Friday, January 19:
Lessons for the children. At midday a letter from Herr Betz, once more refusing in a rather malicious tone to participate. R. says, “He will come to my aid.”
Again he speaks of handing it over to an entrepreneur; I have to weep, for I would wish it otherwise, would rather we pledged all our resources for years ahead but kept a hold on the work; R. does not want this, he also feels it would not be possible, the debt is too great for us to pay off. God protect us!
The dear children help by being kept from noticing anything, and in the end our mood always begins to lighten, until it is turned to utter rapture by contact with the ancient world! (Thucydides.)