"
I said:
"Go and shoot it for me."
Some days passed. Herr Mack looked me up. He was hollow-eyed; his face
was grey. I thought: Is it true that I can see through my fellows, or is
it not? I do not know, myself.
Herr Mack spoke of the landslip, the catastrophe. It was a misfortune,
a sad accident; I was in no way to blame.
I said:
"If it was someone who wished to separate Eva and me at any price, he
has gained his end. God's curse be on him!"
Herr Mack looked at me suspiciously. He murmured something about the
fine funeral. Nothing had been spared.
I sat admiring the alertness of his mind. He would have no compensation
for the boat that my landslide had crushed.
"Oh, but surely," I said, "will you not have some payment for the boat
and the tar-bucket and the brush?"
"No, my dear Lieutenant," he answered. "How could you think of such a
thing?" And he looked at me with hatred in his eyes.
For three weeks I saw nothing of Edwarda. Yes, once I met her at the
store: when I went to buy some bread, she stood inside the counter
looking over some different sorts of cloth stuff. Only the two
assistants were there besides.
I greeted her aloud, and she looked up, but did not answer. It occurred
to me that I could not ask for bread while she was there; I turned to
the assistants and asked for powder and shot.
Pages:
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152