-naturally not, because he might have got the wrong idea. And now comes the worst part. Guess what the fellow said?"
"Well?"
"He laughed and said, 'Of course I'll still be in Vienna on the first of December, sweetheart, why do you ask? Will you be all on your lonesome, by any chance? That would be terrific - I could pay you a visit.' Well, I was flabbergasted to think he'd figured it out so quickly. And then it occurred to me how nice it would be if you could spend the Sunday with me, Georg. You could simply tell your family you were going away for the day, and if the young man from Agram rang the bell you could go to the door and ask what he wanted, and he'd have to clear off. Wouldn't that be a laugh?"
Vit¬torin, looking at her, detected a timid plea and an unspoken promise in her eyes.
"We'd be together for a whole day, all by ourselves," she said softly. "We've never been that lucky before, Georg."
He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him. She didn't resist, and for a while they sat snuggled up together.
"Of course I'll come," he whispered, "-that's definite. You've no idea how much I'll look forward to it."
"Ssh, Georg, the waiter's looking. So it's settled, then. You'll keep the day free?"
"It's a date. By the way, Franzi, have you heard from your Baron again?"
Franzi brushed the Baron aside with a dismissive gesture; she didn't need him any more.
"Oh, him," she said. "Yes, he wrote to me, but I sent his letter back — unopened, of course. I know perfectly well what he's after. Goodness, I must get a move on, the boss will be grumbling already. What about you, though? You haven't told me a thing. Are you going back to your old job?"
Impatiently, Vit¬torin stubbed out the remains of his cigarette in the ashtray.
"Back to the old routine?" he said. "No fear! You don't think I want to sit behind a typewriter from morning to night for a hundred and eighty kronen a month, do you? That's all over — I'm worth more than that. I'm not going back at all. They can think what they like, they've seen the last of me."
Franzi shook her head.
"Surely you won't just fail to turn up, Georg? That would be crazy of you. You'll get three months' salary if you give them proper notice — it's standard practice in all big firms these days. Three months, let's see . . . You'd be making them a present of over five hundred kronen. Very generous of you, I must say!"
He stared at her, nonplussed. That way of acquiring the money he needed had never occurred to him.
"You're absolutely right, of course," he said. "Five hundred and forty kronen aren't to be sneezed at. Yes, you're right, I won't pass up the money - I'll go and see them today."
Some rapid mental arithmetic told him that half the sum in question would get him to the Russian border. Vienna-Radkersburg-Belgrade-Bucharest-Galatz, and from Galatz across the frontier to Tiraspol. It made sense.
He rose.
"You're absolutely right," he repeated. "I'd better call them right away and ask if the managing director's still there. Where's the phone?"
"Over in the billiard room, third door on the right," Franzi told him. "Hold on, I'll come with you - I can just spare another two or three minutes."
Once inside the phone booth she let him kiss her and kissed him back while billiard balls clicked and dominoes clattered and waiters bustled from table to table with midday editions still inky from the press. Then she stood there for a moment, smiling happily as if her kiss had permanently vanquished the dark, alien, mysterious force that aspired to deprive her of her beloved.
"Mundus Incorporated, International Forwarding and Warehousing Agents for Danubian and Overseas Freight" was housed in an unlovely building with dismal little windows and mortar and plaster flaking off its dirty grey walls. It had always looked that way, the management never having set any store by outward appearances. Although nothing had changed, Vit¬torin felt like a stranger as he
"Well?"
"He laughed and said, 'Of course I'll still be in Vienna on the first of December, sweetheart, why do you ask? Will you be all on your lonesome, by any chance? That would be terrific - I could pay you a visit.' Well, I was flabbergasted to think he'd figured it out so quickly. And then it occurred to me how nice it would be if you could spend the Sunday with me, Georg. You could simply tell your family you were going away for the day, and if the young man from Agram rang the bell you could go to the door and ask what he wanted, and he'd have to clear off. Wouldn't that be a laugh?"
Vit¬torin, looking at her, detected a timid plea and an unspoken promise in her eyes.
"We'd be together for a whole day, all by ourselves," she said softly. "We've never been that lucky before, Georg."
He put his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him. She didn't resist, and for a while they sat snuggled up together.
"Of course I'll come," he whispered, "-that's definite. You've no idea how much I'll look forward to it."
"Ssh, Georg, the waiter's looking. So it's settled, then. You'll keep the day free?"
"It's a date. By the way, Franzi, have you heard from your Baron again?"
Franzi brushed the Baron aside with a dismissive gesture; she didn't need him any more.
"Oh, him," she said. "Yes, he wrote to me, but I sent his letter back — unopened, of course. I know perfectly well what he's after. Goodness, I must get a move on, the boss will be grumbling already. What about you, though? You haven't told me a thing. Are you going back to your old job?"
Impatiently, Vit¬torin stubbed out the remains of his cigarette in the ashtray.
"Back to the old routine?" he said. "No fear! You don't think I want to sit behind a typewriter from morning to night for a hundred and eighty kronen a month, do you? That's all over — I'm worth more than that. I'm not going back at all. They can think what they like, they've seen the last of me."
Franzi shook her head.
"Surely you won't just fail to turn up, Georg? That would be crazy of you. You'll get three months' salary if you give them proper notice — it's standard practice in all big firms these days. Three months, let's see . . . You'd be making them a present of over five hundred kronen. Very generous of you, I must say!"
He stared at her, nonplussed. That way of acquiring the money he needed had never occurred to him.
"You're absolutely right, of course," he said. "Five hundred and forty kronen aren't to be sneezed at. Yes, you're right, I won't pass up the money - I'll go and see them today."
Some rapid mental arithmetic told him that half the sum in question would get him to the Russian border. Vienna-Radkersburg-Belgrade-Bucharest-Galatz, and from Galatz across the frontier to Tiraspol. It made sense.
He rose.
"You're absolutely right," he repeated. "I'd better call them right away and ask if the managing director's still there. Where's the phone?"
"Over in the billiard room, third door on the right," Franzi told him. "Hold on, I'll come with you - I can just spare another two or three minutes."
Once inside the phone booth she let him kiss her and kissed him back while billiard balls clicked and dominoes clattered and waiters bustled from table to table with midday editions still inky from the press. Then she stood there for a moment, smiling happily as if her kiss had permanently vanquished the dark, alien, mysterious force that aspired to deprive her of her beloved.
"Mundus Incorporated, International Forwarding and Warehousing Agents for Danubian and Overseas Freight" was housed in an unlovely building with dismal little windows and mortar and plaster flaking off its dirty grey walls. It had always looked that way, the management never having set any store by outward appearances. Although nothing had changed, Vit¬torin felt like a stranger as he
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