked for the /8h Au- 
gust 7°! Tuesday, instead of Sunday 16th—if our people come on the 
18th and the (Possibilists) Broussists and Hyndmanites on the 16th, 
they can play ducks and drakes with everything. Tussy has written 
yesterday to Volders but these fellows never even reply! As to what 
the English will do, that’s mere toss-up; from Germany almost cer- 
tainly Vollmar will come and intrigue; what the small countries are 
you know: not to be trusted across the road. And one mistake on our 
part, one neglected opportunity, may cause us unnecessary but un- 
avoidable work for years to come. 

And then there is that irrepressible Bonnier who point-blank inform- 
ed me that Guesde and he were going to go in for a restoration of 
the old International with a Central Council. I told him point-blank 
that that was putting everything in the hands of the Belgians (the 
only possible Central Council) knowing what sort of people they 
were; it was ruining every chance of the movement here in England 
for a couple of years by a foolish attempt to precipitate matters not 
ripe for action; and in fact the best means of setting French, English 
and Germans at loggerheads one with the other. He seemed abashed, 
but who can guess what he and Guesde may do in their enthusiasm? 

Viele Grüsse von Follymeier und 

Deinem alten‘ 
F.E.