my astonishment I now first became aware that I too had
unconsciously been a sufferer from the troubles he had brought
upon himself. When Holtei's successor in the management--Joseph
Hoffmann the singer--informed me that his predecessor had made it
a condition to his taking over the post that he should enter into
the same engagement that Holtei had made with the conductor Dorn
for the post which I had hitherto filled, and my reappointment
had therefore been made an impossibility, my wife met my
astonishment at this news by giving me the reason, of which for
some considerable time past she had been well aware, namely,
Holtei's special dislike of us both. When I was afterwards
informed by Minna of what had happened--she having purposely kept
it from me all this time, so as not to cause bad feeling between
me and my director--a ghastly light was thrown upon the whole
affair. I did indeed remember perfectly how, soon after Minna's
arrival in Riga, I had been particularly pressed by Holtei not to
prevent my wife's engagement at the theatre. I asked him to talk
things quietly over with her, so that he might see that Minna's
unwillingness rested on a mutual understanding, and not on any
jealousy on my part. I had intentionally given him the time when
I was engaged at the theatre on rehearsals for the necessary
discussions with my wife. At the end of these meetings I had, on
my return, often found Minna in a very excited condition, and at
length she declared emphatically that under no circumstances
would she accept the engagement offered by Holtei. I had also
noticed in Minna's demeanour towards me a strange anxiety to know
why I was not unwilling to allow Holtei to try to persuade her.
Now that the catastrophe had occurred, I learned that Holtei had
in fact used these interviews for making improper advances to my
wife, the nature of which I only realised with difficulty on