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Aussee, August 14, 1897
Dear Wilhelm,
I must keep reminding myself that I did do a good deed yesterday by canceling; otherwise I would regret it too much. But I believe it really was so.
In your first telegram (23rd, Bolzano) you did not indicate how long we could be together. In view of our plans (Martha must return on September 1), it would have been for a short time. So I expressed my disappointment, which you noticed; you then tried to make all
sorts of sacrifices to enable us to meet. In the meantime I tried to get used to the idea of our not seeing each other, thought it rather sad, and therefore was truly glad when you decided on the 22nd. At that moment I would have been equally content with any other day. I replied: agreed. Then on the same day your new proposal arrived — that we should travel earlier because you were free until the 19th. From this we gathered, first, that your old folks changed their plan and will leave for Karersee on the 18th instead of on the 15th. (We assume that they too did not do this voluntarily but because of lack of rooms in the hotel on account of the empress' arrival.) Then you would be with them for only two to three days (19th to 22nd) in order to be able to meet with us, and that was the reason, I thought, for your new proposal. But then we were overcome by compassion. Getting from Bolzano to Karersee or Trafoi entails many hours by carriage, and you yourself described Bolzano and how you felt there. We left aside whether the child is with you and Ida — which Martha absolutely wanted to know. If we had chosen the 22nd, then you would have had to put up with: leaving Trafoi on the 18th for Bolzano, from there on the 19th to Karersee, from there on the 22nd back again, and after one or one and a half days off again or back again. Or, on our account, remain with your parents in Bolzano! We assume that you surely would not propose that we take a carriage to Trafoi or back.
If we were to travel earlier, it would be as follows: we c