Here, dear Minna, is the Homage to Fischer. Hand it to Heine, and tell him to look upon it as a letter to himself. Let him preface its publication with a few words explaining how this Nachruf, albeit destined also for publicity, was originally intended as a communication to a mutual friend of Fischer's. Let him preserve the date; unfortunately I've been so interrupted, that I couldn't undertake the copy till to-day. And greet our dear Heine most heartily; from my lines he will gather how dear my friends are to me, and how I cherish their memory, even though my correspondence should often remain intermittent. —
Your mind will be at rest about Therese by now, and providing you have duly notified her, she will not fail to be at Frankfort. I suppose I may look for a telegram from there.
Certainly I had my fears lest the next day after your arrival might be too early for you to see the young person recommended to you; but I never dreamed you would perceive in that a more serious ground for uneasiness, to say nothing of an attack on your independence. My trouble was our not having a creature in the house who can really speak French, for even the man-servant only scrapes along with it; so I wanted to have somebody who could at once assist Therese through her earliest stage, conduct her to the market and on other shopping expeditions, and quickly ground her in the first essentials of the language. Further, I thought it would be nice to get this point itself soon settled to your satisfaction. However, that's easy enough to countermand, and you shan't see the person before you wish to yourself. For that matter, dear Minna, you will remember that after every dispute I have done my best to concede you the point: henceforth I shall concede it you before a difference of opinion, and confidently hope to obviate disputes themselves for ever that way.
One thing I commend to you: do acknowledge my good will!
To give you no cause for excitement, then, I'll not even surprise you with anything upon your arrival, but rather tell you at once that I really have taken a small house to ourselves. It was a great rarity to find such a thing in Paris, and I'm paying 1000 fr. more for it than I should have had to for another suitable abode (as I couldn't go into a very high étage — were it only for your own sake). I didn't decide on it until after I had seen that otherwise I couldn't possibly think of our settling down in Paris, as no flat afforded me a guarantee against being surrounded with piano-players some day. If I hadn't closed with it, I couldn't have offered you a point of reunion as yet; on the other hand, my need of household rest and permanence was great. Finally, I reckoned up what our last mode of living had cost us both, and found that if we meant to continue it, it would come far dearer to me than an agreeable settlement in Paris; so I seized the latter, and now beseech you not to make it hard for me in any way. With 4 mouths already, the companion's fifth will be easily fed, and the pay's a mere nothing compared with the advantage. If we do require the sum you've named, even so we shall scarcely be requiring as much as it has cost me this last year: consider that. And I afforded that, and shall afford it still more easily now, in far more favourable circumstances. If the worst came to the worst, a trip to America would redress the balance; but even that will not be needed.
Fond as you are of mocking me for this as well, once more I bid you: Set your mind at rest! And I bid you that with serious, kindly calm myself. — Make it easy for me, ever to stand calmly and affectionately at your side; don't accuse me of what is chargeable to Fate; and tax me with no frivolous whim, if I simply bow alike to the demands of my position and my needs. If I have tried to relieve you of all that is possible on your arrival, I have done it both with insight and with good intention, not to circumvent you, but to make things easier for you, and finally to have order in the house myself as soon as possible. —
So — jeer as you will — I repeat: Be calm, and don't let yourself be agitated by every mistaken notion!
Farewell, my good Mutz; write once again, and give me friendly reassurances.
Thy R.
I suppose I'm to blame for the death of R.; I said to myself on Fischer's death: To think that such a man must die, and such a — remain alive! So far as I'm concerned, however, he might have gone on eating dumplings many a day.
Should Heine think it out of place for me to couple Spohr with Fischer, I beg him carefully to cut the part respecting Spohr.
Source: Richard to Minna Wagner: Letters to His First Wife, trans. William Ashton Ellis, Vol. 2 (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1909), No. 199