There the fragment breaks off; and in a letter of August 29 there
occurs this reply to a message from his eldest sister:--

'Thank dear Joan for her caution: I know I need it sadly, especially
now when I am at work upon somewhat out-of-the-way subjects, and feel
the danger of forgetting that if I mistake the means for the end, and
feel gratified with the mere intellectual amusement, I am doing very
wrong, even when I am working very hard at very difficult matters. I
like these things, I must confess, and the time is so well adapted to
work here, and now that the weather is cool I can secure every day a
good long time to myself.' In the enclosed letter he announces that
he shall leave Dresden in another three weeks. He says:--

'We have had a steady working time of it here; and as I know some
members of the family rather discourage these Continental flights, I
just sum up the advantages thereof. Being naturally endowed with a
love of music, the probability is, that when you, Clara, and Miss
Horsley are together in the house, as soon as a Lied or Sonata began,
away would go my books, or at all events my thoughts. You know well
that the piano goes at all hours, and always in the morning at home.
Then riding,, walking with Father, long sitting after dinner, &c. do
not improve the chances for reading. In fact, you know that what
with visitors from without, friends within, parties, &c., I should
have had very little reading in the vacation, and that not through my
own fault--not a Stilbehen in the house could protect me from music.
Here I make my own time, and last week my eyes were troublesome. I
walked twice every day, exactly at the hour when I most wanted it;
and without nonsense, I may say that I have in two months done really
a great deal more than I could have done at home even with masters.