Lieutenant Colonel von Meinhardis was pasing up and down the room, puffing thick clouds of smoke. Sometimes he growled to himself. Apparently, he took no notice of Fraulein von Helling, who was sitting by the window doing needlework. She bent studiously over her embroidery. It was dawn, and he wasn't worried at all today that Helling would ruin her eyes. He was preoccupied by other things. Suddenly he stopped and, bending his upper body quickly forward to reinforce his words, he said, as if continuing in
conversation, "So, what do other people do with their girls?"
Fräulein von Helling didn't seem to know, or, what she knew, she had already said, because she just shrugged her shoulders.
"It's maddening," he continued. "I can't lock her up. She's not a soldier who's done something wrong, is she?"
The lady at the window made a movement as if she didn't see why not. But she said nothing.
"God, what's the big deal if she has a crush on a boy? It's not a catastrophe really."
Now it was moving over there.
"They talk about it, Lieutenant Colonel. The good reputation . . . "
"Well, I know. All right. And all you women can think of is to lock up such a poor child in a convent, eh? So you can get rid of her. A thing like this suits you. Some crazy old screws are supposed to make the kid's life miserable. I know it. They pray there all day. Nope, Lela . . ."
"It's only in her best what we're proposing, Lieutenant Colonel. His Excellency von Ehrenhardt also thinks . . ."
Helling was interrupted here.
"Don't you just come to me with that! The woman has never had children. She has no idea!"
"Yes, but Frau von Kendra, Frau Irene . . ."
"She's not any woman, she has six daughters qand not a single one is at a boarding school."
Helling was able to continue here. "Quite right, an excellent Mother. But Lela doesn't have a Mother. That's just it, Lieutenant Colonel; a stranger can't have enough influence. Manuela is precocious and independent far beyond her years. She just does what she wants - when she's not yet fourteen."
Meinhardis resumed his walk. He was starting to hate that person by the window. There she was stitching a drape that Käte had started before she died. He wanted to get rid of the person. And of course, if Lela really wasn't here-Bertram will have come to Heidelberg in Spring-then he could close the house or sell it completely and really go travelling himself. He already saw himself in Italy, on the Riviera. God, he was really becoming an old geezer and hadn't seen anything of the World. Actually, he deserved a little bit of freedom.
"What should I answer Her Excellency von Ehrenhardt?" came from the window.
Meinhardis awoke. "Oh yes, about Lela. Well, then tell her that I don't think it's nice, but god knows, I really don't know anything about education of young girls. Let her look around for all I care. But then it's better to be close to Frau von Kendra, so that she can keep an eye on the child."
Helling rose and folded the work carefully. She walked out of the room. Sighing, Meinhardis came to a small wall cupboard, pulled a bunch of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the small cupboard. He put his cigar aside, took out a bottle and a small glass. Carefully, he poured it full. He looked sadly at the glass, and- throwing his head back with a jerk-emptied the glass and put it back empty in the cupboard. Then he wiped his moustache on the right and on the left by his handkerchief and closed the cupboard with a deep sigh.