36
DOC.
27
JULY
1914
27.
To
Elsa
Einstein
[Berlin,
after
26 July
1914][1]
Dear
Darling,
Despite
the
severity
of
the situation
I
still had to smile
a
bit about
your
little
express
letter.
Just
don’t
worry, everything
will turn out well.
Of
course
you
will probably
have to economize
a
bit,
but that
is
your
passion,
in which
you
can
indulge yourself
then. Dear
little
Else,
I
shall cherish
you
and
be
thankful
for
your
love.
You have
proven
that
you
felt
attracted
to
me as a
person
and
not
to
the
great
animal in
the
illustr[ated]
newspapers.
I
know
that
Ilse
and
Margot
also like
coming
to
my home,
even
though
leaving
their
grandparents’
house
is
not
easy;
they
will
find
me a very
bearable
stepfather.
The
divorce
will
be
initiated
immediately
so
that
everything
takes
its
course
speedily.[2]
I
may
see
my
children
only
on
neutral
ground,
not
in
our
house. This
is
justified
because
it
is not
right
to have
the
children
see
their
father
with
a woman
other than their
own
mother.[3] I
know how to
come
to
terms
with that.
Yet it
is
understandable that
it
was
terribly
hard
at first.
How
can
you
be
surprised
that
my
parting
from
my
children
was a
real
blow to
me? I would be
a
real
monster
if
I
felt
any
other
way.
I
have carried these children
around
innumerable times
day
and
night,
taken them
out in
their
pram, played
with
them, romped
around
and
joked
with them.
They
used
to shout with
joy
when
I
came;
the little
one
cheered
even now,
because he
was
still
too
small to
grasp
the situation
instinctively.
Now
they
are
gone forever,
and
their
mental
image
of
their father
is
being spoiled
systematically!
But
I
believe they will not
make
very
much
of it, and
ample
care
has been
taken that
they not
be
deprived
of
anything.
Dear
darling,
do
not
reproach yourself.
The
trifle
that has started the
ball
rolling now[4] was
only
of
significance
as a
release.
It
is
not
possible
for
an
honest
person
to love
one woman
and be married
to
another. Aside from
that,
if
I
had
not
been
so
indifferent
about
my
own
private
life,
I
ought
to
have divorced
long
ago
before
I
came
to
know
and
love
you.
I
am
not allowed to visit
you.
We
must act
very saintly
during
this
time.
See
that the month of
separation
does
not
seem so
very long
to
you;
I
also
long
for
you very
much
already.
I
can
visit
you
at
your family’s home, incidentally,
as
often
as
I
like; so
it’s not
so
grim.
Fond kisses from
your
Albert
Affectionate
greetings
to
the
children.
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