Letter from Sigmund Freud to Sándor Ferenczi, January 29, 1920

Vienna, January 29, 1920
IX., Berggasse 19

Dear friend,

Just received your telegram;1 thought you had learned it from Kata Lévy before the newspaper. We were only worried for two days, Friday and Saturday. The news of death came on Sunday afternoon. The whole illness was over on the fifth day. Wafted away! Nothing to say. It was the typical septic pneumonia of influenza. The cremation was at noon on Wednesday. Ernst and Eitingon went from Berlin. Oli was already there. Max is said to be calm and to be behaving in a dignified fashion. Eitingon called from Berlin an hour ago and informed us that, for the time being, Max's widowed sister—in—law is moving in. (The wife of Dr. Rudolf Halberstadt, who was killed in the war.),2

My wife wanted to go there at the first disturbing news. Naturally, it was impossible, no train was running. Only today Mathilde and Robert are able to go to Hamburg, since a train, the nature of which we have to keep strictly secret, is taking them as far as Leipzig. They could stay away for two to three weeks.

And with us.? My wife is very shaken. I think: La séance continue.3 But it was a bit much for one week.

With kind regards and thanks to Frau Gizella and you.

Yours,

Freud