Saturday, September 13:
R. had a good night; he makes me laugh heartily with his comparison between the little French boy and Siegfried, and indeed the little stranger was remarkably lacking in manners.
I do not know what led us from that to Bismarck, whom R. compares with Robespierre; just as the latter could think of nothing to do with his absolute power except keep on seeking out suspects and having them beheaded, so too Bismarck can only keep discovering new dangers as an excuse for strengthening the army.
At lunch we come to the subject of the letter the Crown Princess sent to Herr v. W[eber], in which she ranges herself fairly clearly on the side of the vivisectionists. When I say to R. that this is a shame, for she has the reputation of being a good and sincere woman, R. replies, “It is easy to be sincere when one is vindictive and possesses power.” He says he will never forget her “Oh, no, Fritz” when the Crown Prince was about to take up some certificates of patronage.
Nice weather. R. reads the pamphlets which Herr v. W. brought with him; I beg him not to do so, to participate as much as he can but not to concern himself with the horrors in detail, for then he would find it impossible to work. Herr v. W. has supper with us, shows us some diamonds which he dug up, also petrified animals in amber. The children are greatly interested in these. We talked a lot about colonial life, so neglected by the Germans. Herr v. W. speaks highly of the Boers, the Dutch settlers now being ousted by the British.
Again a bat flutters around us toward the end of the evening. In the morning R. worked on his score, with some vexation over frequently writing things down incorrectly.