Wednesday, April 26:
In the morning R. receives a letter from Herr J. replying to his telegram of Sunday; protestations, dismay over the phrase “the hostile attitude of the Court opera management” in his telegram; all the same, J. sticks to his condition of Die Walküre in November with his own company!
Frau Mallinger cables a refusal; still no Sieglinde. Yesterday evening we discussed with R. the attitude of the local citizens, who see in the festival and the arrival of strangers only an opportunity to overcharge; nowhere in Germany a public spirit with its attendant sense of honor! How different the French in this respect!
This base and foolish attitude, R. says, is really disgusting, and he will tell the people that, if it continues, he will have to cancel the performances. R. goes to the theater with Herr Brückwald, who has at last been awakened by an angry letter from Feustel - everything still behindhand; and the ceiling promised by the brothers Bruckner has not arrived, the canvas was wrong, they say!!
R. returns home greatly vexed. Among other things he tells us at supper that the King is applying to the Chambers for an increase in the civil list, alleging that due to the new currency, allocations are increasing. The Catholic-dominated Chamber will seize the chance of pointing out the disadvantages of the new regime and will then without a doubt say many nasty things about the King - and what will he do then? Great worries!
Herr Hey cables that Frl. Scheffsky is coming on Monday; that is very late. It is said the Serbians intend to declare war against the Turks; R. says he hopes one day to see both Pope and Sultan outside Europe (in Jerusalem, for instance).
All these things pass by me like figures in a dream; the only thing that cut me to the heart was when Herr Rubinstein recently mentioned in passing that in America Hans publicly poured abuse on the Germans and then played the “Marseillaise”! But for those who suffer as I do there is no feeling of well-being, and evil strikes only in a shadowy way.