Saturday, September 27:
Arrival of my sister-in-law Ottilie with her son Fritz; the two days are devoted to them and pass very pleasantly. From their astonishment at the beauty of the theater, I recognize the effect which the malicious drawing in Die Gartenlaube had.
R. receives a letter from Councilor D., saying the King will not give the guarantee; he has taken on too much himself...
At midday, a military band from Meiningen comes along and pays a little tribute to R. They play very nicely, and I am much affected by this sign of popular sympathy for R. Unfortunately, the finale to the first act of Lohengrin spoils the mood, the players dragging and then rushing in the wrong places. R. shows them how it should go, conducts it himself from the ground-floor window, and they understand him at once. He drinks with them from a tankard and is delighted with these nice, lively people.
In the evening we read in the newspaper about the expenditure of the French billions and are alarmed by its application exclusively to military purposes; but R. sees the reason and says: “We must remain armed right up to the teeth, for everyone is hostile to us, we are surrounded by enemies. Bismarck has the right instinct. The nation is rich enough to take care of the rest; it does not need the government’s support.”
R. has the feeling that the King of Italy’s visit to Germany actually means an alliance between France, Italy, and Austria against Germany. Berlin is visited, as well as other places, in order not to make things too obvious, but genuine cordiality was seen only in Vienna. The Catholic party is probably out to ensnare a King of Italy, crowned by the Pope and under the Pope’s control, working together with France against Prussia.