Monday, June 7:
Little sleep in the night, much pain; only in the morning some rest. At our first meeting in the morning I could nevertheless give R. reassuring news about my condition. Except for the times in which I had to submit directly to the attentions required by a woman in childbed, R. sat comfortingly at my bedside all day.
But at noon he did drive into town to buy a fine watch for Jakob, in the name of his own son Wilhelm. I was satisfied with the purchase and gave the watch to Vreneli, who in her turn took it to her husband to wear. The gift was accepted with touching emotion.
We discussed the relationship we should like to see between Siegfried and the son of our loyal house manager, who is about eight months older. R. said he wished he had at the time insisted on the boy's being named Kurwenal, for he wished that Wilhelm might one day behave toward Siegfried as Kurwenal to Tristan. There was much good cheer, and melancholy pride, in our talk. The children came to my bedside. The excitement of the younger ones soon exhausted me.
On this day I suffered very much: the afterbirth pains were significantly greater than at Eva's birth. But I faced the night consoled and with confidence, even though extremely weak, and on the whole it passed so well that I did not call on the nurse even once. Since for the first time in her life she was able to sleep beside a mother in childbed undisturbed, she was very pleasantly surprised.