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On April 8, we saw a telegram from Paul regarding money for Helene and Vitali’s journey. On April 22, Paul sent a follow-up telegram which is referenced in today’s letters from Helene to Paul and her children.

Money for 2 train
ship tickets Joint New York
The money has been spent Joint will inform the consulate
Understand everything is fine.
See you soon.
Paul

Vienna, 24 April 1941

Dear Paul,

I was really quite despondent until your calming dispatch from the 22nd of this month arrived and brought me back to life. Many, many thanks. I am so glad that you mentioned that you are all doing well. “See you soon”, how wonderful that sounds! I was informed from two different sources today that American letters have arrived so I had a new glimmer of hope that I might get to nibble on those as well. There must be, if the children are writing in regular rhythm, quite a lovely bunch of them on the way so I would like to know to which number you have received my letters. Now that we are sure of getting train tickets, which is very great happiness for us, but you probably can’t even appreciate how great it is. We are so eternally grateful to all those who helped make this happen. Please give everyone my greetings and my thanks. I will get Erwin’s address from the affidavit. Tomorrow I will write to Tillie and Hilda, and to you and the children as well if there is time. I have planned to do so much that I need more hands and feet to do it all. So Paul, thank you again! I think the dispatch came in good time.

Hugging you most lovingly
Helen

_______

My dear children! Did my telegram with our modest wishes get your tongue so that you forgot how to write? Is that true? Although Paul’s dispatch is dated yesterday, I am still missing your letters so much because I want to know what you’re doing and to ask you to not lose your good mood and to be happy and full of good things. What’s new they want to know? Tout va très bien, Madame la Marquise, tout va très bien, tout va très bien, just that Paul’s uncle and his wife have been notified that they have lost their citizenship. A strange couple, these two! They just accept it as if it were nothing. I often think “either they have no nerves or they have nerves of steel.” However, I always thought Paul’s aunt was quite a bundle of nerves. When I heard of this mess, I had to think of the inscription on a wayside cross at Madonna di Campiglio, on which you read: “Ha, I knew it,” said Everl: “A dog came into the kitchen, etc., etc.” No that’s not true, this is what it said:

[in Viennese dialect]

St. Barthelma is trash like the dog
A sudden bump on the ground
Do you think he cried?
Nah, crap, he laughed!

Tout va très bien, tout va très bien, only that Papa received a summons to appear on Bräunerstrasse today. I hope he will be allowed to stay until 19 June like me. The telegram that I received yesterday caused my personal barometer to go up to clear with only a few clouds. Yesterday it was mostly dark and stormy. If I, however, get letters from you then it immediately changes to no clouds, beautiful weather. Papa wanted to send you roses via Fleurope, but unfortunately they couldn’t fill the order and Everl will have to spend her birthday without any wishes coming at the right time. Please smile like when you get your picture taken, Everl, okay? Maybe among those letters piling up there will be new pictures from you? We hope that if we get any information from the Consulate, we will be able to dispatch something to you. 

That’s enough for today, I will continue tomorrow. 
Heartfelt, Turkish, honey kisses
Helen

Harry quoted the same French song in a letter to his sister four years later, which we saw on January 21. The song is happy and high spirited while telling the story of every disaster imaginable, just like the world Helene was experiencing.