DEAREST FRIEND,

A thousand thanks for your letter! We are going on nicely
together. If the world belonged to us, I believe we should do
something to give pleasure to the people living therein. I hope
we two at least shall agree with each other; let those who will
not go with us remain behind,--and thus be our alliance sealed!

What shall I do with the beautiful letter I received together
with your own? Have I really so pleased your esteemed friend with
my feeble work that she thought it worth while to give me such
great and unexpected joy in return? She indeed has fully effected
her purpose, but I can scarcely credit that my work alone should
have produced a similar impression upon the spirituelle Princess;
and I am probably right in surmising that here also my friend
Liszt has wooed for me with his wondrous fire. However that may
be, I feel too silly today to thank your esteemed friend
otherwise than through your medium, through your mouth, and
therefore I pray you with all my power to express my gratitude to
her as fervently, as joyfully, as you are able. Will you grant me
this favour?

Before I knew anything about your intention, several years ago,
when I was writing the overture, I wondered whether I should ever
hear it played by you. I should never have mentioned it to you,
for in such matters one must not be too forward, but now that I
hear you are employed in making this piece your own, after your
own fashion, I must tell you that I feel as if a wonderful dream
were realized. Is it possible? Why not? All is possible to you.