2 5 4 D O C U M E N T 1 2 7 S E P T E M B E R 1 9 2 0
earnings and of the schoolgirls’ attachment to
me.[6]
Not a pleasant affair, either!
A veritable witch-hunt was launched against me.
The money from the S[wiss] A[uer] S[tock Company] is anticipated for the end
of October. I hope this doesn’t cause you any
inconvenience.[7]
Our Viennese lady is returning home the day after tomorrow. She gained 6 kg.
A quite respectable result. I look forward to being alone with Paul again then as
well.[8]
Personally she was quite distant to us, even though she also is was a Jew.
I’m going to accompany Mrs. Häfliger to Genoa and am inordinately pleased to be
able to see Italy again after such a long
time.[9]
Mrs. Häfliger is traveling to
America at the end of Sept. Will you still be in southern Germany at the beginning
of
Oct.?[10]
I could possibly make a detour to where you are, in order to visit see
all of you. I hope the stay by the lake did the children some
good.[11]
From Mrs.
Häfliger I heard that poor little Margot was so ill
again.[12]
The poor child has to
endure so much, and I knew nothing at all about it. Is she fully recovered again
now?
We are socializing much with painters now. One of them, Einbeck, is, in our
opinion, one of the very great
ones.[13]
He would interest you too, dear Albert. Sad-
ly, the pianist-painter who became a close friend of ours has been in Paris since the
beginning of July; he probably won’t be coming
back.[14]
Do write back soon so that we don’t lose touch completely. All my love to you,
the children, and Uncle and
Aunt.[15]
Yours,
Maja.
127. From Paul Ehrenfest
[Leyden,] 2 September 1920
Dear, dear Einstein!
I finally managed to get the Berliner Tageblatt with “My Response.”
[1]—My
wife and I read the whole text 4, 5 times over.
Forgive me—it is the first time that I am so bold as to meddle importunely into
your affairs. I do it with great consternation, but I consider myself obligated to do
so because we are so deeply fond of you.—If in the following any one of my com-
ments should annoy you, or even offend you, do please graphically think of me,
Van
Aardenne,[2]
and generally the whole ambience here in
Leyden[3]
—vividly
imagine what you mean to us—then every last trace must vanish, then you must
trust us.– So, with a heavy heart, I have the following to say:
Such is this piece, “My Response,” that my wife and I absolutely cannot believe
that you personally wrote down at least some of the turns of phrase. We don’t forget