_Tuesday, 1 January, 1895._
I have not received a letter from you this morning. I miss it. I have
received several others, it is true; but dare I tell you that it is not
the same thing? Yesterday, when he left me, Me. Demange hoped to come
back and pass some hours with me to-day; but alas! not long after his
departure they told me that my appeal had been rejected; this closes my
prison door to him; he will not be permitted to visit me any more. He
must have been warned this morning. So I shall pass my day alone. What a
sad New Year, my darling! But do not let us dwell upon this subject. It
will do us no good to weep and groan; that will not open the doors of my
prison. On the contrary, we must guard all our physical strength and all
our mental energy; we must not relax our struggle for one instant. Let
nothing beat you down; do not lose hope. Throw your nets out on all
sides; the guilty one will be caught in them at last.
Have you received an answer to your application? I am waiting now with
impatience for the moment when I shall hold you in my arms.
Have you bought the toys for the children? Were they pleased? I am
thinking always of you and of them. I live only in the thought that some
day this frightful nightmare will vanish. It seems impossible that it
can be otherwise. We will help overcome it, I promise it to you. I
embrace you as I love you.