Free Night Games: And Other Stories and Novellas by Arthur Schnitzler Page A

have
an appointment with an eye specialist, a professor, because of my eyes, at
nine. Please ask the cadet substitute Mr. Brill, to hold class for me. Gowait."
    "Lieutenant?"
    "At 7: 15 go over to Alser Church-the gentleman who was here
yesterday, First Lieutenant Bogner, will be waiting there. Beg him to excuse me-tell him that unfortunately I was unable to do anything. Do
you understand?"
    "Yes, Lieutenant."
    "Repeat it."
    "The lieutenant wishes to be excused-he was unable to do anything."
    "Unfortunately was unable to do anything. Wait. If there were still a
little more time, until this evening or tomorrow morning"-he suddenly
paused. "No, nothing more! Tell him that I was unfortunately unable to
do anything, and that's all. Do you understand?"
    "Yes, Lieutenant."
    "And when you come back from Alser Church, be sure to knock.
And now, close the window."
    The orderly did as he was instructed, abruptly breaking off a piercing command from the courtyard in the middle. When Joseph had closed
the door behind him, Willi lay down again, and his eyes fell shut. Ace of
diamonds-seven of clubs-king of hearts-eight of diamonds-nine of
spades-ten of spades-queen of hearts-damned Canaille! thought
Willi. For the queen of hearts was really Fraulein Kessner. If I hadn't
stopped at that table, this whole disaster wouldn't have happened. Nine
of clubs-six of spades-five of spades-king of spades-king of
hearts-king of clubs-"Don't take it lightly, Lieutenant!" The devil take him! He'll get his money, but then I'll send him two seconds!can't be done-he isn't even of a high enough rank to duel with! King of
hearts-knave of spades--queen of diamonds-nine of diamonds-ace
of spades-thus they danced by-ace of diamonds-ace of heartsmeaninglessly, incessantly, until his eyes burned underneath his eyelids.
There could not be as many packs of cards in the whole world as flew by
in his vision at this hour.

    There was a knock, and he awoke with a jerk, the cards still racing
by his now open eyes. His orderly stood before him.
    "Lieutenant, I beg to report that the First Lieutenant thanks you
very much for your trouble and sends his respects."
    "So. And aside from that-he didn't say anything else?"
    "No, Lieutenant, the First Lieutenant turned around and left immediately."
    "So-he immediately turned around ... and did you report me ill?"
    "Yes, sir."
    And, as Willi saw that the orderly was smirking, he asked, "Why
are you grinning so stupidly?"
    "Excuse me, sir-because of the captain."
    "Why? What did the captain say?"
    Still grinning, the orderly explained, "The captain said that if the
lieutenant has to go to an eye doctor-it's probably because he's ruined
his eyesight looking at some girl!"
    And when Willi did not smile at that, the orderly added, somewhat
alarmed, "That's what the captain said, sir. At your service, sir."
    "You may go," said Willi.
    While he readied himself for his visit to his uncle, he contemplated
the phrases and practiced the tone of voice with which he hoped to move
his uncle's heart. It had been two years since he had seen him. At the moment he was barely able to picture Wilram at all, or even to remember his
features. Only streams of different Wilrams appeared before him, each
with a different face, different habits, and different ways of speaking, and
he couldn't predict which Wilram he would chance to meet today.
    From childhood he remembered his uncle as a slim, always fastidiously dressed but still youthful man, though even then the man who was twenty-five years older had seemed to him to be rather old. Robert
Wilram's visits to the Hungarian town where his brother-in-law, at that
time still Major Kasda, was on garrison duty, had always been for only a
few days. Father and uncle did not get along particularly well, and Willi
even had a vague and disquieting memory of a quarrel between his parents about his uncle, which had ended with his mother leaving the room
crying. His uncle's