Johannisberg-Rheingau

Thursday, July the 17th 1947

Dear Edmund!

Your parcel reached me yesterday, and I just
can't tell you how thrilled I am to have received your
"to the Finland station".

So far have only been able to glance at the book,
but want to thank you at once, as unfortunately I can't
be able to read it for a number of days yet.

It goes without saying, that it is not just because of my having become your sister-in-law, that I have been wishing to read your writings. Though of course all Elena has been telling me in her letters about you makes me terribly keen to read all your books, and then of course: to meet you as soon as possible.

I do wish, you could be coming over here very soon with Elena. Longing to see her again and to meet you, and am sure you'd like Johannisberg. And then may be in a not too distant future I might be able to come over and pay you "two little ones" a short visit at Wellfleet.

I hope you are all well and happy and having a
good time. Hug Elena and thanks again

With love

PRESERVATION PHOTOCOPY: ORIGINAL MATERIAL RESTRICTED

August 28, 1947

Dear Olili:

I was glad to get your note. I will send you my new book when it is out of print, and also an old one which is about to be republished. Don't feel you have to read them all, though. Are there phonograph records you want? I think you mentioned some in one of your letters to Elena. Let me know exactly what you want and I will send it to you.

I had to come down to New York this week, so missed being with Elena on her birthday; but the children and the Chavchavadzes seem to have celebrated it at a great rate. Henry is back there now with a friend, after a trip to Vermont and Canada. He looks so much like Elena that when I see them at the dinner table, it is as if it were the same thing in two different sizes. The household is rather complicated with my two children and all their and our friends; but Elena has been wonderful at handling it and everybody adores her. Up to a few weeks ago, she and Rosalind, my daughter, had been doing all the work, and I think she was getting rather overwhelmed (there are also my two dogs and her cat), but fortunately we now have a maid. We went away for a vacation the second week in August to the Berkshire Music Festival, which was wonderful. Elena says she has written you about it.

I wish you could come over here and see us before very long. I expect that we shall get to Europe eventually, but I don't know exactly when--travelling is so expensive now.

Walter Schatsky, who used to have a bookshop in Frankfort, has had his family at Wellfleet this summer. He has a little shop in New York, full of marvellous books and prints. Elena introduced me to it and I have to restrain myself from buying too many things there. He has married a young American girl and has a little boy, of whom he is very proud.

The Chavchavadzes are celebrating next week their silver wedding anniversary and have arranged a colossal party, with far too many guests for the house--so that I don't know what they will do if it rains. In the morning they are having a special ceremony of blessing the marriage, for which they are having a Russian priest come up from New York and which we are supposed to attend.

The other day an English girl, a Miss Clover, turned up, who said she had known your brothers. -You see, I am trying to make up for what I gather are long gaps in Elena's correspondence. The truth is she has her hands so full with the household that she does not get much time for letters. But she has been very much worried about you people. I hope that your difficulties are straightened out now.

Yours sincerely,

Johannisberg-Rheingau

Friday, July 1st 1949

Dear Edmund, had put off writing to you,
hoping to one day be in a writing mood. As that kind of mood does
not seem to exist as far as I am concerned, I now don't want to
put off any longer telling you, firstly, how really delighted I
was to get your letter addressed to England.

Secondly thanks, many thanks and thanks again for the delicious tea, which does make life so very much more pleasant. And what a wonderfully large quantity you sent me! I summersaulted with joy on reading in your letter of your parcel, and even more, on finding the tea-parcel on my return here.

And thirdly must tell you how greatly interested I was to read
your article on the Zuni Indians, their amazing religious festival.
All the more amazing as still taking place in the 20th century and
in North America, of which modern civilisation the Zuni Indians
seem to have adopted many commodities. And again amazing the fact,
that what is beautiful to Zuni eyes, should not only interest but
seem so beautiful to totally differently trained eyes and minds.
Many thanks for sending me this article.

I wish you and Elena and the children could be here right now: Johannisberg is so unbelievably beautiful at this time of the year, though of course Bubu left "un vide" which will never be filled as far as I am concerned, all the more so for Brat and Madelaine.

Having to go to Frankfurt, I went last week during the Frank-
furt WEEK "International festival of modern music", lasting a week.
Spent 4 days in town and managed to hear, or "squeeze in" 5 concerts
and 2 rehearsals. As far as the music was concerned it really was
international, and also composers and musicians had come from Fran-
ce, England, Holland, Hungary. The performances were first rate,
the music, more often than not, "laisait a désirer", or could only
be classed (by me) as "also ran music". And then regards Schoenberg,
I can't help finding his works, many of which were played, simply
attrocious and totally uninteresting, how ever interesting he may
be considered. But does one really think that much of this bore in
the States?

Told Elena in my last letter, how Countess Kleinmichel had rung
me up 2 days before I left England, but forgot to say, how she had
praised Rosalind!

I do wish, could at last meet you soon, and Reuel and Rosalind,
not to mention the longing I have to see the little "Belle of Well-
fleet", leave alone, what I'd give to clap eyes on Henry again.

Life is far too short, to be separated for as many years. Yet
I doubt my coming over de si tôt to clap eyes on all of you and
enjoy you and bore you. and therefore I kling to what you tell me
in your letter: that you might all be coming to Europe next spring!

I do hope you all are as well as can be. Shall be writing to
Elena to-morrow or soon. God bless you all.

Again many thanks

Hermits Wood
Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks.

Thursday, August 16th 1951

Dear Edmund,

A nasty cold, which kept me in bed several days, prevented
me from answering your letter of August 5th until to-day.

No one could deplore more than I do, that Elena on one side,
Brat and I on the other, have drifted as far apart. I just would
not believe it possible until receiving Elena's last letter.

You tell me that Elena has no confidence in Brat's judgement
about matters of business - an opinion you have heard corrobo-
rated by several other people, german and american.

Elena should know better than "several other people". She
should know A. that there would have been no bank deposit in
Zurich if it hadn't been for Brat's "judgement about business
matters", just as the Mummco would not exist anymore if it was
not for Brat, and B. that Brat and I are closer to her than
"several other people" whether german, american or chinese.

Complete strangers always took my word. I thought there
should have been no need to give Elena my word. Instead even
gave her a written guarantee, thereby trying to overcome her
incomprehensible mistrust. Her mistrust is all the more incom-
prehensible to me as it was in a matter concerning firstly me
and Brat, then only herself.

I appreciate the invitation to Wellfleet. God knows how
keen I was to come and see you all. And thank you for offering
to pay for my passage. (So glad your book is selling well over
here. Want to get it the next time I go to London.) But I shall
now stay here quite some weeks and then return to Johannisberg.

Am almost certain that hostility towards anyone is quite
unknown to me (which does not mean that I have no dislikes).
Elena's reactions of these past weeks, sealed by her last let-
ter, shook me to the core. I had not thought it possible to
drift as far apart.

I do hope you are all in good health and keeping well.