Many happy returns. This time, it is no ordinary birthday, but the start of something completely new. I am so happy on behalf of you that you are going to have such a splendid time in Göttingen both with regard to the development of your mathematical personality and with regard to your personal enjoyment. I am hereby enclosing (in addition to what Ma is so kind to send you in my name) Kierkegaard: Stages on Life’s Way. It is all I have to send; although I do not think that I could easily find anything better. In any event, I have had inordinately great pleasure reading it, I rather think that it is one of the loveliest things I have ever read. Now I am looking forward to, at some point, hearing your opinion of it
Everything is grand over here in Vissenbjerg. |It really is lovely now that spring is truly here, the first anemones have sprung.
As you know, I have received the first corrections. The paper was published in Transactions, it was so beautifully printed and carefully checked (there was not a single number printed wrongly), that it was easy for me to complete it. Weber was so delightful as to send me a transcript of the ”Abstract” which had been in Proceedings; it transpired that it was my “Conclusions” so that was nice. My revision is going well and I am looking forward to the exam and particularly to the final months of the autumn when we shall have such a pleasant time together, I sit here in isolation and think of so many things which I look forward to discussing with you. This has not been a proper letter and far from what I would have wished it to be; but the fact of the matter is that I am rushing to finish it in order to send it in time, I started so late as I wanted to finish reading the Stages |before I sent them off. You can comfort yourself with the thought that I will send a new letter one of the following days; this time I will end by wishing you many happy returns.
P.S. the Møllgaard family congratulate the new Master
