Dear Cyndy,

Thank you for your letters. I've been working on chapter 52 all
day, sitting at my computer in front of the large expanse of glass
that I built into this addition. Outside the sky is a deep blue,
visible through the "bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds
sang", tree branches are waving in brisk wintry breezes, and in 
the bright sunshine, squirrels are chasing one another up and down
the swaying tree trunks, as if impatient for the coming of spring.

I like your suggestion about adding Skype to our repertoire. For me
such a project would entail downloading from the Internet the latest
version of the Linux operating system that I use, then downloading
a compatible version of Skype, installing both on the one of my
computers that has ears and a voice, - the one on which I'm typing
now is deaf and dumb, - and crossing my thumbs, hard, hoping that
everything functions as advertised. There's no cost in money, only
time, two or three hours if I'm lucky, two or three weeks, if I'm not.

As of this moment, I have my fingers in so many pies that I'm very
stingy with my time, and if conversation between us is to arise,
I'd rather start with the telephone. It would cost me a puny 4 cents
a minute to talk to you. If you'd like to be telephoned, write me
the day and the time, and be assured that your phone will ring on
schedule. Please feel free also to telephone me at 617-484-8109 any
time (24/7) when and if you're so inclined. On the other hand, it
wouldn't surprise me, and would require neither explanation nor apology,
if on second thought, you preferred for the time being at least to
continue to protect the silence that has reigned between us for the
past six or seven years. I'm reminded of a Rilke poem:

                               Aber das Wehende höre,
die ununterbrochene Nachricht, die aus Stille sich bildet. 

(                              But listen to the wind,
the uninterrupted message which silence engenders.)
_                                  Duino Elegy #1

One of the distractions with which I've been intermittently
preoccupied is a very tangential particpation in a "blog"
(web-log) an ugly term for an intersting phenomenon. This "blog" is
written my a man named Rainer Meyer - no known relation except
through Adam and Eve - for die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung,
which is as close as anything in Germany gets to the N Y Times.
I remember it as the paper that my father habitually picked up
at the newsstand. Rainer Meyer writes under the pen name Don
Alphonso. I don't know who he thinks he is, or whether he himself
knows. The master of ceremonies in Cosi Fan Tutte spelled his name
simply with "f". In any event, Don Alphonso writes a blog which he
calls "Die Stuetzen der Gesellschaft" (The Pillars of Society)
the German translation of Ibsen's Samfundets Stotter, in which
he discourses on the foibles of the false aristocracy of the
rich that has colonized the shores of the Tegernsee between
Muenchen and the Alps. Since I found his German unusally sensitive
and stylish, I expressed my approval in a very brief contribution
to his blog, providing as required the URL of my own website. 
It's the sort of advertising that is congenial to me, and it worked.
I received no direct reply, but subtracting the tallies of my counter,
which stood at 2624 48 hours ago, and which now reads 2715, I infer
that there have been 91 nibbles at my website, - perhaps 14 of which
were my own. Without any expectation that any nibblers would actually
read anything that I have written, I may have stumbled on a method
for attracting attention. It will be simple enough for me to contribute
to future blogs, short comments on topics about which I myself have
thought; and when the clients of the Pillars of Society become bored
with me, I can look for other blogs to which to contribute my five
cents' worth.  Here's how Don Alphonso introduces his opus:

Willkommen im Blog der besseren Gesellschaft oder dem,
was heute davon übrig ist,
in der finanziellen Sorglosigkeit
und beim Klassenkampf von oben gegen Neureiche
und andere Zumutungen,
beim Niedergang von Religion und Stand,
bei den Müttern aller Buffetschlachten
und ihren Töchtern mit Ehekrisen,
über die man nicht redet,
wenn mehr als 10 Freundinnen zuhören,
fahren Sie mit beim leicht illegalen Geldtransport in die Schweiz
und zum Speckkauf nach Meran,
seien Sie Gast beim großbürgerlichen Wertekanon
und profitieren Sie von dessen Kleingedruckten,
setzen Sie sich gefälligst gerade hin,
bewundern Sie die Tischdecke und die Bücher,
genießen Sie Tee und tantenmordende Torten von Goldrandgeschirr
aus erfolgreichen Erbkriegen,
und bemühen Sie im Gespräch nur angemessene Dünkel.
Erkunden Sie eine Welt,
in der die Stützen der Gesellschaft selbst Stützen brauchen,
vom Kindermädchen über den Vermögensverwalter bis zum letzten,
einsamen Schnaufer am Rollator in der Seniorenresidenz.

Willkommen im Blog der besseren Gesellschaft oder dem,
Welcome to the blog of the upper classes,

was heute davon übrig ist,
or what remains of them nowadays

in der finanziellen Sorglosigkeit
financially secure,

und beim Klassenkampf von oben gegen Neureiche
and given the class wars from above against the newly rich

und andere Zumutungen,
and other impositions,

beim Niedergang von Religion und Stand,
considering the decline of religion and status,

bei den Müttern aller Buffetschlachten
in the context of the mothers of all buffet-battles

und ihren Töchtern mit Ehekrisen,
and their daughters with marital crises,

über die man nicht redet,
which one doesn't talk about,

wenn mehr als 10 Freundinnen zuhören,
when more than 10 of your girl friends are listening.

fahren Sie mit beim leicht illegalen Geldtransport in die Schweiz
Accompany us on the slightly illegal transfer of funds to Switzerland,

und zum Speckkauf nach Meran,
and to purchase fatback in Meran,

seien Sie Gast beim großbürgerlichen Wertekanon
be our guest at the upper-class investment seminar

und profitieren Sie von dessen Kleingedruckten,
and profit from the fine print.

Setzen Sie sich gefälligst gerade hin,
please sit up straight,

bewundern Sie die Tischdecke und die Bücher,
admire the tablecloth and the books,

genießen Sie Tee und tantenmordende Torten von Goldrandgeschirr
savor the tea and the delicious pies served on gilt-edged plates,

aus erfolgreichen Erbkriegen,
spoils of successful inheritance wars,

und bemühen Sie im Gespräch nur angemessene Dünkel.
and in your conversation express no more than appropriate vanities.

Erkunden Sie eine Welt,
Reconnoitre a world

in der die Stützen der Gesellschaft selbst Stützen brauchen,
in which the pillars of society are themselves in need of pillars,

vom Kindermädchen über den Vermögensverwalter bis zum letzten,
ranging from baby sitter to wealth manager to the final,

einsamen Schnaufer am Rollator in der Seniorenresidenz.
lonely sucker pushing his walker in the retirement home.

Welcome to the blog of the upper classes,
or what remains of them nowadays
financially secure,
given the class wars from above against the newly rich
and other impositions,
considering the decline of religion and status,
in the context of the mothers of all buffet-battles
and their daughters with marital crises,
which one doesn't talk about,
when more than 10 of your girl friends are listening.
Accompany us on the slightly illegal transfer of funds to Switzerland,
and to purchase fatback in Meran;
be our guest at the upper-class investment seminar
and profit from the fine print.
Please sit up straight,
admire the tablecloth and the books,
savor the tea and the delicious pies served on gilt-edged plates,
spoils of successful inheritance wars,
and in your conversation express no more than appropriate vanities.
Reconnoitre a world
in which the pillars of society are themselves in need of pillars,
ranging from baby sitter to wealth manager to the final,
lonely sucker pushing his walker in the retirement home.

So much for my perhaps imprudent excursion into Don Alphonso's
realm, where, were it not for the seduction by sauciness and wit,
you'd never find me. Just before lunch, Nathaniel telephoned.
He was in high spirits. For reasons he didn't explain, except that
they have nothing to do with him, the Pirates of Penzance production
he was to conduct has been cancelled. He seems now to be devoting 
himself all the more passionately to the performance of Beethoven's
Ninth at commencement, for which he is receiving widespread
administrative support. I was impressed with his fervor for
what might best be denominated as the tradition of classical
German literature, of which I myself, in fact, have recently
become somewhat sceptical. I explained to him that I had committed
myself to the revision, elaboration, and extension of my writing
until the moment of my incapacity, from whatever cause, leaving
him the opportunity to publicize it, if he wished, but promising
him in advance not to come back post mortem to haunt him, if he
decided my writing was not worth promotion, and  put it out on
the curb on a Tuesday night, for trash collection on Wednesday
morning.

As for Judge Macdonald sending me to jail on April 5, the risk is
minimal. But does my memory trick me when I ask, wasn't Priscilla
Hiss your aunt? And wasn't Alger your uncle by marriage? And wasn't
he sent to jail when he asserted his civil rights and sued Whittaker
Chambers, and wasn't Alger convicted by the testimony of a documented
liar whom the court wanted to believe for political reasons? You're
the historian, you should know. I understand that I'm playing a
dangerous game, and I shall surely try to stay out of trouble. What's
remarkable is that to this juncture Mr. Pucci, Nantucket's lawyer has
remained entirely passive, hasn't opposed my motion

http://home.earthlink.net/~jochenmeyer/litigation/memorandum110112.txt

To your question as to why it is I who drives Klemens to the airport
at 4:45 a.m. you will find an answer, let us say in Chapter 77, which I
won't be able to write for some years, if ever. Unless I get back
to work right now, there's no chance.

Please give my best to Ned.

Jochen