D O C U M E N T S 9 8 , 9 9 A U G U S T 1 9 2 3 9 9
Give my regards to the
parents[19]
and the children, and warm greetings from
your
Albert.
The ones in Ulm send warm greetings and keenly regret your absence. Never-
theless, I was blissful when I regained the train and had all this banal petty bour-
geois stuff behind me again. Better something with entirely primitive folk than this
kind.
98. To Betty Neumann
Lautrach Castle, Wednesday [8 August 1923]
Dear Betty,
I was racking my brains throughout the entire
trip[1]
about how I could arrange
things so you won’t slip away from my company again. Now I want to present my
idea to you. You stay at Uncle
Mühsam’s,[2]
help him with housekeeping and me
with my
paperwork.[3]
You’ll get your independence in the form of fifty Dutch guil-
ders a month, which I can very well drum up, partly from my Dutch
pay,[4]
partly
also from other income. Don’t worry about that, since Else and the
girls[5]
are cer-
tainly sufficiently provided for, even in case of my early death. I would be pleased
to be able to count you among my own and to take care of you as a little daughter.
That we both like each other and can make each other happy, I know. And besides,
you can always leave when you don’t like it so much anymore.
Think it over, and warm regards for now from your
Albert Einstein.
P. S. Uncle Mühsam will probably like this. You can discuss it with him but other-
wise with no one.
99. To Elsa Einstein
[Lautrach,] Thursday [9 August 1923]
Dear Else,
Ask Nernst as fast as you
can,[1]
as I don’t want to go to Munich for nothing. It’s
wonderful here; being with the
children[2]
is also pleasant. Now Sommerfeld is
here, too, besides Kossel, so physics amply gets its due as
well.[3]
These are won-
derful, cloudless, hot summer days. One is outside all the time, after meals in ham-
mocks. Otherwise walks, games—in short, leisurely living. We’re enjoying