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Budapest, February 7, 1912
VII., Erzsébet-körút 54
Dear Professor,
Actually, I didn't want to reply to you until tomorrow or the day after, but a telegram announcing the sudden catastrophic worsening of my
brother's condition forces me to hurry, since I will probably have to leave tomorrow or the day after. I am still on the fence as to whether I shouldn't yet go to Miskolcz today in order to support my mother in the difficult hour of the final farewell.
Your reports about Elma always evince in me the appropriate reactions, not least your remark that you do not have a very high opinion of her love for me. I knew that, of course, and have written to you about that a few times—but I don't seem to have believed it entirely, otherwise your communication wouldn't have depressed me. In spite of all that I still can't make a final decision and have to postpone making one.
What strikes me in Elma's letters is the aggressive tone in which she has been writing about her uncle Ludwig (whose guest she is);1 she also didn't like this uncle very much before—presumably because he cared about her too little. I thought I should call your attention to that.
A small extract from the picture of my personal condition: I am not sleeping very well now and don't feel rested in the morning.—Last evening Frau G. (who usually has an almost unbelievable capacity to understand and to forgive) was somewhat cold and distant to me, which hurt me.—But the following night I slept better than I have in a long time. Evidently I don't feel well when a punishment that I deserve is being withheld!
I fear that—in ceasing your “strenuous efforts to move your libido forward” you will easily go to the other extreme and could also punish innocent parties with your mistrust. Naturally, I am thinking of myself first.—Otherwise, I have to concede that you are right, inasmuch as I, too, am of the opinion that the interest in ΨA should be strong enough to ensure keeping its representatives together even without persona