Hereupon Minna herself appealed to me, and wrote me a positively
heartrending letter, in which she openly confessed her
infidelity. She declared that she had been driven to it by
despair, but that the great trouble she had thus brought upon
herself having taught her a lesson, all she now wished was to
return to the right path. Taking everything into account, I
concluded that she had been deceived in the character of her
seducer, and the knowledge of her terrible position had placed
her both morally and physically in a most lamentable condition,
in which, now ill and wretched, she turned to me again to
acknowledge her guilt, crave my forgiveness, and assure me, in
spite of all, that she had now become fully aware of her love for
me. Never before had I heard such sentiments from Minna, nor was
I ever to hear the same from her again, save on one touching
occasion many years later, when similar outpourings moved and
affected me in the same way as this particular letter had done.
In reply I told her that there should never again be any mention
between us of what had occurred, for which I took upon myself the
chief blame; and I can pride myself on having carried out this
resolution to the letter.

When her sister's engagement was satisfactorily settled, I at
once invited Minna to come to Riga with her. Both gladly accepted
my invitation, and arrived from Dresden at my new home on 19th
October, wintry weather having already set in. With much regret I
perceived that Minna's health had really suffered, and therefore
did all in my power to provide her with all the domestic comforts
and quiet she needed. This presented difficulties, for my modest
income as a conductor was all I had at my disposal, and we were
both firmly determined not to let Minna go on the stage again. On