morning Johanna was seized with severe pains after eating a grape, and the accompanying symptoms led me to put her at once to bed, and to send in haste to Tangermuende, whence, in spite of the Elbe, Dr. Fricke arrived soon after 12.  At 8 my daughter was audible, with sonorous voice.  This afternoon I sent Hildebrand off to fetch nurse Boldt from Berlin in a great hurry.  I hope you will not postpone your journey now; but earnestly beg dear mother not to make the trip in an exhausting manner.  I know, of course, that she has little regard for her own health, but just for Johanna’s sake you must take care of yourself, dear mother, so that she may not be anxious on your account.  Fricke pleases us very much—­experienced and careful.  I do not admit visits:  Bellin’s wife, the doctor, and I attend to everything.  Fricke estimates the little one at about nine pounds in weight.  Up to the present time, then, everything has gone according to rule, and for that praise and thanks be to the Lord.  If you could bring Aennchen with you that would make Johanna very happy.

22. Morning.—­It is all going very well, only the cradle is still lacking, and the little miss must camp meanwhile on a forage-crib.  May God have you and us in his keeping, dear parents.

Until we meet again, presently.  B.

Have the kindness to attend to the announcements, save in Berlin and Reddentin, in your neighborhood:  Seehof, Satz, and so forth.  Johanna sends cordial greetings.  She laments her daughter’s large nose.  I think it no larger than it has a right to be.

Berlin, Saturday, 11 p. m.  September 23, ’48.

To FRAU VON BISMARCK, SCHOeNHAUSEN, NEAR JERICHOW.

My Pet!—­Today at last I have news of your condition, and am very grateful to mother for the letter. * * * I am beginning to be really homesick for you, my heart, and mother’s letter today threw me into a mood utterly sad and crippling:  a husband’s heart, and a father’s—­at any rate, mine in the present circumstances—­does not fit in with the whirl of politics and intrigue.  On Monday, probably, the die will be cast here.  Either the ministry will be shown to be weak, like its predecessors, and sink out—­and against this I shall still struggle—­or it will do its duty, and then I do not for a moment doubt that blood will flow on Monday evening or on Tuesday.  I should not have believed that the democrats would be confident enough to take up the gage of battle, but all their behavior indicates that they are bent on it.  Poles, Frankfort men, loafers, volunteers—­all sorts of riffraff are again at hand.  They count on the defection of the troops, apparently misled by the talk of individual discontented gabblers among the soldiers; but I think they will make a great mistake.  I personally have no occasion to await the thing here, and so to tempt God by asking him to protect me in perils that I have no call to seek.  Accordingly, I shall betake my person to a place of safety not later