Friday, December 30:
From Lieutenant von Gersdorff in Montmorency, thanking R. for the photograph he sent him. Arrival of an article about Beethoven by Herr H. Dorn, in which among other things R. is accused of toadying to the King of Bavaria! The article will be returned to its conductor author, now living on a pension. The music publisher [Peters] wants a coronation march and offers R. 1,500 francs for it; the only pity is that R. cannot write to order, and particularly not a coronation march.
The newspapers report the total dissolution of the Loire army. God grant it is true! The bombardment of a fort has begun. R. writes his open letter to Herr Stade. Fidi very keyed up, cannot sleep; we abandon the orange room and spend the evening in R.’s workroom, after the tree has been stripped bare by the children.