in B flat major, at the close of which Kirchner dryly and candidly remarked, ’Now we can truly say that we have witnessed the impossible, for I shall always regard what I have just heard as an impossibility.’  On this occasion, attention was called to the twentieth anniversary of my marriage with Minna, which fell on this day, and after the wedding music of Lohengrin had been played, we formed a charming procession a la Polonaise through the various rooms.

In spite of all these pleasant experiences, I should have been well content to see the end of the business and return to the peace of my home in Zurich.  The indisposition of the Princess, however, retarded the departure of my friends for Germany for several days, and we found ourselves compelled to remain together in a state of nervous tension and aimlessness for some time, until at last, on the 27th November, I escorted my visitors to Rorschach, and took my leave of them there on the steamer.  Since then I have never seen the Princess or her daughter, nor I think it likely I shall ever meet them again.

It was not without some misgiving that I took leave of my friends, for the Princess was really ill, and Liszt seemed to be much exhausted.  I recommended their immediate return to Weimar, and told them to take care of themselves.  Great was my surprise, therefore, when before long I received the news that they were making a sojourn of some duration in Munich.  This followed immediately upon their departure, and was also attended with much noisy festivity and occasional artistic gatherings.  I was thus led to the conclusion that it was foolish of me to recommend people with such constitutions either to do a thing or to abstain from doing it.  I, for my part, returned home to Zurich very much exhausted, unable to sleep, and tormented by the frosty weather at this cold season of the year.  I was afraid that I had by my recent method of life subjected myself to a fresh attack of erysipelas.  I was very pleased when I awoke the next morning to discover no trace of what I feared, and from that day I continued to sing the praises of my excellent Dr. Vaillant wherever I went.  By the beginning of December I had so far recovered as to be able to resume the composition of Siegfried.  Thus I again entered upon my orderly method of life, with all its insignificance as far as outward things were concerned:  work, long walks, the perusal of books, evenings spent with some friend or other of the domestic circle.  The only thing that worried me was the regret I still felt for my quarrel with Ritter, in consequence of the unhappy contre-temps with Liszt.  I now lost touch entirely with this young friend, who in so many ways had endeared himself to me.  Before the close of the winter he left Zurich without seeing me again.