Thursday, December 23:
Fine day, R. in good spirits in spite of an ugly dream (he concealed himself, was apprehended, taken prisoner), I likewise, in spite of profound, probably never-ending sorrow! Silent decoration of the tree as the sun goes down; nuts and apples gleam in the golden light, tranquil melancholy, how willingly would I bear everything, if only I could spare others being put to the test! I do not complain that this is my lot, everything we suffer is just, I complain on behalf of others, another! ...
Continued decorating in the evening, while R. selects at random from his library a volume of the Correspondance générale de Voltaire (Volume VIII) and reads some letters from it, to our very great amusement. We think of Goethe and Frederick the Great, how pleasant this refined, lively, cultured spirit must have seemed to them!