Both your letters gave me very great pleasure and I will see 
what I can do, time and space permitting, to tell you something. It 
is now past three o’clock and the letter must be posted by four. 
But I really don’t know anything much to tell you. Nothing out of 
the ordinary happens here, apart from the fact that the Bremen 
people have mounted their two splendid cannon at the main 
guardhouse again, that instead of saying “footstool” they say 
“footboard” here, that very many people are now wearing 
macintoshes here, that it was immensely cold last night and 
ice-ferns were formed on the window-panes and that the sun is 
now shining, and the like. Something else occurs to me that you 
should mention to Mother, namely, that I wrote to the Graebers at 
the end of September saying that when they went to Cologne they 
should send me Volksbiicher and get the money from Father.” But 
as they never got to Cologne, they have written to their cousin, so 
if he sends some per mezzo Pastor Graeber it would be fine, and 
I’m sure Father would do me the favour of settling the bill for me. 
If he doesn’t send any that will be all right too and you won't be 
bothered with it. I would have written about this before now, but 
was only given noteworthy information of the correct procedure 
today. Wilhelm Graeber also writes to me—and this is certainly 
something for you—that there are no lavatories properly so-called 
in Berlin, only commodes, and these have to be hired separately 
and cost five silver groschen a month; as the sons of a pastor, 
however, they are exempted from this as from other taxes. They 
also tell me a great deal about their walking tour through the 
Harz Mountains and up the Blocksberg, and how they travelled 
from Magdeburg to Berlin with a very tall Guards N. C. O. If you 
come to visit me some time I shall read you the whole story as well 
as that of the lovely Dorothee, which happened in Siebertal, in the 
Harz country, where a very, very rich man fell in love with a little 


* The back of the letter bears the inscription: “Fraulein Elise Engels. c/o Herr 
Friedrich Engels and Co., Barmen.”— Ed. 
© See this volume, pp. 394-95.— Ed. 


To Marie Engels, end of December 1838 403 


girl of seven and gave her father a ring, telling him that he would 
come back and marry her when the ring fitted her, and how, 
when he did come back after ten years, the girl had already been 
dead for a year, and the gentleman himself also died of sheer 
boredom, about which Fritz Graeber composed a moving song, 
etc. But now the page is almost full and I shall just copy another 
letter which must go with it, and take them both to the post. Are 
you writing to Ida*? Herr Holler took a great liking to Julchen” in 
Mannheim, but Karl‘ was very cross because he visited her so 
often. But don’t tell that to anyone else. Adieu, dear Marie. 


Yours, 
Friedrich