Tuesday, October 11:
R. had a good night, and not until the morning does he find the greeting I wrote to go with the compass. His chest constrictions start again, and our table conversation consists in imagining a journey up the Nile. The news of the sudden death of the Austrian minister Haymerle, who, R. relates, suffered a chest complaint, comes up; his high spirits as always gain the upper hand, and when, at lunch, Fidi tells us that someone has given him an ostrich’s egg, R. says, “If you open it, you’ll find the life of Jesus inside.”
We drive out in the strapontin almost as far as Drossenfeld, taking great delight in the countryside - a field in which cows are grazing R. finds “quite blissful.” On our return home he receives Dr. Landgraf, who suggests he should send for Dr. Leube, an authority on abdominal complaints. R. then writes to Herr Neumann about Dresden - without, however, mentioning the Berlin project, to which he is unwilling to give his approval. Then he works as far as “Mein ganzes Liebes-Umfangen” (238), and in the evening we chat about all sorts of things. The children go to a lecture by Dr. Brehm.
R. goes through Euryanthe, as ever regretting its many banalities, revenge aria, finales, etc. Among other things, he points to the device of introducing the rustic lover, Rudolf, in order to provide a quartet! News of Lulu - not exactly encouraging! Hans writes, agreeing to our daughter’s journey, but ill! ...