My dear boy,

Thank you very much for your letter of May 17th, which, was forwarded by Daan yesterday. Because you should know that I am in town for three days, to help Aubin with packing yesterday, who departed for Berlin this morning at six thirty. I took him to the station with Walter and Papa; he will have a hot day’s travel because since a week it’s been very hot. It is rather fierce because the change was so sudden.

This afternoon I have a meeting with H.K.W. and tomorrow kindergarten and then this afternoon, Mrs. Kol will go with me to the country. Mrs. Van Haaften wrote me that her daughter who is in a sanatorium, seems to deteriorate rather than improve. They fear for her lungs and now Mrs. V. H. does not dare to go so far away, the poor soul, I feel sorry for her. She is not allowed to look after her daughter and she is not completely sure that she gets the nursing that is suitable for her and it’s too far away to go there frequently, she is too shy, I don’t know what causes that.

It’s good to know that you are with Mr. and Mrs. Insinger again, altough I can also understand that you will miss your daily chores. Mr. Insinger will be able to give you good advice for the future. I understand that it's a terrific disappointment for you to have to give up the work at the mill. However, I understand very well that Dr. Tempel has concerns against it. If you had a bit less ambition to improve quicker, then you could, possibly, have stayed longer, but what was done one can’t undo, and you have shown that you wanted to work. I strongly believe that you may still contribute, possibly in a round-about-way - and maybe with many disappointments, something good to this world. I always expected that from you because I saw that there were aspirations in you that would make something out of you. However, you must be able to breathe in atmospheres and spread your wings in greater than our tame surroundings, where you bounced your little head like a bird in a cage against the bars.

Hans’s new violin teacher, Mr. Walters, says that a large bed is the best for shaping an artist so that he will provide good work. Now, my boy, I hope dearly that the disappointments you have experienced will also throw off lovely fruits for you, as well as for the time being as for ever. Remain trusting in God. He will see to it that you will find work again, better suited to your strengths than the mill.

Papa enjoyed your culinary knowledge very much and said: “well, it’s an all-round boy”. But don’t focus on that too much! Otherwise I’ll be sorry for your future wife, because seriously, it is very annoying for a wife to have a betty as husband and Crommelins have a tendency to become one.

I think that Mrs. Kerkhoven will miss your help. Does she live far away? Otherwise maybe you can go and help her out for half days sometime. I think that those ladies in America, who can’t keep a maid, have to account for it that the wife has been returned to a slave of the household. I would not be happy there. Because although I don’t allow myself to be served much, there are many things that I'd rather not do, among other things, making beds.

I don’t know if friend Gui has sent you the prints. He promised to rush it as much as possible, but it happened to be very busy in the shop. I had difficulty finding some of the negatives you asked for and it kept me busy one afternoon from one thirty until six o’clock. I don’t say this with the meaning that it was too much difficulty because I did it for you with love. However, if they are not all there, don’t think that I did not take it seriously. There are some that I could find as Din positive but not negative. Walter assured me that it was right and he is more knowledgeable than the old mother.

It could be that you have broken some of the plates while rinsing. I don’t think that I have skipped any box of negatives and don’t promise you that when the plates come back from Gui that they all will be returned in their original box. There are many with an index on it but not all of them. Then I have to confess something else, which I hope you will not dislike. Namely; that I have hung your small wall clock, from Driebergen, next to my bed, because I thought it was nice to have it there. I know that it is dear to you and then I have something of my absent boy, which says tick, tock to me. You will probably find this silly but it pleases your mother. When I am washing, I can see the year that you wrote on it.

The visit of Aunt Lou with Lotje Ijssel de Schepper and Charles turned out very well. They had beautiful weather and found everything lovely and pleasant. Aunt hopes very much that “de Bosbrug” won’t be sold; up to now nobody has enquired about it. I believe that Count Q.T. realizes that it will be too much for him to run that house, especially now that he will have to assist that young couple, because orchids don’t fetch enough to keep the chimney smoking.

I finally received a letter from Mrs. Versteeg, the heavy set Mien is now with the family Pook in The Hague where she has to pass an entry exam for the H.B.S. (senior high-school). She is doing fine, the child is very happy there but the mother misses her nuisance. She has done a three week diet cure and would never have kept it up if Kees’s Jetje had not stayed there for her health. Mrs. V. is full of praise about Jetje.

The Kleintjes friends are doing fine, I discovered to my astonishment that Mrs. V. sends them my letters to read! She thinks, “that is owed them as being such faithful friends of Marien”. Now I will also have to encourage them to write! Mrs. V. was planning to write you soon. Poor you, are you getting so few letters? Aubin has written you twice since he came back from Marseille. But I know where the shoe pinches: the boys always say “we have so little interesting stuff to write Marien”; but I am not asking for that, I am just listening and you should take it in love.

The writer writes as it comes and feels good about it, I don’t know if it is the same for the reader? Well I leave that in the middle, I do my best to let you live our little life with us because I can’t take it to you. Being so far away, you would otherwise estrange yourself from us, at least that's what Anna Lange says, but I don't agree with her on that. Aubin recently was at loggerheads with her about this. She claimed that it is happier for someone, who goes afar, to assimilate completely and to cool the old relationships; because otherwise you keep on longing. Well, Aubin burst out, "Do you call that happy, when boys who go to America, estrange themselves from their families and homeland? Then they become monsters like Nolthenius and Han! Not me, I don’t call that happy, when they become so immune from all that has some intimate life feelings that they don’t care about anything anymore. You can make a very good career abroad and yet have a heart for family and good acquaintances." In things like that you notice that Anna has never had children herself. Otherwise she would certainly think differently about it and every week, similarly, look longingly for a letter from abroad, as we do.

From the newspapers you will have seen that the Queen is going to Germany to gain some strength. Helena is up again too, the house disinfected, the note from the door and next week Adrie and Helena will go to the Keuwenhof and follow Uncle and Aunt with Sophie while she goes to Clarens to keep aunt Wilhelmina company. Mid July Betje and ???? will come to us for a while in, the country. The Doctor prescribed evergreen air for the child, and now Papa has thought up this plan all by himself. Koelmans may then come on Sundays, he is very apt and says “ the child goes first, then I will move in with my father again for the time being. He seems to be an exemplary stepfather for the child.

Now goodbye in haste because I have to go to a meeting and have constantly been interrupted. Please accept Papa’s greetings and from the boys, and a big hug from your so very much loving,

Mother