Mon. May 1. [1 May 1893] Left Bale [Basel (Basle)] at 8. Rather an
amusing German in our carriage with an elaborate white satin tie with
blue flowers on it. He is a lawyer in Berlin he says and was wounded
in the war, he is lame in consequence. He is a type of the official
Prussian. "The word amusement is not in my dictionary" he says. He
doesn't read because he can find nothing new - he used to read a
great deal. He is never hungry and has none of the simple pleasures
of appetite. What an existence! He says I am like one of his nieces, I
wonder if he looks at her as much as he does at me. Rather a dear
he turned out - he keeps singing birds, his house is full of them so he
has an amusement after all! At 8 reached Weimar, Maurice came to
meet us. After dinner we walked about the funny sleepy streets and I
decided to stay on here for a little, Maurice seemed so dull and so
bored. This decision I regretted very much next morning but resolved
to keep to it!