You’re all asking me how I’m doing and where have I gone. In the night our belated train brought me to Petrograd. Well, it’s nice, although quite wet and dirty. The first face that I saw was Eleanor.
She told me - I do not know how certain this is - that the headquarters found my release strange: how is it possible to be released from military service on the basis of being a composer? - and they wanted kick me out, but apparently Kerensky himself (so said Eleanor) went to the headquarters and said that they should leave this thing alone forever, as long as he is Head of the War Ministry and the government. These days I usually had breakfast at the “Bear”.
Words are pointless, now is not the time for words. The situation has worsened to the ultimate. Germans will capture Riga any day now. Bolsheviks took the lead in the Soviet of Workers’ and Soldiers’ deputies. They are planning something big.
Elections. Everyone is calm. Many people won’t vote - and they will regret it later.
Reading papers takes a lot of time and terrifies me.
It was ideal weather. During the day the temperature went down to 21 degrees in the shade. At 11 o'clock we had church services in the hall.went out into the garden to work. I chopped down a dry pine tree. After tea, as on all these days, I read to my daughters on the balcony under the burning rays of the sun. The evening was warm and moonlit.