Courts and courtiers -- Fiction; German fiction -- Translations into English; Germany -- Fiction
As he stood there, his head turned imperiously in half-profile, his left
hand planted on his hip, drawing back his satin-fronted frock coat from
his white waistcoat, he exactly resembled his portrait by Professor von
Lindemann, which hung beside the big looking-glass over the mantelpiece
in the "Hall of the Twelve Months" in the Town Schloss, opposite the
portrait of Dorothea, and of which countless engravings, photographs,
and picture postcards had been published. The only difference was that
Johann Albrecht in the portrait seemed to be of heroic stature, while he
really was scarcely of medium height. His forehead was high where his
hair had receded, and from under his grey eyebrows, his blue eyes looked
out, with dark rings round them, giving them an expression of tired
haughtiness. He had the broad, rather too high cheek-bones which were a
characteristic of his people. His whiskers and the soft tuft on his chin
were grey, his moustache almost white. From the distended nostrils of
his small but well-arched nose, two unusually deep furrows ran down to
his chin. The lemon-coloured ribbon of the Family Order always showed in
the opening of his waistcoat. In his buttonhole the Grand Duke wore a
carnation.
Surgeon-General Eschrich entered with a low bow. He had taken off his
operating-coat. His eyelid drooped more heavily than usual over his eye.
He looked apprehensive and uncomfortable.
The Grand Duke, his left hand on his hip, threw his head back, stretched
out his right hand and waved it, palm upwards, several times up and down
impatiently.
"I am awaiting an explanation, a justification, Surgeon-General," said
he, with a voice trembling with irritation. "You will have the goodness
to answer my questions. What is the matter with the child's arm?"
The Physician-in-Ordinary raised his hand a little--a feeble gesture of
impotence and blamelessness. He said:
"An it please Your Royal Highness.... An unfortunate occurrence.
Unfavourable circumstances during the pregnancy of her Royal
Highness...."
"That's all nonsense!" The Grand Duke was so much excited that he did
not wish for any justification, in fact he would not allow one. "I would
remind you, sir, that I am beside myself. Unfortunate occurrence! It was
your business to take precautions against unfortunate occurrences...."
The Surgeon-General stood with half-bowed head and, sinking his voice to
a submissive tone, addressed the ground at his feet.
"I humbly beg to be allowed to remind you that I, at least, am not alone
responsible. Privy Councillor Grasanger--an authority on
gynæcology--examined her Royal Highness. But nobody can be held
responsible in this case...."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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