Kjære Kramer!

Jeg skùlde længst skrevet en lang ùnd-

skyldning – ikke for mine egne, men

for Engels og Hoskildsens synder paa

mine vegne – eller rettere i mit navn,

men vi har turet bryllup nù i snart

14 dage; – först var det söster Kirsten

og Olav Hjærtenes, som holdt bryllup

i præstegaarden – og saa lige efter broder

Christian og Katharina Sandnes – (den

vakreste og klokeste bondepige, som kùnde

findes i bygden), – deres bryllup stod paa

hendes fædrenegaard Sandnes – 

Men tilbage til ùndskyldningen – som

gjælder telegrammet – som Engel og

Hoskildsen i farten stilede sammen og

sendte ùden mit vidende, da tiden for

bryllùpperne blev bestemt lidt för, end

man fra först af havde tænkt. –

Jeg sagde til Engel, da hùn fortalte

mig indholdet af det telegram hùn og

Hoskildsen havde sendt i mit navn,^{(Engel protesterer – det var send i hendes navn)} at

Kramer har jo god grùnd at blive baade

fornærmet og forarget over en saadan

paa gaaenhed. – Engel havde flere gange

presset paa mig, at jeg skulde telegrafere til

dig om stövlerne, – men jeg vilde ^ikke höre paa

det öre; thi jeg havde allerede bestilt et

par sorte stövler til hende gjennem en

handelsmand i Förde, saa jeg kunde over-

raske hende med to par til bryllùppet; thi

jeg troede at om "dit par" ikke kom frem

til det förste bryllup, saa kom det til det

andet bryllùp, og saa blev der 2 glæder

i steden for en. Imidlertid kom "dit par"

en time efter, at vi var reist i det förste

bryllùppet – og baade Engel og jeg siger

dig tusend tak for alt dit stræv – dù

maatte jo sætte baade himmel og jord i

bevægelse for det dùmme telegrams skyld, 

Engel er fornöiet med stövlerne, og beder

mig takke og ùndskylde saa meget som mùligt –

hùn dansede i dem hele natten i Christians

bryllup, men til dans var de nok lidt stive

men det vil jo alle saa vidt höie stövler væ-

re. Vi er alle sterkt forkjölede efter bryl-

lupsturingen, – men forkjölede har vi nù været

i hele sommer næsten – jeg plages ogsaa af

min asthma – og eftervirkningerne efter

"den spanske", – særlig feberen, – jeg blir vist

aldrig fri den; – jeg burde jo se til at komme

afsted nù, – men jeg ^er endnù ikke bestemt

paa hvor hen, – og om jeg skal tage famili-

en med eller ei, – det koster jo saa forban-

det meget at leve i udlandet – alle steder, –

men paa den anden side koster det ogsaa

meget her nù, og det blir vanskeligt at

holde to hùsholdninger og stadig beregne, hvad –

hvad man kan brùge til sig selv, og hvad man

skal brùge til familien hjemme. –

Hvorledes er det med "Enkens Rùm"? – er 

det fremdeles ledigt? og faar jeg lov at

tage Engel og barna med mig for et par dages

ophold, hvis det skulde blive vanskeligt

om logis i Bergen? – vi skal i saafald tage

uldtæpper med os og lave "flatseng" paa

gulvet i "Enkens rùm". Det blir da

neppe paa de förste 14 dage, – jeg har saa

meget at ordne her – lidt gjældsforpligt-

telser og saadant mere, og saa bùrde jeg

kanske forsögt at faa færdig et par af

mine miserable billeder, – men denne

feberen har hindret mig i hele sommer,

saa jeg har ikke malt nogen ting, – har

forsögt at gjöre færdig platerne til det

store træsnit med "rævebjælderne", men

veed endnù ikke, hvordan det bliver.

Hils din frùe hjærteligst med tak for hendes

bryderi i anledning Engels sko. Hoskildsens

er reist og bad mig hilse. – Paa gjensyn!

Eders hengivne Engel og Nikolai Astrup

Dear Kramer!

I should have written long ago with a lengthy

apology – not for my own, but

for Engel’s and Hoskildsen’s sins on 

my behalf – or rather in my name,

but we have been celebrating weddings for nearly

a fortnight now; – first it was sister Kirsten

and Olav Hjærtenes, who celebrated their wedding

in the vicarage – and then immediately after brother

Christian and Katharina Sandnes – (the

prettiest and smartest peasant girl, to be

found in the village), – their wedding was held at

her family’s farm Sandnes – 

But back to the apology – which

has to do with the telegram – that Engel and

Hoskildsen wrote together in haste and

sent without my knowledge, since the dates for

weddings were arranged a little before, than

one had initially planned. –

I said to Engel, when she informed

me of the contents of the telegram she and

Hoskildsen had sent in my name, ^{(Engel protests – it was sent in her name)} that

Kramer has good reason to be both

offended and upset by such

boldness. – Engel had repeatedly

put pressure on me, to telegraph 

you about the boots, – but I did ^not wish to

pay heed; for I had already ordered a

pair of black boots for her through a

merchant in Förde, so that I might sur-

prise her with two pairs for the wedding; because

I thought that if “your pair” did not arrive

for the first wedding, then it would arrive for

the second wedding, and then there would be 2 pleasures

instead of one. However “your pair” arrived

one hour after, we had left for the first

wedding – and both Engel and I thank

you profusely for all your efforts – you

were obliged to go out of your

way for the sake of that stupid telegram, 

Engel is pleased with the boots, and asks

me to thank you and to apologise as much as possible –

she danced in them the entire night at Christian’s

wedding, but for dancing they were a little stiff

but all boots with such high heels tend to

be. We all have bad colds after the wed-

ding celebrations, – but then again we have had colds

nearly the entire summer – I am also bothered by

my asthma – and complications after

“the Spanish flu”, – particularly the fever, – I will probably 

never be free of it; – I should really think about 

departing now, – but I ^have not yet decided

where to go, – and whether I shall take the fami-

ly with me or not, – it is so damned

expensive to live abroad – everywhere, –

but on the other hand it is also 

expensive here now, and it will be difficult to

to maintain two households and to constantly calculate, what –

what one may spend on oneself, and what one

must spend on the family at home. –

What is the status with “The Widow’s Room”? – is 

it still available? And am I allowed to

bring Engel and the children with me for a stay of

a few days, if it turns out to be difficult to

find accommodations in Bergen? – we will in that case bring

wool blankets with us and arrange “flat beds” on

the floor in “The Widow’s Room”. It will

hardly be before the first fortnight, I have so

much to take care of here – a little debt obliga-

tions and so on, and then I should

perhaps try to complete a few of 

my miserable pictures, – but this

fever has impeded me the entire summer,

so that I haven’t painted anything, – have

attempted to complete the blocks for the 

large woodcut of “foxgloves”, but

don’t know yet, how it will turn out.

My sincerest wishes to your wife with thanks for her

bother with regard to Engel’s shoes. Hoskildsens

has left and asked me to say hello. – See you later!

Your devoted Engel and Nikolai Astrup