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

cigarette, "that I am unfortunately not in a position to help you. My
money is invested in various enterprises. I never have access to large
sums of cash. I'm really very sorry!" And she rose from her chair, as
though the interview were at an end. Willi, deeply in shock, remained
seated. And hesitantly, clumsily, almost stuttering, he asked her to consider if it were not possible for her, given the evidently very advantageous condition of her enterprises, to secure a loan from some bank, or
perhaps a line of credit. Her lips curved upward ironically, and smiling
indulgently at his business naivete, she said, "You imagine these things
to be a little simpler than they are, and apparently you take it for granted
that I should enter into some sort of financial transaction on your account
which I would never undertake for myself. And that without any sort of
security!-How did I achieve this honor?" These last words again
sounded so friendly, even coquettish, as if she were really prepared to
yield and were only waiting for a last plea from him. Believing he had
found the right word, he said "Madame, Leopoldine-my existence-my
very life-is at stake!"
    She started a little, and, fearing that he had gone too far, he added
softly, "I beg your pardon."
    Her look became impenetrable, and after a short silence she remarked dryly, "In any case, I can't make any such decision without consulting my lawyer." And since she saw that his eyes began to gleam with
new hope, she added with a dismissive gesture, "I'm having a consultation with him anyway-today, at five o'clock, in his office. I'll see what
can be done. However, I advise you, don't depend on it, not in the least.
For naturally I won't make a cabinet-level question out of it." And, with
a sudden hardness, she added, "I really don't know why I should." But
then she smiled again and gave him her hand. This time she permitted
him to press a kiss on it.
    "And when can I come for my answer'?"
    She appeared to consider for a while. "Where do you live?"
    "In the Alser Barracks," he answered promptly. "The officer's wing,
third floor, room four."

    She smiled vaguely. Then she said slowly, "Around seven or seven
thirty I will at least know whether I'm in a position to help or not-" She
reflected again for a moment and then finished decisively, "I'll send you
my answer between seven and eight through a person I can trust." She
opened the door for him and accompanied him into the waiting room.
"Goodbye, Lieutenant."
    "Until then," he replied, taken aback. Her expression was cold and
distant. And by the time the maid had opened the door to the staircase for
the lieutenant, Frau Leopoldine Wilram had already disappeared back
into her room.
    XII
    During the short time that Willi had been with Leopoldine, he had gone
through so many different moods, of encouragement, hope, security, and
renewed disappointment, that he descended the stairs in a daze. Only
when he was outdoors once more did his mind clear, and then his situation did not seem to him so unfavorable. He was sure that Leopoldine
could get him the money if she wished. Her very attitude was evidence
enough that it was within her power to influence her attorney as she
pleased. And the feeling that her heart must finally have spoken for him
became so powerful in Willi that, mentally jumping a long distance, he
suddenly saw himself as the husband of the now widowed Frau Leopoldine Wilram, now Frau Major Kasda.
    But this daydream soon faded as he walked rather aimlessly toward
the Ring in the midday heat through not overcrowded streets. He remembered again the disagreeable office room in which she had received him,
and her image, which for a while now had been suffused with a certain
feminine grace, once more took on the hard, almost severe expression
that had intimidated him from time to time during his visit. In any case,
come what may, there were still many hours of uncertainty to go, and
these