Tuesday, October 27:
Yesterday I had to write to Herr Vitzthum in Hanover: he had notified us of the visit of his wife, a singer, and she did not arrive, due, we suspect, to the maliciousness of the theater manager’s wife, the composer [Ingeborg] von Bronsart.
Betz writes from Berlin and seems to have settled the matter concerning Der fliegende Holländer. Still reading about the Battle of Spichern. News of the death of Herr Wolfram, R.’s brother-in-law; R. writes a fine letter to his sister.
“Much despised and much acclaimed,” R. called out to me in the early morning; yesterday evening he had reproached me for the little economies by means of which I am trying to keep our domestic budget from rising unduly. Our sgraffito is costing us more than 400 thalers; I would rather have left our house unadorned, but I say nothing about this to R., who is pleased with the ornament. Early to bed - R. is tired.