Chapter 1-E
Writing by anarchistbanjo on Saturday, 6 of September , 2008 at 2:24 pm
By Hanns Heinz Ewers 1911
Translated by Joe E. Bandel 2008
Copyright 2008 by Joe E. Bandel
Protected under United States Copyright Law as a derivative work of a foreign Author originally published prior to 1923
Frieda turns away from the window, “Are you finished? Yes? Well, I can only say that you didn’t need to write the letter. Olga’s Mama is coming and she’s in the garden now!”
She had seen the Princess a long time ago but had kept quiet and not interrupted. If Olga wanted to get ten beautiful sins she should at least work for them!
All the Gontrams are like that, father, mother and children. They are very, very unwilling to work but are very willing to let others do it.
The Princess enters, obese and sweaty, large diamonds on her fingers, in her ears, around her neck and in her hair in a vulgar display of extravagance.
She is a Hungarian Countess or Baroness. She met the Prince somewhere in the Orient. A marriage was arranged, that was certain, but also certain, was that right from the beginning it was a fraud on both sides.
She wanted the marriage to make her impossible pregnancy legal. The Prince wanted the same marriage to prevent an international scandal and hide his small mistake. It was a net of lies and impudent fraud, a legal feast for Mr. Sebastian Gontram, everything was in motion, and nothing was solid. Every smallest assertion would prompt legal opposition from the other side. Every shadow would be extinguished through a court ruling.
Only one thing stayed the same, the little Princess. Both the Prince and the Princess proclaimed themselves as father and mother and claimed her as their own. This product of their strange marriage is heir to many millions of dollars. The mother has the advantage, has custody.
“Have a seat, Ms. Princess!”
The Legal Councillor would sooner bite his tongue than call this woman, ‘Highness’. She is his client and he doesn’t treat her a hair better than a peasant woman.
“Take your coat off!” But he doesn’t help her with it. “We have just written you a letter,” he continues and he reads the beautiful letter to her.
“But of course,” cries the Princess. “I will take care of it first thing tomorrow morning!”
She opens her purse and pulls out a heavy envelope.
“Look at this, Honorable Legal Councillor, I came straight here with it. It is a letter from Lord, Count Ormes of Great-Becskerekgyartelep, you know him.”
Mr. Gontram furrows his brow. This isn’t good. The King himself has demanded that he is not permitted to do any business while at home. He stands up and takes the letter.
“That’s very good,” he says. “Very good. We will clear this up in the morning at the office.”
She defends herself, “But it’s very urgent! It’s very important!”
The Legal Councillor interrupts her, “Urgent? Important? Let me tell you about what is urgent and important, absolutely nothing. Only in the office can a person judge what is urgent and important.”
He reproaches her, “Ms. Princess, you are an educated woman! You know all about proper manners and enjoy them all the time. You must know that you don’t bring business home at night.”
She persists, “But I can never catch you at the office Honorable Legal Councillor. During this week alone I was—“
Now he is almost angry. “Then come next week! Do you think that all I do is work on your stuff alone? Do you really believe that is all I do? Do you know what my time alone for the murderer Houten costs? And it’s on my head to handle your millions as well.”
Then he begins to tell a funny story, incessantly relating an unending imaginary story of a strange crime Lord and the heroic Attorney that brings him to justice for all the horrible sex murders that he has committed.
The Princess sighs, but she listens to him. She laughs once in awhile, always in the wrong places. She is the only one of all his listeners that never knows when he lies and also the only one that doesn’t understand his jokes.
“Nice story for the children!” Attorney Manasse barks.
Both girls are listening eagerly, staring at the Legal Councillor with wide-open eyes and mouths. But he doesn’t allow himself to be interrupted. It is never too early to get accustomed to such things. He talks as if sex murderers were common, that they happen all the time in life and you can encounter dozens of them every day.
He finally finishes, looks at the hour. “Ten already! You children must go to bed! Drink your spiced wine quickly.”
The girls drink, but the Princess declares that she will under no circumstances go back to her house. She is too afraid and can’t sleep by herself, and perhaps there is a disguised sex murderer in the house. She wants to stay with her friend. She doesn’t ask her Mama. She asks only Frieda and her mother.
“You can as far as I’m concerned,” says Mrs. Gontram. “But don’t you oversleep! You need to be in church on time.”
The girls curtsey and go out, arm in arm, inseparable.
“Are you afraid too?” The Princess asks.
Frieda says, “What Papa was saying is all lies.”
But she is still afraid anyway and at the same time strangely longing for these things. Not to experience them, oh no, not to know that. But she is thinking how she wants to be able to tell stories like that! Yes, that is another sin for Confession! She sighs.
Above, they finish the spiced wine. Mrs. Gontram smokes one last cigar. Mr. Manasse stands up to leave the room and the Legal Councillor is telling the Princess a new story. She hides her yawn behind her fan, attempts again to get a word in.
“Oh, yes, Dear Legal Councillor,” she says quickly. “I almost forgot! May I pick your wife up at noon tomorrow in the carriage? I’d like to take her for a bit with me into Rolandseck?”
“Certainly,” he answers. “Certainly, if she wants to.”
But Mrs. Gontram says, “I can’t go out.”
“And why not?” The Princess asks. “It would do you some good to get out and breathe some fresh spring air.”
“Mrs. Gontram slowly takes the cigar out from between her teeth. “I can’t go out. I don’t have a decent hat to wear.”
The Princess laughs as if it is a good joke. She will also send the Milliner over in the morning with the newest spring fashions.
“Then I’ll go,” says Mrs. Gontram. “But send Becker from Quirinusjass, they have the best.”
“And now I must go to sleep—good night!”
“Oh, yes, it is time I must get going too!” The Princess cries hastily.
The Legal Councillor escorts her out, through the garden and into the street. He helps her up into her carriage and then deliberately shuts the garden gate.
As he comes back, his wife is standing in the house door, a burning candle in her hand.
“I can’t go to bed yet,” she says quietly.
“What,” he asks. “Why not?”
She replies, “I can’t go to bed yet because Manasse is lying in it!”
They climb up the stairs to the second floor and go into the bedroom. In the giant marriage bed lies the little attorney pretty as can be and fast asleep. His clothing is hung carefully over the chair, his boots standing nearby. He has taken a clean nightgown out of the wardrobe and put it on. Near him like a crumpled young hedgehog lies his Cyclops.
Legal Councillor Gontram takes the candle from the nightstand and lights it.
“And the man insults me, says that I’m lazy!” He says shaking his head in wonderment. “—And he is too lazy to go home!”
“Shh! Mrs. Gontram says. “You’ll wake everyone up.”
She takes bedding and linen out of the wardrobe and goes very quietly downstairs and makes up two beds on the sofas. They sleep there.
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