am now as
free
as
the
next
man.
I
have already
eaten there
today,
it's
very cozy
there, I have already
found
quite
nice
company
there in
the
persons
of
two
young
pharmacists.
Long
live
impudence!
It's
my
guardian
angel
in this world.
Yesterday,
as
I
happily
entered the house N. for the last
dinner,
just
before the
subscription
concert at
which
I
participated, there
was
a
letter from Marcelius
on
my soup
plate,
a
very
kind
letter,
in which
he tells
me
that the position in
Bern will be advertised within the
next few weeks and that he takes it for certain that I'll get it. In
2
months' time
we
would then
suddenly
find ourselves in
splendid
circumstances and
our
struggle would be
over.
I
am
dizzy with
joy
when I think of it. I
am even
happier
for
you
than for myself.
We
would be the
happiest people
on
earth
together,
that's for
sure.
We
shall remain students
(horribile dictu)
as
long
as
we
live,
and shall
not give
a
damn about the world.
But
neither shall
we
forget that
we
owe
everything to the kind
Marcelius,
who
tirelessly
looked
out
for
me.
Also,
I
will always help
gifted
young
men
wherever this will be
within
my powers,
this is
a
solemn oath I
am
taking.
The
only problem
that would remain to be solved would be how
to
have
our
Lieserl with
us;
I wouldn't like for
us
to
have to part with her. Ask
your
father,
he is
an
experienced
man
and knows the world better than
your
impractical bookworm Johonzel. She shouldn't be stuffed with
cow
milk,
this could make her
stupid (yours
must be much
more
nourishing,
I believe, what do
you
think?!)
I
got again
a
very
self-evident but important scientific idea
about molecular forces.
You
know that
no
noticeable evolution of heat
takes place
when two neutral
liquids
are
mixed
together.
From this it
follows,
according
to
our
theory
of molecular
forces,
that there
must
exist
an
approximate proportionality between
our
constants
Zc
and
the molecular volumes of the
liquids.
If this
were
true, then this
would
be the end of
the
molecular-kinetic
theory
of
liquids.
I'll
see
whether
I
can
get
hold of Ostwald
or
Landolt
during
the vacation
period.
I'll either
stay
here
(for
reasons
of
economy)
or
go to
Zurich and work
(this
beats all secondary
considerations).
My
pupil
has
just
told
me
that the
thing
with Bern is not
so
impossible
after all. His mother
seems
to
have become
a
little bit
enlightened.
But
now
this
is
not
so
important
to
me
any
longer,
although
it still would make
me
very
glad.
Be
cheerful,
my
dear, faithful little sweetheart,
give
my
kind
regards
to
your
parents, and I
clasp
you
tenderly to
my
heart. Your
Johonzel
128.
TO
MILEVA MARIC
Schaffhausen
Tuesday [17
December
1901]
My
dear sweetheart!
It is
really
a
screamingly funny life that I
am
living here,
completely in
Schopenhauer's
sense.
That is
to
say,
all day long I
talk with nobody except
my
pupil. Even Mr. Baumer's
company
seems
to
me
boring and insipid. I always find that
I
am
in the best
company
when I
am
alone, except when
I
am
with
you.
But
you
I miss
very
much,
186