| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 4 February 1869 |
ENGELS TO EMIL BLANK
IN ENGELSKIRCHEN
Manchester, 4 February 1869
Dear Emil,
I have just received from Mother the sad news that our dear Marie Bartels died of scarlet fever on Monday[1] evening. The news moved and shocked me deeply. I had watched her, and all your children, growing up from the start more than the children of my other brothers and sisters, accordingly my attachment to her was livelier and warmer; I saw her last at her wedding, when she was so extremely happy and could look forward to a long succession of happy years; and now all this has come to an end. What must be the feelings of you and Marien,[2] of poor Robert[3] with his two small children! For twenty years you and Marie have been so blessed by happiness, have had so little opportunity to taste the tragic face of life, that such a stroke out of a clear sky must hit you doubly hard. In such cases words of consolation are no help; one must weep oneself dry like a child, till time heals the wounds. I am not writing to console you, but only because I know that it is a comfort to receive expressions of sympathy from those from whom one may expect them. And this sympathy and this compassion I send you, please believe me, with all my heart.
Greet Marie, poor Robert, and all your children most heartily from me.
From my heart
Your
Friedrich