Wednesday, January 7:
R. looks worn out, but had a better night. He says as he comes in to breakfast, “Now one must be many things at the same time - cautious, prudent, truthful, and noble.” He says the experience with Erlanger knocked the bottom out of the barrel entirely. Yesterday he said how low his spirits had sunk when he had looked through the army lists and seen all the French terminology in it. “We are barbarians,” he said, wholly in Luther’s sense of being both “uncultivated and un-German.”
At breakfast he says, “You’ll be hearing Der Ring des Nibelungen after all.” He has the idea of not setting any deadline, but simply saying that if 200,000 are available, well and good - but do not imagine it will come along of its own accord. Letter from Councilor D., confirming his telegram.
In the evening, impelled by I know not what, I say to R., “But how lovely it is, to be deserted by everybody!” R. grasps this exclamation eagerly and says, “Oh, yes, it is the only worthy state to be in.” Yesterday and today I put my whole being into a prayer: to die at the same time as Richard! To wander this earth only so long as my gaze can meet his, my hand hold his, my poor spirit look upon and grasp his spirit! R., to whom I state this quite simply, replies, “We shall go on living together for a long time yet.”
Letter from Bucher, saying that the Prince has indeed read the pamphlet and given it to his minister Delbrück for an appraisal. It seems not entirely impossible that he will take over the guarantee, as I had requested, overcoming my great repugnance against making any appeal to my friends. In the evening friend Luther!