H. Adler - Panorama

Josef realizes that his efforts with the Director on Lutz’s behalf will get no further than they did with the wife. He feels embarrassed and bad about his clumsy attempts, and so collects himself in order to think of a better way to express how he wants to help the boy fulfill his highest hopes, wanting to at least do something for Lutz in order not to disappoint him so bitterly, and so he tries to get the Director to agree to letting Lutz go on a trip with him sometime soon, though the result of this attempt is somewhat meager, for indeed the Director has nothing against going on a trip if the boy wants it that badly and prefers to squeeze into the packed train and then to get blisters along some dusty trail, rather than to sit comfortably in the car and take in the view, all that is a matter of taste, but he never discusses such questions with his wife, he lets her worry about all the little stuff and only brings up the important things that will most affect the boys’ future. With this the conversation is over, the Director pleased, for his wife doesn’t care for such two-way conversations between men, but the Director knows that he can count on Josef to keep quiet about it all in order to continue to profit from his gratitude. The two then separate, Josef encountering Irwin while on his way to the boys as he asks him, “What did you think of the film?” Irwin throws him an angry glance, wondering who betrayed him and said that he was at the movies, or whether Josef had told on him or had interrogated everyone else. Josef says with a smile that he’s no snitch, and not even nosy, it just having occurred to him that Irwin might have gone to the movies. Irwin doesn’t believe this, someone must have told Josef, and even though Lutz may not have snitched he still blabs too much. Josef says there’s nothing wrong with going to the movies, Irwin himself had said he wanted to go. Irwin agrees there is nothing wrong, it’s his business, nor had he asked what Josef had done for the afternoon. Josef wonders if he’s really interested and not just curious, though he doesn’t press the matter, even though he’s willing to talk about what he did for the afternoon. Irwin, however, doesn’t want to know, but he relaxes somewhat and indicates that he’s willing to talk about the movie and answer any questions Josef may have, admitting openly that he was at the movies, where he saw a cowboy film that was excellent, Tom Mix in the main role, and so exciting that right up to the last minute he was on the edge of his seat, Josef should go to see it if he hasn’t already.

During this conversation the two reach a door that leads to the garden, as Irwin asks if Josef has seen the garden already. No, he says, but it would be nice if Irwin could show it to him. Irwin says that they could head out into it, but if Josef wants to be shown around the gardener can do that, though unfortunately he’s not there right now, he comes only in the morning, yet Lutz gets on well with him and can say what each plant is called, often even knowing the Latin name, but Mother doesn’t like it when he stands around with the gardener, he able to do so only on mornings when there is no school, while Mother can’t know, for if she does she calls him away immediately. She has indeed forbidden the gardener more than once to let Lutz in, as it only feeds his romantic dreams, which Mother hopes to stamp out. Father is also firmly against romanticism, but not against this, as he sees Lutz’s learning from the gardener as preparation for a possible career in agriculture, though Mother rises up like a fury, saying that no child of hers will become a farmer, at which Father draws his tail between his legs like a wet poodle. But even Lutz doesn’t want to go into agriculture, saying he wants to do something different with nature than does a farmer, he wants to study it, just as Josef must have heard already, though Irwin thinks it’s a load of nonsense. Their talk, however, is interrupted by the ugly sound of a gong, Josef knowing without Irwin’s having to say anything that this is the sign for dinner, the two of them stepping back into the house as everyone gathers in the dining room.

Josef is introduced to Madame and little Robert, as everyone sits around the large oval table, Josef taking his spot between his two pupils. Left of Lutz sits the mother, Robert next to her, then Madame, the Director between her and Irwin. Anton serves the food in tails and white leather gloves, holding out a dish first to Frau Director, who then sets one in front of Robert, the rest served in order, beginning with the Director and followed by Madame, Josef, Irwin, and Lutz, such that Anton must move constantly back and forth. The meal begins once all have been served, Robert slapping his spoon into his soup such that it splashes, which Madame tries to stop, the Director looking amused as he asks Robert, “Do you think you can turn the soup into whipped cream by stirring it around like that?” Frau Director throws her husband a dirty look and worries what Josef must think, he sitting down to the table for the first time and probably thinking that Robert has no manners, which Madame regrets terribly, though she says, “ Oh non, mon cher Robert est quelquefois méchant, autrement il est très joli, il est doux .” This time Madame gets a dirty look from Frau Director as she turns to Robert and says, “I know, sweetheart, that you love to splash around in your soup like that. But it’s very nasty. Now please stop!” She lectures Robert about the danger of maintaining such bad manners, for if someone invites him to dinner and he splashes around in his soup, then no one in the world will ever like him to visit or invite him again, and he’ll always have to sit at home. But Robert says he doesn’t need to be invited, nor does he even need to be liked, and he can just stay home, since everyone else is at home. Madame says, “ Mais Robert, fi donc, ” and continues to say the same, as well as, now and then, “ Mange ton potage proprement, ” at which Madame demonstrates how to eat the soup and the other courses. Several times the Director says that Robert will indeed learn with time, which Frau Director then questions, for Robert can see already how mannerly everyone eats, even the new tutor doing so splendidly, nor will anyone want to play with Robert if he doesn’t eat right. But Robert doesn’t want to play with anyone, not even today, he has played enough already, and so it goes for the next four courses until they get to the fruit and cheese, though Frau Director more and more turns over the care of Robert to Madame.

Frau Director turns to Josef and asks if he finds his food to be excellent, and when he agrees she explains that, despite the financial crisis, nothing was spared in terms of food in this house, that is the last thing to try to scrimp on, good and wholesome food never having been treated as a luxury, though there are many who would be happy to eat this well, a coolie, for example, having to get by on a handful of rice per day, as she always says, whenever the boys pick at their food and say they don’t like this or they don’t like that, the cook comme il faut in terms of high society, she having learned her art in the princely houses of the old monarchy, even once having cooked for Archduke Josef, indeed the namesake of their own Josef, and indeed, was that who he was named for? Josef didn’t think he was named for someone from the old monarchy. Frau Director thought that made sense, today it would be ridiculous to name someone after Franz Josef, such men being branded for life, but what had she been talking about? Well, then, enough about cooking, one shouldn’t talk about food, as she always says, though somehow she had gotten carried away, but enough of that, for Frau Director wants only to recall Cato’s saying “ Cato Maior apud conviviis magis sermonibus quam cibibus se delectavit .” Irwin then blurts out that his mother always says it wrong, for she knows nothing about Latin, though she loves to say something in it, but apud takes the accusative and cibus follows the second declension. Frau Director finds it highly rude of Irwin to criticize her at the table, it could be done privately afterward. Josef should in fact know that she had attended a girls school, where only modern languages were taught and no Latin, which she knows a bit of now, having taught it to herself or at least picked it up, it not mattering if she makes mistakes or doesn’t know a declension, for indeed, she sometimes gets the declensions mixed up, but what matters is the meaning of what is being expressed, and Irwin should never correct her as long as he is lucky enough to enjoy the comforts his parents provide, for how fortunate the children of the unemployed in the Erzgebirge would consider themselves if they knew only half as much Latin as does Frau Director.