Short Stories From Austria- Ferdinand Von Saar

by Ferdinand Ludwig Adam

  So I would have thought less and less in my isolation from all these events and contexts, if now and then the newspapers would not have reminded me of them. I came across notes about Elsa Röber, literary ones, as well as those which merely contained personal information. She was also mentioned in a description of the splendid festival that took place during the carnival in the studios of a famous painter, among the ladies, who were particularly distinguished by their dazzling appearance and splendid costume.

  Then, in the spring of Frauenlob, I received quite unexpectedly a book sent. He was, as it turned out, once again “creatively” active and had, under a very tempting title, published a volume of tales which in fact proved that he was much less talented than tasting and mature. One of these stories, the longest of all, could even be described as successful, and I was glad to be able to tell him in warm words. After some deliberation, after some deliberation, I refused to inquire of him about Elsa, whether he wanted to inform me or not. I immediately received from him a longer letter, which, in addition to his thanks for my approval, contained the following:

  “And you do not ask for Elsa Röber? That's proof to me that you do not care about this woman anymore. Still, it may interest you to know that I broke off my relationship with her. And completely and forever. Because, as a result of her literary debut, she came into contact with circles that I do not like at all. Moreover, strangely enough, the remark which you, as you will remember, once did about Rober, has come true insofar as it has really succeeded, which has been brought to bear on that memorable evening To bring the matter into flux. He is now, it is said, providing important exports to all the Balkan countries, and you understand that he is already playing out for the little Croesus. The narrow city apartment has been abandoned, a sprawling in a noble new building related. Small dinners take place there, as well as larger evening parties, in which in addition to some questionable business existences also certain parasites participate, who trumpet the fame of the housewife in the world. Incidentally, all this would still go on, if she too had not begun to play herself (how ridiculous!) On the great and noble lady - and even me, whom she had to thank in the worst and worst of times her success (who was also a pecuniary!) with condescension and contempt. But since I am by no means the man to tolerate such things, after having given them an antichambria for over an hour I have told her my opinion and left her to her fate. This will not be very friendly; because the saying goes on for people like Röber: how won, so destroyed. Incidentally, everything else can be all the more indifferent to me, as I myself think of breaking new ground. Listen and be astonished: I too am leaving Vienna. But not to withdraw me, like you, into contemplative solitude. I want to get out of our stagnant, out of decaying states so much in the full and aspiring fall - in short: I want to try to gain ground in the capital of the German Reich. Not an easy task for an Austrian, you will say. Certainly. But I do not shy away from difficulties. In Berlin a very significant expression was invented: the epithet “dashing". Well, some “slickness” you will have to grant me, as you know me - and then I want to dare. In any case, this summer I will set about taking a closer look at the literary situation there In Berlin a very significant expression was invented: the epithet “dashing". Well, some “slickness” you will have to grant me, as you know me - and then I want to dare. In any case, this summer I will set about taking a closer look at the literary situation there In Berlin a very significant expression was invented: the epithet “dashing". Well, some “slickness” you will have to grant me, as you know me - and then I want to dare. In any case, this summer I will set about taking a closer look at the literary situation there studying - and even killing me. If I can not succeed in finding fixed points of contact, then of course nothing else is necessary for me than to return to the old Viennese treadmill. In any case, you will receive news of yours from the German metropolis.”

  So now stood the things whose development I soon lost sight of. For ever more seldom was Elsa Rober mentioned in the pages which came to my mind; It was obvious that they had returned to the agenda by way of her, who had not followed up on her first work. Only one more time, after quite some time, a note struck me: Mrs. Elsa Röber contributed to the establishment of a children's asylum a very considerable sum. I started. Perhaps she wanted to use this donation to appease conscience and make good on strange children, what they once did wrong to their own? It almost seemed to me that way. It could also be mere social vanity, what drove her to shine as a public benefactress. One thing was proved:

  As for Frauenlob, he wrote to me from Berlin with the utmost confidence and broad expectations, and later also sent a few articles under Kreuzband, which had appeared in local newspapers; however, further results did not take place.

  VII.

  A year later, the situation brought me back to Vienna for a short time. It was early summer, and the bright city shimmered in full bloom of its public facilities. Nevertheless, many of my acquaintances had already gone to the country. One of them provided me with a room in his abandoned apartment, which I actually only used to sleep. I received no one, pursued my business quite unnoticed, and beside myself gave myself in the quiet pleasures which Vienna and its immediate surroundings offer in this beautiful season.

  So I had decided on a bright Sunday morning for a trip to Schönbrunn. I wanted to have breakfast out there, for instance at the hunting-lodge, and then once again roam the magnificent park in all directions. Later I would settle on a bench, the sunny, lawn-lined flowerbeds of the parterre, the white marble groups in the niches of the foliage walls, the friendly castle with his green blinds in mind - and I dream back in time long gone, in old expensive memories......

  That's what I did - and it was noon about that. I thought I would eat at Dommayer, but in the afternoon I would talk to relatives who lived in Penzig and whom I had not visited for a number of years.

  As I approached the exit of the still fairly deserted park, leading to Hietzing, two tall, distinguished-looking female figures approached me in the broad double avenue. One of them seemed very familiar to me; involuntarily I looked at her searchingly - and saw, now very close, that I had Elsa Röber in front of me.

  She too, as I could tell, had become aware of me, and the unfeigned joy of reunion now painted in her features.

  “Ah, you are in Vienna!” She cried, stopping and extending her hand to me, which I took with some embarrassment. “Since when are you here? - But I have to make you known, “she said, glancing at her companion which looked at me proudly and reservedly. “My friend Mrs. von Ramberg - sir.”

  In the meantime I had found out that this lady, who wore a sort of man's hat and a light half-veil, was not entirely unfamiliar with me; for it was one of those apparitions with which the extensive social relations that I maintained in former times brought me here and there. She was the wife of a consular officer and had traveled around the world quite a bit; but since she had separated from her, she had chosen Vienna as her permanent abode, where she sought to develop active charitable efficacy. She dealt a lot with the woman question, was a member of several female clubs; indeed, she had even gone through a nurse's course at the clinic of a famous surgeon, the fruit of which was a small booklet on this subject. She was very important for her intellect, but she was also haughty and infuriated; The men treated her with cool condescension and preferred to join women.

  She returned my bow with a measured nod.

  “And are you staying here now?” Elsa asked.

  “Not at all. I came only for a very short time - as incognito -”

  “This is a pity. Incidentally, I understand that one prefers to live in the countryside. The peace is so beneficial. We too want to live permanently in Hietzing, where we bought a villa. Did you know about it?”

  “No.”

  “Because you do not even care about old friends! But come with us for a while. I've been ordered to do some exercise and that's where I walk the avenues here.”

  I could not help but j
oin and found myself gradually into the unexpected situation. I hardly thought of the woman who was walking next to me now! She had remained slim and looked a little aged on closer inspection; above all, her complexion and the enamel of her teeth had suffered greatly. But her features had become finer, more spiritualized, and a melancholy, painful look round her eyes and mouth embellished her peculiarly. A morning dress of red patterned foulard and a large white lace hat completed their impeccable appearance. Yes, she had truly become a “lady” in posture and expression, in word and gesture. The Viennese dialect, which had never really been much attached to her and which she had pretty much shed in his dealings with Röber, who spoke very pure German, had now disappeared from her speech, except for a few light and cozy echoes. What does not do the money! So I thought silently as I inhaled the precious perfume that emanated from her in a fine breath.

  “Do you know,” she began after a few silent steps, “that I already wanted to write to you?”

  “Me? Certainly in a literary matter?”

  “Oh by no means!” She replied quickly with a slight blush, “you remember - I told you that I do not really feel like a writer in my job.”

  “You have to believe her, since she claims it,” said Frau von Ramberg, half turned to me, with her slightly thin and bony voice. “She started writing a new novel anyway.”

  “Oh well; I'm often alone again - and I have to spend time with something. But it is only for me; You know, it does not make those who are closest to me happy.”

  “I would not turn back to that,” the other said sharply.

  “Oh, leave that, dear Euphemia,” Elsa replied with a pleading look. And then to me: “But tell me, where did you go? What are your plans for today?”

  “I wanted to Dommayer -”

  “To Dommayer? Why do not you eat with us?”

  “How can I - -”

  “Oh I understand. You still remember that unfortunate evening. But you'll find everything different today - and a few friends of ours too - a very small company -”

  “I do not know.”

  “Architect K.... and musician H... will not be alien to you?” Said the Ramberg pointedly, looking up into the air.

  “And the young painter R... certainly not,” Elsa urgently added. “He is now completely following in the footsteps of Lenbach and Fritz Kaulbach. - And as far as the landlady is concerned, he had intentionally behaved so harshly at the time - and immediately regretted it - for her sake. Only the doctor was extremely hateful to him-and I must admit now, not unjustly.”

  “Well -”

  “I know what you want to say. He did a great deal with the novel - I've done it, I like to do it, in a bad time a great service. And I would have been grateful to him - but he wanted to pay off immediately.”

  She raised her head and looked away, dismissive.

  “Who is talking about?” Asked Mrs. von Ramberg.

  “Oh, of” Elsa called the name.

  “But that is a most intelligent man,” said the other very determined. “I hear he lives in Berlin now?”

  “I think so,” I said lightly, not knowing what to say.

  “So, are not you coming?” Elsa turned back to me. “At three oclock. Hetzendorferstraße. “She added the number.

  But I had no desire to dine there, and made my intended visit to Penzig.

  “Oh, you can turn that off now!”

  “Well, but -”

  “No buts! Please come! I have a lot to tell you -”

  “I can appear after dinner.”

  “They might not meet us; because we're probably leaving for dinner.”

  “Well, if this gentleman makes so many circumstances” said Mrs. von Ramberg and pulled her shoulders up.

  “No no! I have it now and do not let it go again. Who knows if I'll ever see him again, since he does not stay here - and I'll leave already in the next few days. - To the sea - or to the mountains, “she added in a lower voice, turned to me. “I am very suffering - my nerves are shattered -”

  I looked at her. In fact, the painful expression on her face was sharper now, and her eyes were dull.

  “Well then,” said I, involuntarily yielding, “I will appear.”

  “Nice!” She called. “And now make your visit!”

  I said goodbye to the women and went over the swaying Kettensteg to Penzig. There, as is usually the case in similar cases, I did not meet any of the family I wanted to see again at home. They had united for the whole day another trip.

  VIII.

  So I went to Dommayer and stayed there until three o'clock. At last I entered Hetzendorfer Strasse and thought, at the sight of the new shimmering mansions, of the inconspicuous series of simple, small country houses which had formerly stood here.

  Arrived on the spot, I was led by a livre-servant into a large, ground-floor parlor, where the master of the house, with six male guests, was already present. I saw that Röber blushed slightly at the time of my appearance, and he could not quite master his embarrassment as he approached me with exquisite courtesy.

  “Elsa told me that today we would have the pleasure to receive you; I am very happy. The ladies will probably appear the same; may I acquaint you with these gentlemen for the time being?”

  The architect, a sleazy, jovial bon vivant and, as a result of the fine sense of art that he proved to be a producer of tasteful interiors, sought after and loved in the most distinguished circles, had already approached me and shook my hand while the musician H... graying apostle Richard Wagner, content with an apathetic nod. The painter, slim and blond, who was only known to me by name, bowed with obliging shyness like a young girl.

  I was completely unknown: Mr. Malinsky, business friend of Röber; a gaunt figure with an almost bald, shaven head, but an endless cheekbone sticking out to the right and left. His face was limp and furrowed, his gaze dull and penetrating like that of a croupier. Then a slender youth with a careless, bent-over posture, thin hawk's nose, a round piece of glass clamped in his right eye. He was introduced to me as Baron Conimor and tried to smile sympathetically when my name was given to him. At the same time he was assured of the confidence that the aura of colossal wealth that shone in his eyes would by no means fail to do the right thing. In the end, as if from a hiding place, a short, fat man with saber-legs, monstrous forehead, and bulging lips appeared above the vanishingly short chin: the director of the new children's asylum. He bowed awkwardly and looked like a corpse bit in his brand-new but very badly fitting black suit between the attendees dressed in tasteful summer dress. The most distinguished impression was made by Röber. He was again the tight, impeccable appearance of yore. His part had, of course, remained cleared; but this deficiency made his forehead appear freer and more beautiful, as his features, as it now appeared, had gained in importance over the years. “What does not make the money!” I thought again quietly with me.

  Now the door opened and the two ladies entered. All eyes met their eyes and, with the exception of the gray and cold Romans, shone in admiration for the housewife.

  Elsa now looked really surprisingly beautiful, and once again came to the insight of what role the dressing art plays in the life of a decaying woman. A short, lace-edged robe of yellowish color, cut out in the shape of a heart and decorated with pale roses in the left armpit, showed its growth in harmonious slenderness; the simple and straight hairstyle, which had just come into fashion, with the little English knot on the back of her neck, made her look all the more youthful, when at that moment the morbid expression had completely disappeared. Only now did I notice that the hair had a strong shimmer in the red, which was apparently artificially made, as everywhere the veiling, touch-up and beautifying hand could perceive and pursue. Yet there was a delicious aromatic freshness all over the figure, of which there was no doubt whatsoever, as in the authenticity of the brilliant boutons, which sparkled on the rosy ears of the beautiful woman, like dewdrops of dew.

  Frau von Ramberg appeared as a direct contrast, though she ha
d refreshed herself in the housewife's quarters with some rice powder, and had carefully dimmed the sparse growth of brow over her water-blue eyes. Her face now turned out to be not unbelievable without a veil: small, pinched features to which a meaningful expression had been forced. She wore her pale blond hair cut off round about and swaddled up to an artistic ripple, which, together with her proud head posture and a black-edged pince-nez, which she had now, thank God, placed on her dumb nose, gave her the appearance of a young man; even the gaunt, angular, and up to the chin surrounded by an overly simple dress agreed. So the whole appearance had something ambiguous,

  Elsa, a splendid bouquet of roses and hyacinths in her right hand, quickly offered me, with a look of satisfaction, the left to fugitive pressure. “Glad you kept your word!” Then she greeted the rest of the gentlemen with a graceful movement of his head and approached the director. He said among countless Bücklingen that he had used his Sunday to bring the generous patroness before the bathing yet customer of their dear protégés. The husband had been so gracious and had asked him to stay at the diner.

  “Very welcome,” Elsa replied, her face taking on an intimate, almost devout expression. “Hopefully, the little ones will thrive and be satisfied. We want to continue talking at the table. “Then she turned, as it seemed to me, to Conimor with some kindness. “And to you, Baron Sigi, I must thank you very much for the wonderful bouquet - as well as for the other flowers that you have sent me lately. It's very nice of you - but what will your dad say if you plunder the hothouses so much? Is not it, Leo? “She looked at Röber; But he only shrugged his shoulders.