Friday, October 4:
Last night he slept well; in a dream he heard Fidi singing a song about me—I had gone away! After breakfast yesterday he said, “Oh, yes, we shall stick together.” Friend Glasenapp has sent a play by L. Geyer, Das Erntefest, and some reviews of it. R. smiles at our zeal and observes, “If only we had reports like this about Shakespeare!” I: “That would not be so important!”
At lunch he is vexed by Fidi’s indisposition; but he himself immediately takes the sting out of his vexation by saying in the same breath that he is vexed. When Herr K. said over coffee that it was remarkable how dogs always knew what mood their masters were in, R. said he felt like sending at once for Marke and Brange to make an experiment. Dr. Jauner pleases him by saying yes to Seidl.
In the evening Baron Seydlitz. R. quotes something from Lecky’s book which pleased him, that the number of crimes has diminished, but cases of depravity have on the other hand increased. Since Herr K. left Schumann’s Nachtstücke behind, R. plays the first piece, to the astonishment of us all, and remarks on its superficiality; he adds, “But I am speaking out of envy!”
Our conversation touches on Jean Paul, for whom R. has no great liking, but he quotes one thing he finds a good observation, about the husband whose wife walks ahead of him and who is suddenly horrified by her way of walking.