1 6 6 D O C U M E N T 2 2 M A Y 1 9 2 0
hers, and you may therefore really be assured that within your closer family any
trace of greed, any attachment to objects per se is lacking; you really ought to know
that. Since you didn’t want to take care of the distribution of the estate (you really
ought to have taken the matter in hand; it really was your duty), you have no license
to judge Maja’s conduct. You simply werenÊt present and Maja is not near you, aside
from the fact that by her whole nature she isn’t capable of protecting herself against
wrong judgment. That’s why I consider it my duty to remind you what a nasty re-
port you allowed yourself to be told by Miza that
time;[3]
a second rendition is all
we need. If you can’t believe husband Paul, who hasn’t perceived the slightest little
blemish in Maja throughout 20 years, then at least draw your conclusions from
your closer family
(father,[4]
mother, and you yourself) about Maja’s temperament
and, for all I care, from your other relations to the others, but not vice versa.
More I won’t say; I personally don’t care a fig about the estate issue; it’s just im-
portant to me that you don’t soil your own nest, as once before.
Regards to you as a brother-in-law and friend, yours,
Pauli
22. To Elsa Einstein
[Leyden,] Thursday [20 May 1920]
Dear Else,
Yesterday evening I delivered a talk before a large audience at the university,
which took place very
ceremoniously.[1]
Today I was even invited by the German
envoy in The
Hague.[2]
Just now I received two postcards from
you.[3]
I am not go-
ing to Halle. It would be
senseless.[4]
Besides, on the 29th I still have to be at the
Academy in Amsterdam, where I was appointed foreign
member.[5]
Yesterday I
stepped in for Ehrenfest, who had to travel to Delft, in his lecture
course.[6]
On the
31st I’m coming home again and look forward to it very much. I’m anxiously
thinking about how I should obtain my passport visa for Norway so quickly. Do I
have anything at all in writing? Without that the visa is
unattainable.[7]
The violin
still hasn’t
arrived.[8]
Your friend in Amsterdam is sending me a snack package for
you which I’ll be taking
along.[9]
I intend to write Maja. Pauli wrote me a somewhat
crazy and nasty
letter.[10]
I’m sending him a postcard.
Kisses to all of you from your
Albert.