You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
October 26, 1896
IX., Berggasse 19
My dear Wilhelm,
There is really no reply possible with such intervals; but it will not remain so. Yesterday we buried the old man, who died during the night of October 23. He bore himself bravely to the end, just like the altogether unusual man he had been. At the end he must have had meningeal hemorrhages, soporous attacks with unexplained fever, hyperesthesia, and spasms from which he would then awake free of fever. The last attack was followed by pulmonary edema and quite an easy death. All of it happened in my critical period, and I am really quite down because of it. Next time I shall write more and in greater detail; incidentally, the cocaine brush has been completely put aside. (Masson, p. 201)
My answering service called to say that my step-mother had left an urgent message, and that it was imperative that I return the call.
Let me tell you a little about my step-mother. Her eyelashes are long. She wears low-cut gowns and broad rimmed hats that cast a shadow. On her