566
DOCS.
545,
546 MAY 1918
inexperienced
to know whether Mama
really
would have
any
difficulties
or even
be
harmed
by
a
marriage
between
Albert
and
me.
I
wish
to avoid such kinds of
things
in
any case;
Mama has suffered
enough
sadness and nastiness in her
life.[5]
The
question simply
is,
what
is
more
beneficial for
the
happiness
of
the three
of
us,
and
especially
of Albert?
I
think
I
have
now
discussed all
the
problems
with
you.
Give
me some
advice.
I
can
just
rely
on
my
instinct and
do
not
know
if in
doing so
I
am
hitting
upon
the
right thing;
this-my instinct-does
tell
me,
though,
that
I
ought
not
to
become Albert’s
wife.
It
would be
the bitterest
for
Albert
himself
if
he
had
to
see our
good harmony,
which
until
now
has been
only
positive
for
me,
transform
into
a
fetter
for
me
through
the
marriage.
Marriage
really
is
a
devilishly silly
affair! A. also
thought
that
if I
did not wish
to
have
a
child of his it would be nicer for
me
not to be married
to
him. And
I truly
do
not
have
this wish. It
will
seem
peculiar
to
you
that
I, a
silly
little
thing
of
a
20-yearold,
should have
to decide
on
such
a
serious
matter; I
can
hardly
believe
it
myself
and
feel
very
unhappy
doing so as
well.
Help
me!
Yours,
Ilse.
Remark
at
the
head of
the
text: “Please
destroy
this letter
immediately
after
reading
it!”
546. To
Mileva Einstein-Maric
[Berlin,]
23
May
1918
Dear
Mileva,
Securities for
40 000
M is
being
transferred
to
the
Swiss
Bank
Association,
Zurich,
for
you
one
of these
days.[1]
I
request, now,
that
you
send
the
contract
and
file
the
divorce.
The
deposit
in trust
of
20 000
M.,
the
interest of which
you
would be
entitled
to in
the
case
of
my
death, will
be taken
care
of
tomorrow.[2]
as
soon as we
are
agreed
on
the
contract.-
I’m probably
going
to
have
to
do
without the
trip to
Switzerland
this
summer,
considering
that
under these
nasty
traveling
conditions
the
strain
would
be too
great
for
me.[3]
But
I
plan
to
go
to
a
remote
village
by
the
Baltic
Sea[4]
for two
months and
would be
pleased
if
Albert,
or even
Albert and
Tete,
could
come.
We
would
do
a
great
deal of
sailing
there.
I
could
certainly procure
the travel
permit.
What
do
you
think
of this?
Kind
regards, yours,
Albert