Gregor von Rezzori - An Ermine in Czernopol

Uncle Sergei played with the silk tassel of the everlasting match from his cigarette case. “ Eh bien , a little game of piquet, ma chère cousine ?” he asked Aunt Paulette, Mama’s younger sister.

“You would be well advised to take stock of yourself,” said Aunt Paulette, who flirted with him in a familial, teasing way.

“Is it really necessary for the children to be present after we have eaten?” asked our father, irritated.

“Now that Miss Rappaport is no longer with us there’s hardly any alternative. After all, they can’t simply be sent onto the street.”

“As if that would make any difference,” our father said, getting up to leave as well.

Aunt Paulette, who was twenty-one and progressive and wore her hair short, leaned so far back in her chair that her neck rested on the back, exposing the beautiful curve of her white throat. “Give me a cigarette, Sergei. And if you want, I’ll play with you, but rummy, not piquet. Since we’re all having such a good time … Incidentally, what is it that Madame Tildy takes? Morphine or cocaine?”

“Presumably both, my dear,” said Uncle Sergei softly. “A very interesting lady.”

“Presumably we should pray for Tildy as well,” said Aunt Paulette, blowing her cigarette smoke up toward the ceiling. Then, with a lethargic look to the side: “But you have to shuffle the cards well and let me cut the deck three times. Otherwise I won’t play with you.”

A few days later, Herr Tarangolian brought the latest sensation: the honor court had been dissolved. Tildy had been ordered to report to the division commander.

Thanks to his remarkably competent sources of information, who apparently had their eyes and ears at every keyhole in town, the prefect knew the content of this conversation and did not hesitate to pass it on to us, word for word.

He began by describing General Petrescu in a few strokes, as a highly qualified, albeit very vain man, one of the youngest generals of the army, with shadowy political ambitions, a sophisticated demeanor, and the oratorical gifts of a Roman lawyer.

Petrescu’s nimble ability to empathize was evident in the manner he received Tildy, who, without realizing or intending it, had done the infantry officer a great service, since the breaking scandal gave him the chance he had long been waiting for to “give that stable of studhorses a good grooming.” The general chose to hold the interview informally; he approached Tildy, shook his hand, and with polished nonchalance offered Tildy one of the chairs that faced his leather-topped desk. In order to fetch a small box of cigars and a bottle of cognac he stepped upstage to the little cupboard where he kept these gentlemanly fortifications, and this maneuver allowed him to make a very effective entrance as he commenced his speech:

“Let me just say, Tildy, that I am very glad to have an occasion to meet you, regardless of the circumstances. Your outstanding reputation as an officer has made this a long-standing wish of mine. Nor am I merely paying you a compliment. In fact, I should add that I have another motivation as well. The incidents that led me to request your presence, incidents which are certainly regrettable but by no means earth-shaking, and which we will have sorted out in no time, since I’m certain we share the same opinion — these events will inevitably bring the issue of your nationality into the debate. I’d just like to say that I have the greatest possible respect for men like you, who have demonstrated enormous political understanding by placing their faith in our new government, which is both more stable and more just than its predecessor — men who may speak a different mother tongue than the people after whom our new country is named, but whose allegiance to our new state is no less steadfast, because they love the land of their birth and the people among whom they were raised. Such chosen devotion is evidence of a civic virtue that I respect far more than the chauvinist nationalism of those who maintain that merely because streets and currency have been renamed, or because police regulations, tax acts, and public warning signs have been translated into their language, they then have the right to bash away at their fellow citizens of different ethnicities. I confess quite plainly that I don’t know what to make of the concept of a state built on minorities, unless we examine the question qualitatively and not quantitatively, and in my opinion the single deciding factor should be the individual commitment to upholding the state. All that by way of introduction. Please, help yourself if you’d like a cognac. The glasses are lady-sized, but as your commanding officer I order you not to draw any conclusions from that.”

Shallow though it was, one would have expected Tildy to acknowledge this joke, which was clearly made with the good intention of keeping the atmosphere as casual as possible. But nothing of the sort happened. The general, meanwhile, showed great aplomb in covering up the gentle irritation he felt when he realized — unexpectedly but perhaps insightfully — how ineffective his charm was proving. With a practiced voice, whose melodious tone was ready to swell to its forensic fullness, he said:

“Let’s get down to business, Tildy. The fact that I approve of your conduct — down to one or two formal errors, or let’s be frank about it, clumsy mistakes — I hardly need to tell you. It is our task to bring esteem and respect to the army of this young state, from within as well as from without. It is completely natural that an officer should defend his family’s reputation with a deadly determination. In other words: it should be absolutely clear that I am grateful to you for providing such an example to your comrades-in-arms. But as I mentioned: in your very understandable agitation, you managed to commit one or two clumsy mistakes. First: you should have realized that Năstase would not accept your challenge — Colonel Turturiuk is absolutely right on that account. I don’t need to lecture you that not just anyone may be deemed worthy of crossing arms with an officer of our army. Even so, perhaps Năstase could be given the benefit of the doubt: he comes from a respected family, is educated, has a certain social polish. But he is young — a flaw I would happily share with him, incidentally …”

Tildy’s countenance remained unchanged. The general waited a few seconds in vain for a kind remark, then brought the fingertips of his hands together — he had seated himself in an armchair across from Tildy — and went on, a little dampened, with his extremely well-turned speech:

“You should have taken this youth into account, Tildy. You should not have given Năstase the possibility of treating a challenge to a pistol duel as a trifle. You should have castigated him on the spot. Then it would have been up to him to challenge you. Had he not done so he would have passed judgment on himself. You might object that it would be unseemly to hit someone in the house of your superior. But you yourself, Tildy, rendered this argument invalid by slapping Alexianu, who was in no way involved. So up to that moment the case was a complete muddle. What saved it — and you see how open I am being with you — was your challenge to the colonel. I’m sure you realize that you will have to bear the consequences of such an action. I will take pains that they don’t exceed the bounds of the routine disciplinary actions. But only because I am in complete agreement with you that this is a question of principle. The honor of an officer is sacrosanct. In that regard I am completely on your side. I will not hesitate to support you in front of all authorities including the highest. Just as a matter of principle, you understand. That is why I ordered the honor court to be dissolved for the time being. It will be reconvened at the appropriate time in a different form and given greater powers. At that time all sorts of items will be brought to the table. Until then you are to hold yourself ready. Once again: I find your conduct not in the least reprehensible, apart from the ineptitude at the beginning. As I said, it’s a matter of principle. Because the idea that you would feel your honor had been wounded …” The general smiled. “ Entre nous , Tildy — for that I consider you too smart, too superior. Because it would be a very strange place indeed to keep your honor hidden—”