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Budapest, February 18, 1912
VII., Erzsébet-körút 54
Dear Professor,
I have so completely abreacted the mourning for my brother during the course of his illness, which was replete with dashed hopes, that his death and burial could arouse only emotion in me, but no despair or deeper mental anguish. I can therefore accept the expression of sympathy that you and your family conveyed to me only in regard to the pain that I have
endured for his sake in years gone by. Please thank them in my name for their concern.
The matter with me is now as follows: I have not repeated the failed attempts to restore the old relationship with Frau G. I visit her every day now and talk to her about scientific things, about Elma and her condition, etc.—but I resist the temptation to want to console her with tendernesses. She is noble, good, and kind, as always. Since she noticed that she can't satisfy my libido with all her devotion, her earlier despair has abated and been replaced by a more melancholy, gentler sadness—but she has evidently also been injured in her femininity by my attitude, and she has withdrawn a large piece of libido from me. Her motto is she “wants no alms.” When I am with her and observe her incomparable spiritual qualities, it now seems impossible to me that I could not totally and completely love this exceptional woman, the best and noblest whom I have ever known. And yet circumstances speak in favor of this. Since I initiated the frantic exertions to restore our old relations, I have been feeling physically better I sleep better, and I can work again. (I finished writing the paper on “transitory symptom construction during analysis.”)1
I have absolutely no idea what I will do with my regained freedom. I can't say anything definite about my intentions with Elma. But I also feel freer with respect to her, and I am now much more accessible to sage advice than I was then, when I was dominated by attempts at liberation in addition to Elma's attraction. I also haven't given