In the afternoon there was another rehearsal (the fourth) with the orchestra, with such a frightful draught to the back of my head that I resorted to wrapping a scarf round my neck and wearing a hat, thus working up a tremendous sweat while I was conducting. I got right through the whole opera, and the final pages sounded so marvellous (which I had not expected) that I realised the orchestra must have strained every last nerve for the final bars. The orchestra gave me an ovation which I acknowledged, removing my hat to do so.