Wednesday, August 16:
R. had a good night. When our friend Mimi is visiting me and we are strolling in the garden, R. calls to Mime (the dachshund): “Mime, find Mimi!” and is led to us. When the Countess says to him that he must be pleased to see what an uplifting effect his work has on everybody, he declares that he has no feelings at all with regard to it. We have lunch with the children. At 5 o’clock Herr Hill comes and sings Amfortas, some of it (1st scene in the Temple) with great power; R. points out to him his errors of enunciation. Then he goes to see the swans, is surprised by vulgar military music, which he can no longer bear, calls out some nonsense to the Wolzogens through the hedge of the palace gardens, and in the evening sits companionably with Levi, Stein, Malwida, Jouk., telling stories of earlier times (Unzelmann, Gerlach, who was always blamed for everything, now Levi). A few mornings ago he told me of his first patriotic feelings, when his mother took him to the town council.