Wednesday, November 16:
R. finishes his play; I think it is excellent. Richter is now to write the music for it. Alfred M. and his 17-year-old wife to lunch, both of them friendly and good-natured, but when he begins to talk about the Munich Rheingold, R. becomes serious and explains what it means to him.
Bavaria is making difficulties for the North German Confederation. R. regrets that Bismarck has so little imagination and has nothing to offer his allies but unconditional entry into the Prussian creation. In the evening a letter from my mother—she is not coming; we are too German for her.
Continued reading Ranke; in Calvin and Luther I can really feel the distinction between the Germans and the French, with the latter everything becomes so formalized and boringly vehement, as R. says. (According to Dr. Meissner Loldi will one day be a beauty of the first rank!!)