Thursday, 12 August 1875

How stupid it is to be superstitious. One must believe only in God!
And if the cards had told me good things, I should have said one must believe in the cards.
These Egyptian tarots predict a pile of dark things for us. For my mothers: prison; for all of us, [Crossed out: in general,] the death of someone close — I laid out the cards for each of us in turn and for each there appeared this death of a close one, and repeatedly.
For me there are horrors. I shall be abducted after marriage.
And a curious thing — when I laid out the cards for Audiffret, they said he would abduct a married woman. These are nonsense; no one will abduct me because I shall not allow it.
Seriously, I am going to take precautions. Our fortune is threatened. The tarots say so and I tremble. It may be ridiculous, but it is true.
They also predict a revolution in Russia — this card comes out repeatedly and insistently, announcing the fall of tyranny. What a misfortune!
It seems to me that everything is going to change, fall, end!
The end of the world for me. Above all, our lawsuit, our fortune! My God, have pity on my terror!
It would be curious to see what these fortune-tellings predict actually come true.
It would be dreadful — unless it were softened or applied merely to trifles.
I should like to be with my own people as quickly as possible to speak to them of my fears. I am sad all alone.
With God's help I am going to take as many precautions as possible against the catastrophe threatening us — several catastrophes, in fact, for if it is not the lawsuit it is a riot in Russia, where the principal wealth lies in the land — and what does the land produce in times of unrest? And then, if the rabble gains the upper hand, it will confiscate all our property.
God, Who has always been good to me, warns me through the cards of these various dangers. It is for me to guard myself — I have been forewarned.
We leave at half past seven. For two days I have been regretting having engaged this lady's maid — she displeases me, and at the station, to such a degree that I dismiss her, giving her thirty francs and her ticket valid for one month. She was a detestable creature.