( 117 ) September 2nd, 1839.
Together with Br. Teichelmann at Preacher Longbottom(141); At four o'clock in the evening we attended a prayer meeting led by him in the Methodist chapel.

September 3rd, 1839.
With Br. Teichelmann and Mr. Meier been together at the natives, who camped towards the south, from there to [Preacher] Stow, who was not at home, with whose wife I talked for at least 1 1/2 hours.
Today Pastor Kavel was 41 years old.

September 4th, 1839.
In the afternoon I went to Klemzig to visit the dear soul who feels for me there. She was currently absent from the garden, which is why I turned to Mr. Fiedler, who was busy planting young fruit trees behind the house. He told me that on Monday Schlinke's matchmaker, Schliefke's sister-in-law(142), and on Tuesday Schlinke himself had been in Klemzig, and that Bertha had said a careless word from my letter to the former. Schlinke himself asked him what he had to worry about, to which he replied that it depended on Bertha.

Bertha had come back in the meantime and appeared to me as kindly and lovingly as I had never seen her before. Fortunately, we were alone for a while, where she told me what I had already heard from her father, but with the addition that even if I resigned, she would never enter into such a relationship with Schlinke. She thought she had had a sour afternoon when this loveless lover acted as if his heart had been completely broken ( 118 ) by the coldness with which she treated him. He asked her where this came from and she answered many things, but he said that it couldn't be all that, it wasn't appropriate here. She therefore plans to write him her full opinion this week, as he [has] promised to come back on Sunday so as not to get into a similar embarrassment again. --

Among the various topics of conversation there was also talk of our age; Bertha didn't really want to reveal hers, but asked me to guess, probably thinking that I would be surprised by her youth. Of course I recommended a year more, namely 18, while she is still 2 months under 17, being born on November 29th, 1822. In the midst of these conversations, Bertha had forgotten to pour me coffee for the second time; When she blamed herself for this, I wanted to excuse her and said that I had forgotten it myself, otherwise I wanted to save her from the trouble; But she said that it was her duty, adding: "and I love doing that." Her attention was such that only the purest love could be the cause of it, and she repeatedly apologized for her business calling her away for a few moments now and then. --

Towards the evening Ferdinand Kavel(143) came and fetched some candles, which Bertha gave him; as he handed her the money, it seemed to me as if he was teasing her; perhaps suspecting the reason for my ( 119 ) frequent visits to Klemzig;