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In her letter from October 30, Helene mentions that Eva would be receiving a letter from their friend Jo addressed to her and someone named Alf. Today’s letter is addressed to Eva and Alf, but signed by someone named Hans (perhaps Jo’s son?).
1 November ‘40
Dearest Eva and dearest Alf!
It makes me really sad that I haven’t heard anything from you, my dear sweet friends! About you Eva, I know only that you are doing well in school, but I just don’t understand why Alf hasn’t written anything at all!
We are doing about the same. Mama is so old that she makes work for two people and I have to defray all of the expenses myself and I am not making any progress. Everything really is just too much for me. Tingling is also a matter of concern. She has been under a doctor’s care for a while.
If I could see you or just had news, I would be calmer. I don’t understand why I don’t get any mail! I don’t go to the theater much. I heard that Lehman is singing in [San] Francisco. Tempi passati! What are Lia, Peter and Pucki doing and how are they? And how about Mama? Please, please write to me. Harry is surely learning to speak fluent Spanish again! What about the times when we were playing with Pedril, Arche and Noah? Now dearest Eva and Harry, all the best and love and I wish you dear Alf all the best. Greet all the loved ones and please send news.
Your old faithful
Hans
It appears that Helene shared Eva’s letters with Hans who is responding to much of the same news as Helene did in her last few letters – Eva’s studies, Harry studying Spanish, former Viennese singers like Lotte Lehmann now living and performing in the United States. Poor Hans is lonely without his friends who have all fled Vienna. Like Eva and Harry, he too has had to grow up quickly and must care for his ill mother, with little hope in sight for a brighter future.