in the
studies,
or
be
it
as
Johann with all the
lovely trifles
that
go
with that.
But
now
this will
soon
be behind
you
&
then
you
can
again
count
one more
victory
in life
&
you'll
get
a
significant
little
piece
of
white
paper.
I couldn't take the
physics
notebook to
your
pad
yesterday,
when I
was
in Zurich, because there wasn't
enough
time for
that. But don't sulk because of
this,
little witch! When
you
come
to
Zurich,
just
come
to
my
pad
&
take whatever
you
like
&
if
you
cannot
find
something
that
should be there,
just
ask Mrs. Markwalder. (She
knows
everything?).
--
The
day
after tomorrow I
am
going
with
my
mother to Milan, and I won't be back in "our"
place in Zurich
before
the start of the semester. I would like
so
much to
try
to
make the
examination
time
more
pleasant
for
you
in Zurich if this wouldn't
cause very
understandable
pain
to
my
parents.
At present I'll be
completely
bookless for
a
week, since all
libraries
are
now
being
inventoried,
but within
a
week I
can
have the
municipal library
send
me
books
by
Helmholtz Boltzmann
&
Mach to
Milan. But
so
that
you
wouldn't frown and
worry,
I
give
you my
solemn
promise
that I'll
go over
everything with
you.
I think
we
should
once
stay in Zurich during vacation
time,
so as
to lead
our
semester life
without lectures in
ease
and
comfort
for
once,
this must
really
be
quite
nice.
A
good
idea occurred to
me
in Aarau about
a
way
of
investigating
how the bodies' relative motion with respect to the luminiferous ether
affects the velocity of propagation of light in transparent bodies.
Also
a
theory
on
this matter occurred
to
me,
which
seems
to
me
to
be
highly probable.
But
enough
of that! Your
poor
little
head is full
enough
of different
people's
hobby-horses
that
you
had to ride.
This
being
the
case,
I shouldn't march in mine
as
well. I don't know what
else to
say,
except that
you
needn't let this little bit of
examination
worry you.
This is
a
trifle for
you
-
especially
with
such harmless
competitors.
And
now
goodbye,
don't toil
so
hard,
accept
a
thousand
affectionate regards
& use a
nicer mode of address the
next
time
you
write to
your
Albert
Via
Bigli
21
Milan
Kind
regards
to
your
loved
ones
" "
from Mama
&
Maja.
55.
TO
JULIA NIGGLI
[Mettmenstetten]
Monday
[11
September
1899]
Dear Miss!
Since
everything
is
already packed,
I
am
using
this little piece
of
paper
to
enclose
a
little greeting.
I
have already given
my
aunt
a
plausible explanation about
your
having accepted another position, and
she
now
has the choice between the
governess
from Zofingen
you
recommended and
a
young woman
from Zurich whose
name
by chance is
also
Martha Müller. The latter will
come
to Aunt
this afternoon for
an
interview.
At
any
event, I'll be able to send
an answer
to
your
friend, though
not
a
definitive
one.
In the meantime
I
had
a
few
133