Letter to Maria Ilyinichna Ulyanova, November 11, 1898

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November 11, 1898

We are today still feeling the excitement caused by yesterday’s post. Yesterday we saw a boy from the volost centre climbing over our fence with a huge bundle It proved to be our post, which was of such dimensions that it had to be brought from town wrapped in a sheepskin coat to make sure it was all delivered intact. It was not letters, of course, only books, but sometimes it is surprisingly pleasant to receive books. How are you keeping? Have you made many friends and, in general, do you still like Brussels? I used to receive enthusiastic letters from Meshcheryakov, who was greatly attracted by life in Belgium. Sometimes when I read a letter of his I longed to see how people lived out in the wide world. By the way, you probably get quite a lot of pleasure out of various folk choruses. They say the singing in Belgium is very fine. Glob paid us a visit and one evening he and Volodya sang a little. I thought about you and thought how you would be listening to the Belgians. Gleb stayed four days with us. He came without Zina because Elvira Ernestovna was ill and could not be left. They went shooting but Glob spent most of the time reading the first two chapters of the “markets” You think the “markets” are finished, do you? Nothing of the sort. The book will not be finished until February. Volodya writes all the time from dawn to dusk and has practically no time left for anything else.

Many kisses from me and from Mother.

All the best,

Nadya