AT LE PERREUX 

London, 3 February 1892 

My dear Laura, 

Gan you get me from the Jntransigeant the London address of Roche- 
fort? Wroblewski all of a sudden sends me a letter for that distin- 
guished foreigner and supposes I know his address, but I will be 
hanged if I know anybody who can procure it me here — everybo- 
dy advises me to write to Paris as the shortest and safest way to get 
it — so I suppose I must follow their advice and submit the case to you, 
especially as I have a slight suspicion that the poor devil of Wréb- 
lewski applies to Rochefort for cash, and would not have it said for the 
world that I was the cause of delaying even for one hour the — undoubt- 
edly negative—answer he is sure (if any) to get from le grand 
boulevardier. 

Here we have suffered from influenza right and left— I have been 
spared so far, but Louise and my servant have had a touch. Percy has 
had a pretty severe attack followed by pneumonia and is not yet on 
his legs again, Bernstein has been down, and E. Aveling is not quite 
himself. Our street and neighbourhood has suffered severely, cases 
right and left. 

The latest scandal: all over London goes the rumour that the 
Duke of Clarence on his death had called his mother* and told her 
that ‘May’? was in the family way by him. If true it is the only action 

* Princess Alexandra-° Princess Victoria- Mary von Teck 
y 

for which I respect the boy. They say he was after her for a good time 
past, but the old queen* did not approve of the match at first. And if 
they did take the law into their own hands, it’s more than I should 
have expected from ‘Cuffs and Collars’ and show that after all he 
was good for something. 

Paul’s migrations are very interesting,?°? but won’t he soon get 
tired of it? It’s very useful and very good work, but if he carries it on till 
May Ist, he will lose a deal of weight and come back, may be, to his 
parliamentary duties with the ‘lean and hungry look’, which, as 
a Cassius,*°* might become him in the eyes of the épicier. At all events 
he has silenced the Brousses? and other Nedhiémmel’ who came 
down upon him for a slip of the tongue or two in his first speech.*7° 
The statistics about Notre Dame de la fabrique etc. are the best reply. 

My article’ from the Almanach has come out in Italian in the Cri- 
tica Sociale di Milano and will appear in German in the Neue Zeit next 
No. with additions. Bebel has sent me some Alsatian papers with re- 
ports of his speech in Miilhausen,*°’ one in French, I want to send it 
to you if I can find it (Louise says she forwarded it to_you),“ to show you 
what horrid French these ‘patriots’ of the /rdustriel Alsacien do per- 
petrate. 

An awful row will be caused by the publication of the order of 
Prince George of Saxony to the 12th German (Saxon) Army Corps in 
yesterday's Vorwdrts.*°° That shows how far our connexions in the 
army reach, and William! will be awfully vexed. It is sure to cause 
a deal of sensation in France, and if you can forward me Paris papers 
with comments on it, to be forwarded to Bebel and to be used in the 
Reichstag, it will be very very useful. 

In great haste —kind regards from Louise and 

ever yours, 
F. E,