The children are sent to bed earlier than usual today. Mother's bedroom is a ladies' dressing room. There stands the washerwoman in her Sunday dress. And at Dad's, the gentlemen take off outer clothes. It's cold outside, and the spurs of the gentlemen clink on the stairs. Two servants have been hired. They pour red and golden yellow wine into glass decanters. Lela creeps to the door and peers out. The table looks like a fairytale. Candles are burning in the silver candlesticks, many flowers are scattered on the table, without any water. The candlelight makes stars in the polished glasses and makes them glitter. The servants put on gloves and agree among themselves how they will serve. They have to start where the commander's wife is sitting, and then go to the next highest lady and lastly to mother. Why last to Mother? That offended Lela.
On each seat there is a card with the name of the person who should sit there. Dad smoked two fat cigars until he'd finished the table order, and Mum was very angry; because they were the guests' cigars, and Dad said that if he worked for the guests, he deserved the cigars, and Mum didn't say that she worked for the guests all day and the day before and the whole week and ate only fried potatoes and fried eggs in the evenings. Mum never says anything when Dad answers in a certain tone. And Dad doesn't seem to be happy at all, he usually slams the door very loudly.
The guests spoke very little at first when they sat down. From her cot, Lela heard clinking of the many soup spoons and only individual voices. Then the soup was served. Only gradually did a conversation get going; towards the end there was a huge noise that flared up terribly when the servants opened the door.
Lela waited eagerly, for now Dad's horse-boy would come and bring Karl and her some of the sweet food. he brought a whole pile of pink spun sugar. It looked like a fairy tale. Ice cream, yellow ice cream with a strange taste. Karl knelt on the floor next to her bed and held a plate for her. She stood up in bed and was happy about the high edge. Only a little light from the corridor filtered in.
"What does this taste like, Karl?"
"This is Maskino," said Karl, and then he came back on tiptoes again and terribly secretly, brought her a thin tall glass.
As she was about to drink, something tingled her nose.
"What's that, Karl?"
"Champagne."
And Lela drank.
Then Karl crept out quietly, carefully looking to the right and left to make sure he hadn't been seen. One was safe from the madam, but Fräulein Anna would probably have not have approved of such a thing either.
Suddenly, there was a huge noise in the dining room. Chairs were moved away, everybody wished aloud a blessed meal and, red-faced, heated and relieved, they pushed up the stairs to the mocha coffee, the good cigars, and the colourful bottles of liqueur.
Frau Käte smiled at everyone and felt as if she had won a battle and survived unwounded. Meinhardis was already a little loud, but he was patted on the shoulder, "Good Meinhardis, what the jokes he tells, a charming man!
Lela is fast asleep after the guests went upstairs. Later, carriages drove up and all kinds of strange servants came in, to fetch their masters. One after the other said goodbye with polite thanks. Also Frau Käte has laid down dead tired. Only Meinhardis continued sitting with a pair of gentlemen. The empty bottles have grown into batteries and the ashtrays are filled to the brim. But it's so cosy. Now it's just right. Now one is among equal ones, and everybody can tell one another what they want. As always one can't get away from horses and women. Meinhardis has nice things to say about about Frau Käte and he smiles in addition.
Lela is fast asleep when the door opens quietly. She doesn't wake up at all when Dad takes her out of bed and carries her up together with the duvet. All of a sudden, she sees all these handsome gentlemen in green uniforms and red collars smiling at her.
One takes her on his lap. Lela pulls her bare little feet under her, she rubs her eyes, and everybody laughes. She sits on the lap of Captain Sellner, she knows him, she likes him, he has a very beautiful face.
"Give me a kiss," Sellner says, and Lela does.
But why are the others laughing so much? Now they all want a kiss, but Lela doesn't want any more. "No, the others don't," Lela explains.
Mum has a migraine in the morning. It must be very quiet. But Dad brings a bunch of violets at noon, and Mum has to smile about it; although she has such a terrible headache.