Saturday, October 10:
Twenty-one years ago today I saw R. for the first time! He works on his score; I occupy myself with the children.
In the evening we read Anabasis, noting particularly the role which sacrifice played even in this late period and in the mind of such a free spirit as Xenophon. The Hoffmann capers: the good professor has now got his brother-in-law to come from Vienna. The mayor told me in the afternoon of the horrible quarrels which had taken place, when the claim of honor had been utilized to improve the deal!!
In the evening a small reception, among the guests a Captain von Trenck, a very lively and pleasant person. Besides the Hoffmann capers, the question of Wotan's hat is causing a lot of bother: we ruled out the mythological helmet and asked our sgraffito artist to change it into Wotan's hat, but the task is now to find the right shape for that! Holbein and our own imaginations have helped us to a certain extent, after long vacillations and reflections. R. is now working on the “funeral music,” as he calls it.
This morning R. said that these French-speaking Slavs are not worth much, a Frenchman or a Germanized Frenchman is a thousand times better.