As the time for the general leave-taking at last drew near, I had arranged all the details connected with the breaking up of my home.  I settled the necessary business part by a personal visit to Herr Wesendonck, and in the presence of Bulow I took leave of Frau Wesendonck, who, in spite of her ever-recurring misconceptions on the matter, eventually reproached herself bitterly when she saw that these misunderstandings had ended by breaking up my home.  My friends were much distressed at parting from me, whilst I could only meet their expressions of sorrow with apathy.  On the 16th August the Bulows also left; Hans was bathed in tears and his wife Cosima was gloomy and silent.  I had arranged with Minna that she should remain there for about a week to clear up and dispose of our little belongings as she thought best.  I had advised her to entrust these unpleasant duties to some one else, as I hardly thought it possible that she would be fitted for such a wretched task, which, under the circumstances, would be very trying to her.  She replied reproachfully that ’it would be a fine thing if, with all our misfortunes, we neglected our property.  Order there must be.’  I afterwards learned to my disgust that she carried out the removal and her own departure with such formality, by advertising in the daily papers that the effects would be sold cheaply owing to sudden departure, and thereby exciting much curiosity, that perplexed rumours were spread about giving the whole affair a scandalous signification, which afterwards caused much unpleasantness both to me and the Wesendonck family.

On the 17th August, the day after the departure of the Bulows (whose stay had been the only reason for detaining me), I got up at early dawn after a sleepless night, and went down into the dining-room, where Minna was already expecting me to breakfast, as I intended to start by the five o’clock train.  She was calm; it was only when accompanying me in the carriage to the station that she was overpowered by her emotion under the trying circumstances.  It was the most brilliant summer day with a bright, cloudless sky; I remember that I never once looked back, or shed a tear on taking leave of her, and this almost terrified me.  As I travelled along in the train I could not conceal from myself an increasing feeling of comfort; it was obvious that the absolutely useless worries of the past weeks could not have been endured any longer, and that my life’s ambition demanded a complete severance from them.  On the evening of the same day I arrived in Geneva; here I wished to rest a little and pull myself together, so as to arrange my plan of life calmly.  As I had an idea of making another attempt to settle in Italy, I proposed, after my former experience, to wait till the cooler autumn weather, so as not to expose myself again to the malignant influence of the sudden change of climate.  I arranged to stay for a month at the Maison Fazy, deluding myself into the idea that a lengthy stay