Wednesday, October 26:
Departure, grand leave-taking by the children. Yesterday tableaux vivants in Richter’s room; [a few words omitted as untranslatable] all the children with him, and finally I and R., much noise; Eva presents “Mother and Child,” forgets the mother, however, and just sets down Willy Stocker and then disappears into the wings (Richter’s bed the curtain).
Cheerful journey with R., balmy foehn atmosphere, the weather is mild. Met in Zurich by Arnold Wille, whose friendly conversation tires us a little. He talks about the Polish festival in Rapperswyl, Polish antiquities (library consisting of French novels, etc.), the Polish eagle cast in Berlin which was always falling down, etc.
His mother, Frau Wille, delights us once again with her warm heart and her great and deep intelligence. At table a Professor Hellwig, who knows my father, and a Prof. Bendof (or Bender?). In the evening Richard reads parts of his biography (to Frau Wille and her husband alone); the excellent lady much affected, her clever husband interested.
At table R. proposes a toast to Moltke, whose birthday it is today (the children are also drinking his health at Tribschen). Terrible foehn storm; R. and I can scarcely close our eyes.