30 To Franz von Schober
I will write German to you, dear Schober, in order to tell you all the quicker how much your letter pleased me. I have to thank it for a really happy hour; and that comes so rarely in my intolerable, monotonous life! For a fortnight past I have again put my neck into the English yoke. Every day which God gives—a concert, with a journey, previously, of thirty to fifty miles. And so it must continue at least till the end of January. What do you say to that?—
If I am not more than half-dead, I must still go at the end of February to Berlin and Petersburg,—and come back to London by the first steamer at the beginning of May. Then I think I shall take a rest. Where and how I do not yet know, and it depends entirely upon the Pecuniary results of my journeys. I should like to go to Switzerland, and thence to Venice, but I can’t yet say anything definite.
.—. I have today written a long letter to Leo Festetics. I am hungering and thirsting to go back to Hungary. Every recollection of it has taken deep root in my soul…And yet I cannot go back!
I am grieved that you can tell me nothing better of Lannoy. I cannot understand how that is possible. The news of the Queen has given me great pleasure—if you hear anything more about her let me know. I have a kind of weakness for her.
About the Cantata I will write to you fully later.
Farewell, and be happy if possible, dear Schober; write again soon, and remain ever my friend.
F. L.
Excuse the spelling and writing of these lines! You know that I never write German; Tobias [Tobias Haslinger, the Vienna music publisher.] is, I think, the only one who gets German letters from me.
Manchester, December 5th, 1840