Saturday, October 26:
In connection with Fidi’s new suit, R. tells a childhood anecdote: how once, punished in school, he returned home late, did not dare face his mother, hid from her, and she pretended not to see him, kept saying, “Where has R. got to today?” The tailor arrived, showed her two nice bombazine suits for R.; his mother said teasingly, “You can give those to some other children, the boy is not here.” Then R., six years old, came out crying, claiming the lovely things for himself.
A day of confusions: the children nasty to Eva, all sorts of people taking advantage, R. summoned to attend court on account of a Dusseldorf theater director, Babett’s foster father, a five-year contract, I to have the child educated, dressed, her hair done, etc.
After lunch went for a walk with Fidi and Eva; as we enter Town Hall, Fidi says, “This is an old house.”
In the evening the “copyistery,” consisting of four men and Mme Kastner as well. When they are gone, R. speaks in melancholy of his lot, always having to begin anew, getting nothing from his works but trouble and torment. He had been through a scene from Das Rheingold with these people. He says the whole of the Nibelungen seems to him so remote, so outlived, and now having constantly to teach beginners the ABC’s of its interpretation. The only thing which gives him pleasure is his abstract traffic with the world through his writings. He is writing an essay on the term “music drama” for Fritzsch.
Nice letter from Prof. Rohde, who quite rightly says one has a duty not to tolerate improprieties.