Of my performances at Prague, Vienna, and Pesth, you have probably heard from others.  Although I have no reason to complain, I am very glad that they are over, and that I may stop at home again; for I must candidly confess that the wear and tear connected with similar occasions is very unpleasant to me, and becomes almost unbearable if it lasts more than a few weeks.

Do not desert “Tristan”; he is to lead you back soon, and victoriously, to Siegfried.

Your

FRANZ

May 7th, 1858.

259.

I send you today a wonderful fellow, dearest Richard; receive him kindly.

Tausig is to work your Erard thoroughly, and to play all manner of things to you.  Introduce him to our mutual friends at Zurich—­ Herwegh, Wille, Semper, Moleschott, Kochly—­and take good care of him.

Your

F. Liszt.

Weymar, May 18th, 1858.

260.

Zurich, July 2nd, 1858.

At last, dearest Franz, I have once more got so far as to be able to carry out my long-delayed intention of writing to you.

I have to thank you very much for your last letter, to which I thought, upon the whole, silence was the best answer.  I hope you understood me rightly.  I am generally too talkative, and chat about many things which it would be better to keep to myself.  This would be more advantageous to others also, for he who refuses to understand a silent friend will find a talking one troublesome.

Cordial thanks also to the good Princess for her letter.

Of “Tristan” I have sketched the second act; whether I have succeeded I shall see when I come to work it out.  It was amusing to me to see you treat this peculiar affair as a matter of literary business in your letter.  I explained to the Princess some time ago that the belief of the Prague manager, that I was writing this opera for a first performance at his theatre, was a pure misunderstanding.  I could not help smiling at your believing in the assertion of this odd man sufficiently to speak to me seriously of the matter, and to offer me your amiable assistance.  You must, of course, have been puzzled at my having the score engraved in this early stage of the proceedings.  But there is a very simple reason for it.  I had, as you know, no money, and, as “Rienzi” came to nothing, I saw no other way except “doing business” with the Hartels.  For that purpose I chose “Tristan”, then scarcely begun, because I had nothing else.  They offered to pay me half the honorarium of 200 louis d’or, i.e., 100 louis d’or on receipt of the score of the first act, so I hurried to get it done head over heels.  This was the reason of my business-like haste in finishing this poor work.  Altogether, the fate of my works, including “Tristan”, has become a matter of great indifference to me; as to how, where, and when, I care little, as long as I may be present.