Read Online Night Games: And Other Stories and Novellas by Arthur Schnitzler - Free Book Online
Authors: Arthur Schnitzler
Ads: Link
conversationally.
"It's a pity that the price for such a ride seems to be staying up all
night, whether at a gaming table or at something even more stupid."
"Well, in my case," observed the lieutenant quickly, "it frequently
happens that I'm up and about outdoors at this early hour of the morning,
even without staying up all night. Day before yesterday, for example, I
was already standing in the courtyard of the barracks with my companions at half past three in the morning. We were drilling in the Prater. But
of course I wasn't riding in a carriage then."
The consul laughed heartily, which raised Willi's hopes, even
though the laughter sounded somewhat forced.
"Yes, I've occasionally experienced something like that myself,"
said the consul, "of course not as an officer, not even as an enlisted
man-I never got even that far. Just think, Lieutenant, I did my three
years' service in my time and never made it beyond the rank of corporal.
I'm such an uneducated person-or at least I was. Well, I've caught up a
little during the passage of time. Travel brings opportunities to do that."
"You've seen much of the world," remarked Willi ingratiatingly.
"Indeed I have!" replied the consul. "I've been almost everywhere-except in the country that I represent as consul, Ecuador. But
I've decided to give up my title of consul in the near future and to travel
there." He laughed, and Willi joined in, though a little wearily.
They were driving through a flat and wretched area, among uniformly grey and drab dilapidated houses. In a little front yard an old man
in shirtsleeves was watering the bushes while a young woman in a rather
shabby dress was just coming out into the street with a full canister of
milk from the door of a shop that had opened early. Willi felt a certain
envy of these two, of the old man who was watering his garden and the
woman who was bringing milk home for her husband and her children.
He knew that these two were happier than he was. The carriage passed a
high, bleak building in front of which a soldier walked back and forth.
He saluted the lieutenant, who reciprocated more politely than he usually
did men of lower rank. The way the consul looked at this building, at
once contemptuous and full of memories, made Willi think. Yet how
could it help him at this moment that the consul's past in all likelihood
was not exactly free from stain? Gambling debts were gambling debts,
and even a convicted criminal had the right to insist on payment. Time
was passing and the horses trotted faster and faster; in an hour, in half an
hour they would be in Vienna-and what then?
"And creatures such as this Lieutenant Greising," said the consul,
as though to end an inner conversation, "are allowed to run around free."
So I was right, thought Willi. This man has been in prison. But at
this moment that did not matter-the consul's remark constituted an incontrovertible insult of an absent comrade. Could he just let it pass as
though he had barely overheard it, or as though he tacitly agreed?
"I must beg you, Consul, to leave my comrade Greising out of this
discussion!"
To this the consul only answered with a deprecatory gesture. "It's
really remarkable," he said, "how these gentlemen who stand so strictly
on their professional honor tolerate a person in their midst who, with
complete consciousness of what he does, endangers the health of another,
a silly, inexperienced girl, for example, and makes such a creature ill,
possibly kills her-"
"We have no knowledge of anything like that," answered Willi,
somewhat hoarse by now. "At least I don't know about anything like
that."
"But Lieutenant, I have absolutely no interest in reproaching you.
You personally are not responsible for these things, and it's absolutely
not in your power to change them."
Willi sought vainly for a reply. He reflected whether he was duty
bound to bring the consul's remarks to his comrade's attention-perhaps
he should
"It's a pity that the price for such a ride seems to be staying up all
night, whether at a gaming table or at something even more stupid."
"Well, in my case," observed the lieutenant quickly, "it frequently
happens that I'm up and about outdoors at this early hour of the morning,
even without staying up all night. Day before yesterday, for example, I
was already standing in the courtyard of the barracks with my companions at half past three in the morning. We were drilling in the Prater. But
of course I wasn't riding in a carriage then."
The consul laughed heartily, which raised Willi's hopes, even
though the laughter sounded somewhat forced.
"Yes, I've occasionally experienced something like that myself,"
said the consul, "of course not as an officer, not even as an enlisted
man-I never got even that far. Just think, Lieutenant, I did my three
years' service in my time and never made it beyond the rank of corporal.
I'm such an uneducated person-or at least I was. Well, I've caught up a
little during the passage of time. Travel brings opportunities to do that."
"You've seen much of the world," remarked Willi ingratiatingly.
"Indeed I have!" replied the consul. "I've been almost everywhere-except in the country that I represent as consul, Ecuador. But
I've decided to give up my title of consul in the near future and to travel
there." He laughed, and Willi joined in, though a little wearily.
They were driving through a flat and wretched area, among uniformly grey and drab dilapidated houses. In a little front yard an old man
in shirtsleeves was watering the bushes while a young woman in a rather
shabby dress was just coming out into the street with a full canister of
milk from the door of a shop that had opened early. Willi felt a certain
envy of these two, of the old man who was watering his garden and the
woman who was bringing milk home for her husband and her children.
He knew that these two were happier than he was. The carriage passed a
high, bleak building in front of which a soldier walked back and forth.
He saluted the lieutenant, who reciprocated more politely than he usually
did men of lower rank. The way the consul looked at this building, at
once contemptuous and full of memories, made Willi think. Yet how
could it help him at this moment that the consul's past in all likelihood
was not exactly free from stain? Gambling debts were gambling debts,
and even a convicted criminal had the right to insist on payment. Time
was passing and the horses trotted faster and faster; in an hour, in half an
hour they would be in Vienna-and what then?
"And creatures such as this Lieutenant Greising," said the consul,
as though to end an inner conversation, "are allowed to run around free."
So I was right, thought Willi. This man has been in prison. But at
this moment that did not matter-the consul's remark constituted an incontrovertible insult of an absent comrade. Could he just let it pass as
though he had barely overheard it, or as though he tacitly agreed?
"I must beg you, Consul, to leave my comrade Greising out of this
discussion!"
To this the consul only answered with a deprecatory gesture. "It's
really remarkable," he said, "how these gentlemen who stand so strictly
on their professional honor tolerate a person in their midst who, with
complete consciousness of what he does, endangers the health of another,
a silly, inexperienced girl, for example, and makes such a creature ill,
possibly kills her-"
"We have no knowledge of anything like that," answered Willi,
somewhat hoarse by now. "At least I don't know about anything like
that."
"But Lieutenant, I have absolutely no interest in reproaching you.
You personally are not responsible for these things, and it's absolutely
not in your power to change them."
Willi sought vainly for a reply. He reflected whether he was duty
bound to bring the consul's remarks to his comrade's attention-perhaps
he should
Similar Books
