Part 38 (1/2)
A tall, contemplative man with a scraggly gray beard--an angular Christ-like figure--appeared. He spoke. ”What are you doing here, Muhsam? There is work inside.”
”And you!” angrily.
”I must think. We must grow calm.” He pa.s.sed on, thinking.
”Landerdauer,” smiled the Baron, ”the Whitman translator.”
”Yes,” the vand.y.k.e answered, ”we have appointed him minister of education. What news from the station, Stinnes?”
”It is taken.”
Dorn followed the Baron about the corridors, his ears bewildered by the screechings from unexpected chambers of debate. He listened, amused, to the volatile von Stinnes.
”They are trying for a coalition. Nikish is at the top. A former schoolmaster. The communists under Levine won't come in. The workingmen are out overthrowing the world, and the great thinkers sit in conference hitting one another over the head with slapsticks. Life, Dorn, is a droll business, and revolution a charming comedy, _nicht wahr?_ But it will grow serious soon. Munich will be cut off. Food will vanish. Aha!
wait a minute....”
He darted after a swaggering figure. Dorn watched. The baron appeared to be commanding and entreating. The figure finally, with a surly shake of his head, hurried off. The Baron returned.
”That was Levine,” he said. ”He won't come in unless Egelhofer is ratified as war minister. Egelhofer is a communist. Wait a minute. I will tell them to make Egelhofer minister. I will make a speech. We must have the Egelhofer.”
He vanished again. Dorn, standing against a window, watched frantic men scurry down the corridor bellowing commands at one another....
”Yesterday they were garrulous little fools buzzing around cafe tables,”
he thought. ”To-night they boom. Rodinesque. And yet comic. Yes, comedians. But no more than the troupe of white-collared comedians in Wilhelmstra.s.se or Was.h.i.+ngton. The workers were different. There was something in the streets. Men in flame. But here are little matches.”
He caught sight of Mathilde and called her name. She came and stood beside him. Her body was trembling.
”Did you spend the money?” he asked softly.
”Yes, but they will buy the garrisons back again. They have more funds than we. Oh, we need more.”
”Who will buy them back?”
”The bourgeoise. They have more money than we. And without the garrisons we are lost.”
She wrung her hands. Dorn struggled to become properly serious.
”There, it may come out very fine,” he murmured. ”Anyway, von Stinnes is making a speech. It should help.”
”Stinnes....”
”Yes, trying to bring Egelhofer in as war minister. He talked with Levine....”
”I don't understand,” she answered. ”He is doing something I don't understand, because he is a traitor.”
She became silent and moved closer to Dorn.
”Oh, Erik,” she sighed, ”I must cry. I am tired.”