2 2 0 D O C U M E N T 2 2 3 M A R C H 1 9 2 4
223. From Maja Winteler-Einstein
Colonnata (Florence), 11 March 1924
My Dears,
Yesterday, dear Elsa, your weighty postcard arrived, bringing me 2 lovely pieces
of news: Ilse is engaged and Albert will visit
us![1]
Of these two things I can’t easily
say what makes me happier. I know that Ilse was very choosy, this is a guarantee
that she has now surely found the man completely suited to her. If, additionally, you
and Albert like that son-in-law-to-be so much, one can surely congratulate you
wholeheartedly. May all your wishes be fulfilled and may the young couple be as
happy as is ever possible for us poor earthly worms.
And Ilse wants the wedding already at the end of April? That will mean a dra-
matic change for
Margot.[2]
It was so touching, so charming how close the two sis-
ters were. Will Ilse be living near you?
I’m fulfilling your request, dear Elsa, to send your friend an invitation, in the en-
closed
letter.[3]
At the moment
Guste[4]
is with us (since 2 ½ weeks ago); but she
didn’t need any excuse to get ¢the passport² the entry permit. We’re enjoying our-
selves so much together, and she is so dear to me that it sometimes almost feels as
if my dear mother were here again.
I wrote both of you a loving, long letter in November and also invited you to
come here. Why didn’t you ever answer me? In any event, I most longingly awaited
an answer. At New Year’s I then wrote another postcard, but also without success.
Don’t I have any place in your thoughts? I feel as if banished. I haven’t seen a single
letter of the alphabet from Albert since last May.
Tomorrow morning I’ll send a sampling, of no market value, of a few little gar-
den and meadow blossoms. They are in congratulation to Ilse and Albert. Although
they are very modest, they should give all of you an inkling of our present flora and
should say to you that I always dearly think of all of you.
Now, don’t forget me again for another few months. Do send my very heartfelt
greetings to Uncle Rudolf and Aunt
Fanny[5]
for me; I’ll be writing them separately
in a couple of days.
Fond greetings and kisses to all of you from your
Maja.
I made the invitation to your friend very urgently; hopefully it does indeed have
the desired effect. But she won’t come to stay with us, right?