Effi Briest Page #9

lf my wife talks about being faithful...

or, as women do...

sits in judgement over others...

l shan't know where to look.

Or suppose l urge...

reconciliation in some

everyday affair of honour...

because no ill intent is involved.

A smile will cross your face...

or it will twitch, at least...

and in your heart you'll say,

''Good old lnnstetten...

''has a passion for analysing

the chemical content of all insults...

''but he never finds the precise amount

of poison they contain.

''He can swallow anything.''

Am l right, or not?

lt's a terrible thought, but you're right.

l'll stop asking, ''Does it have to be?''

The world is as it is.

Things don't work out as we want them to,

but as others want.

All that talk about divine punishment...

is nonsense, of course.

On the contrary...

our cult of honour is idolatry...

but we have to submit to it,

as long as the idol stands.

Crampas wishes

to speak with you, lnnstetten.

Grant him his wish.

He has only a few minutes to live.

Will you....

GUlLT DEMANDS EXPlATlON,

THERE lS A LOGlC TO THAT.

BUT THE lDEA OF A TlME LlMlTATlON

lS A TERRlBLE HALF-MEASURE.

-How is Annie?

-She's well, sir.

-She's not asleep if you--

-No, that'll only excite her.

-Who was here?

-Only the doctor.

''Arrived back this morning.

''Many experiences,

both painfuI and touching...

''above aII GieshuebIer,

the nicest hunchback I've ever met.

''He didn't speak much of you.

But your wife, your wife!

''He was inconsoIabIe.

''FinaIIy, he burst into tears.

The things that happen!

''There shouId be

more peopIe Iike GieshuebIer.

''Then the scene in the major's house!

DreadfuI!

''Enough said. One is on one's guard again.

''I'II see you tomorrow. Yours, W.''

Another thing, Johanna...

my wife will not be coming back.

You will find out why from others.

Annie should not be told.

Not yet, at least, poor child!

Break it to her gradually

that she has no mother.

l can't do it. Do it properly...

and make sure Roswitha

doesn't ruin everything!

Back in the kitchen...

she feIt a sense of pride

and superiority, aImost happiness.

Not onIy had her master confided in her...

he had toId her to make sure

Roswitha didn't ruin everything.

That was the main thing.

AIthough she had a good heart...

and feIt sympathy for her mistress...

what most moved her

was the sense of triumph...

at enjoying a certain

intimacy with her master.

WE ARE lNFORMED

THAT YESTERDAY MORNlNG

lN KESSlN, EASTERN POMERANlA,

A DUEL TOOK PLACE BETWEEN

COUNClLLOR VON l.

AND MAJOR VON CRAMPAS.

THE MAJOR WAS KlLLED.

A RELATlONSHlP HAD ALLEGEDL Y

EXlSTED BETWEEN HlM

AND THE PRlVY COUNClLLOR'S

BEAUTlFUL YOUNG WlFE.

The things these papers write!

Yes...

and people read it...

and say nasty things about my mistress.

And the poor major's dead, too.

-Should the master be dead instead?

-No, Johanna.

Our master should live.

Everyone should live.

But don't forget...

it all happened so long ago.

The letters are yellow with age.

-How can anyone dig up--

-That's how you see it, Roswitha.

''As for your future, my dear Effi,

you are on your own now.

''You may count on

some materiaI support from us.

''Live in BerIin,

where you'II be one of the many...

''who have deprived themseIves

of air and sunIight.

''It wiII be a IoneIy Iife if you don't

want to descend beIow your cIass.

''Your former worId wiII be cIosed to you.

''The saddest thing for aII of us...

''is that you wiII aIso be excIuded

from your parentaI home.

''We cannot offer you a refuge

in Hohen-Cremmen...

''for that wouId mean...

''cutting ourseIves off from the worId...

''which we are not prepared to do.

''Not because we couIdn't bear to bid

fareweII to what one caIIs 'society.'

''No, that's not the reason.

''But we have to make our position cIear...

''and show the worId

that we condemn your actions...

''the actions of our one and onIy daughter

whom we Iove so dearIy.''

After receiving her parent's

Ietter of refusaI...

and taking the train back to BerIin...

Effi did not at first

move into an apartment of her own.

She sought Iodgings in a boarding house

with reasonabIe success.

Do you remember how Gieshuebler came

and had to join us at table...

and said he'd never eaten

anything so delicious?

He was always so well-mannered.

ln fact, he was the only person

who knew anything about food.

The others said everything was nice.

Have you thought it over?

You've had it good all these years.

There was always enough.

We never had to think about saving.

But now l have to economize.

l am poor.

All l have is what l receive

from Hohen-Cremmen.

My parents are very good to me...

as far as their means allow...

but they're not wealthy.

What do you say?

May l move in next Saturday

with my suitcase?

Not in the evening.

ln the morning, so as to be here

when you arrange the household.

l'm more robust than you are, ma'am.

Don't say that, Roswitha. l can do it.

One can do anything if one has to.

And you needn't worry about me.

As if l could ever think:

''That's not good enough for Roswitha.''

For Roswitha, everything is good...

that she can share with you...

and most of all the sad things.

EVERYTHlNG WENT WELL

UNTlL CHRlSTMAS,

BUT CHRlSTMAS EVE

WAS A SAD OCCASlON,

AND AS NEW YEAR'S GREW NEAR,

EFFl BEGAN TO FEEL VERY MELANCHOLlC.

One day, coming from her

painting Iessons near the zoo...

she got on a horse-drawn tram

passing aIong Kurfuerstenstrasse.

It was very hot...

and the curtains, fIapping to and fro

and biIIowing in the breeze...

refreshed her.

She Ieaned back in the corner...

and Iooked at the sofas enameIIed

on a pane of gIass...

bIue, with bobs and tasseIs.

The tram was moving sIowIy...

when three schooIgirIs with satcheIs

and IittIe pointed hats jumped on.

Two of them were fair-haired and IiveIy.

The third was dark and serious.

It was Annie.

Effi started. The thought of

a meeting with her chiId...

which she had Iong desired...

now fiIIed her with mortaI fear.

What shouId she do?

She opened the door to the front pIatform,

where onIy the driver stood...

and asked him to Iet her get off at the front.

''Not aIIowed, miss, '' the driver said...

but she gave him a coin

and such a pIeading Iook...

that the good-hearted man

reIented and muttered.:

''ShouIdn't reaIIy,

but aII right, just this once.''

And he removed the grating,

and Effi jumped down.

She's half one and half the other.

ln her prettiness, her specialness...

she takes after her mother...

but she has her seriousness...

from her father.

All things considered,

she's probably more like the master.

Thank goodness!

Well, ma'am, that's the question.

Many would be more

in favour of the mother.

You think so, Roswitha?

l don't.

You can't pull the wool over my eyes...

and l think my mistress knows

the truth of the matter...

and what men really want.

Let's not talk about that, Roswitha!

Effi was oppressed by the notion...

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