Today we received a letter along with some issues from the “Anzeigenblatte” and the “Pilgrim from Saxony”(185) from Secretary Naumann(186), written 14 months ago, namely on October 19th, 1838.

December 22nd, 1839. Sunday.
In the afternoon I visited my dear, dear bride. She was not only amiable as always, but also full of ardent love. Happily, although coincidentally, while leafing through "Lavanter's Songs"(187) I came across the lovely song entitled "Prayer of Two Separated Lovers"(188), which was entirely appropriate for our relationship. Bertha is developing more and more the gifts of her mind and heart in all directions. I would never like to misjudge them, but would rather value them highly at all moments of my life and love Bertha herself as much as I do now.

Since our relationship was declared, you, dear bride, have never misunderstood me and my love, but if you could only look into my soul for a moment and see the entire depth and warmth of my love, you would certainly be surprised yourself.

Strangely enough, it happened that I found out what Bertha had in mind for me for Christmas ( 201 ), because I had left my handkerchief at Br. Teichelmann, with whom I had lunch; and since I came to Klemzig and was sweating profusely, I asked her for one, and lo and behold, she produced a silk one, which I had seen her working on earlier, and whose purpose she did not want to tell me at the time, but answered that it was for a man in the village. But her father would have forbidden her to say for whom.

We spent part of the evening in the garden behind the house, as Julius Fiedler was late and we would not have been undisturbed. Mr. Fiedler gave me a box of cigars. Bertha told me, among other things, that her father had said, that if she and me were in Encounter Bay and he was in New Silesia, then they would rarely see each other. But then I would have to buy [a] cart, and there would probably be enough time for us, me and Bertha, to visit her at least once every year. And once, she would have answered, they would come, so that we would see [each other] again every six months.

On one occasion, when I made it clear to her how happy her love made me, she repeated that she wanted nothing more than to make me happy always, as much as that was up to her. --

When I came home, the Eastmen were having a dance, with our people being spectators, so that the ( 202 ) previous enemity seems to have been given up.

December 23rd, 1839.
As agreed, today I held school with the native children for the first time; There were 7 of them along with a few adults. Among the latter was Itya mai itpinna, who grasped the letters so quickly that he was able to give me a little help. --