Monday, September 27:
It is my delight to celebrate Saint Cosmas with a little gift to R.; he is much surprised by the work with Loldi (the letter C), and when Fidi now also comes out with a huge dome, R. laughs and observes that the children must be goblins. He does not realize that it is my name day, thinks it is his own, and this leads to much hilarity at the end of the day, when it comes to light.
He starts on a letter to the King, while I look at a few more things in town and say farewell to lovely Siena. The French situation interests R. very much; he is glad that the good Ferry has managed to get a government together, and convinced that Gambetta will hatch out as many intrigues as he can; he says he has a good mind to write to Ferry, "Apres les jesuites faites attention aux Juifs" ["After the Jesuits, look out for the Jews"]. In this connection many memories of Ferry, of Blandine; he finds a resemblance between her and me, which pleases me very much. "Just flashes," he says, "such things are in the spirit."
In the evening R. reads some passages from his biography to us, and he laughs over the fact that, because of its light and flowing style, everything gives the appearance of having been nothing.