Good day, silly Woman!
(I meant to say: — Prodigiously good, sage Minna!)
You got your dressing yesterday: to-day I merely add a little further information about myself.
First of all, though, I beg you to go at once to Heim, and ask him to be so good as to reclaim his letter to me from the Post, as I haven't accepted it. The matter stands thus: —
Heim did not address "poste restante, à Genève," but "à Mornex près Genève."
Now, as Mornex lies in Savoy, the Zurich people put the letter in the Savoy mail, which in the first place costs 40 centimes single weight, whereas it was only franked with 20 cent.; then they had reckoned the weight at 4 times, and charged me two francs — including messenger; besides which, the letter took 2 days longer. The same thing happened to me before with a letter of Wesendonck's, for which, however, they only asked one fr. So I thought I must put a stop to this palpable knavery, and as there could be nothing pressing or particularly important in Heim's communications, much as I enjoy them, I determined to let our friend know, that he might expose this swindle at the Post and relieve me of similar trouble in future. He mustn't take it ill of me; I really only did it to lend no further countenance to such abominable extortion. Will Heim be so good, accordingly, as to re-address his letter, and simply:
"poste restante, No. 111, à Genève" (as you do quite correctly). —
For that matter, I'm looking forward to his letter so much, that I almost regret sending it back. Kindest regards to him and his wife! —
Well, I am curious to hear if you have received my last letter to Seelisberg yet. For the rest, I of course shall have a deal to tell you of my cure, but it is so disagreeable to me to write about it that I broke off a letter recently commenced to Dr R., and must beg you to give him the assurance that I hope to satisfy him thoroughly on my return, and receive his pardon for apparent disobedience. I know R. wasn't pleased with my refusing in advance to go through a regular cure at a Kurhaus or pension; had I declared myself willing, and had he known all about Dr Vaillant and his institute, I am firmly convinced he would have had nothing against it if I had expressed a wish to take my cure there. As it turned out, however, I felt that without the daily supervision of a doctor I couldn't even carry out R.'s orders with advantage; and this conviction was so strong that, after Vaillant had inspired me with perfect confidence, I resolved on the heavy sacrifice of starting a strict cure at a pension and willingly enduring all its inconveniences, such as total abstention from work, forced contact with often disagreeable company, and so on. As for the character of my cure, tell Dr R. simply this: Dr Coindet, to whom he recommended me himself, is in complete agreement with it, and only begged me to hold out and remain under Vaillant's treatment as long as possible. The result, though, as I firmly expect, will be the thing's best advocate. The functions of my skin are already so well regulated, that a recurrence of the Roses is no longer to be dreamt of; my abdominal complaints are gradually decamping, and I look for perfect healing of my haemorrhoidal ill. Added to which, my nerves are quieting down to the best of my wish, so that I can count with certainty already on at least six hours of unbroken sleep each night. Consequently, I believe I haven't spent my time in vain here, and don't repent the sacrifice entailed. But it is a sacrifice, and please don't think I'm dawdling here for my amusement. I must keep to it for three weeks longer: I began the 16th June, and shall have my final cure-day the 16th August; I've promised Vaillant that, in return for which he gave his word to set me up completely in that time. —
Accordingly I shall return to Zurich the 19th, at latest the 20th August; I shan't break my journey anywhere, save for a day at Karl's. On your side, dear Minna, see that I find everything ready by then to proceed to our house-building: you can't do much in it alone, beyond just giving orders; and if Alter isn't competent, please make further enquiries as to who accepts commissions of that kind. On the other hand, spare yourself too much running about in search of estates; it only tires you, and you will not find any. Whatever is referred to you, however, inspect it yourself, and use the new droschkes to do so. Manage in this way that, when I return, I shall have nothing to do but decide; on my side I shall see to the needful money lying ready then. Thus, we shall share the toil between us. —
Adieu, dear old girl, for to-day. Remain in such good health, and forbid them to wake you next time. Fips is first-class, and we both are looking forward to kind faces in the Escherhäuser.
Thy Richard.
Source: Richard to Minna Wagner: Letters to His First Wife, trans. William Ashton Ellis, Vol. 1 (H. Grevel & Co., 1909), No. 110