Friday, January 30:
R. had a very restless night, but the rash seems to be subsiding, and he gets up and spends the whole day in the salon. In spite of his weariness he becomes lively and tells us of what he found interesting in Renan's Eglises, namely the preface, and he thanks God that the French still possess some men of intelligence.
When we were having our late breakfast, we heard him playing the chorus of the young pilgrims from Tannhäuser, and I was completely overcome. Was it the fact of his recovery, conveyed to me by these sounds, was it the exalted exhortation always to keep the Redemption in mind, or was it just the sounds themselves? How shall I decide? When, weeping, I thank R., he says, "Yes, people ought to respect me for having expressed the spirit of Christianity in this and, what is more, freed of all sectarianism." He is very cheerful with the doctor, but that does not cheer me.