1888.01.11 English To Erik Ritzau

THE ROYAL INSTITUTEFOR THE DEAF-MUTE

   IN COPENHAGEN

January 11, 1888

My dear Friend Ritzau[1]

A merry Christmas and a blessed new year to you and all your loved ones – and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your kindness during the year that passed!

And then on to “the worst”, and the thing that made my delay so much with my new year greeting – my dear friend! I am ashamed to tell you that I cannot yet pay back the money that you lent me such a long time ago – only at the beginning of April. Please bear with me until then, I beg you! –

It has tormented me each and every day that I hadn’t yet managed to tell you this, and today finally I got the necessary push to write, since we are likely to meet some times today, and I did not want to carry the shame to our meeting that I had not yet asked for your forgiveness for not keeping my promise, and hence I am doing it now. – I do wonder when I will be able to clear the entire load of debts! –

The prospects of state support to the weighings & measurings are quite good and maybe it will come through yet for some years to come.

Yet again there has been a very appreciative article in a German magazine  (“ilegible name”)  written by a professor of physiology at the University of Berlin. –

                        Your devoted              somewhat devastated (?)                             R. Malling-Hansen