Antisemitism -- Fiction; Jews -- Austria -- Fiction; Middle class -- Fiction; Vienna (Austria) -- Fiction
"Why, my dear George, there won't be anything in the way of a solution
of the question before then. In our time there won't be any solution,
that's absolutely positive. No universal solution at any rate. It
will rather be a case of a million different solutions. For it's
just a question which for the time being every one has got to settle
for himself as best he can. Every one must manage to find an escape
for himself out of his vexation or out of his despair or out of
his loathing, to some place or other where he can breathe again in
freedom. Perhaps there are really people who would like to go as far
as Jerusalem to find it ... I only fear that many of them, once they
arrive at their official goal, would then begin to realise that they
had made an utter mistake. I don't think for a minute that migrations
like that into the open should be gone in for in parties.... For the
roads there do not run through the country outside but through our own
selves. Every one's life simply depends on whether or not he finds his
mental way out. To do that of course it is necessary to see as clearly
as possible into oneself, to throw the searchlight into one's most
hidden crannies, to have the courage to be what one naturally is--not
to be led into a mistake. Yes, that should be the daily prayer of every
decent man: to make no mistake."
Where is he getting to again now? thought George. He is quite as morbid
in his way as his father was. And at the same time one can't say that
he has been personally through bad times. And he has asserted on one
occasion that he felt there was no one with whom he had anything in
common. It is not a bit true. He feels he has something in common with
all Jews and he stands nearer to the meanest of them than he does to
me. While these thoughts were running through his mind his glance fell
on a big envelope lying on the table, and he read the following words
written on it in large Roman capitals: "Don't forget. Never forget."
Heinrich noticed George's look and took the envelope up in his hand.
Three strong grey seals could be seen on its back. He then threw it
down again on the table, drooped his underlip contemptuously and said:
"I've tidied up that business as well, you know, to-day. There are days
like this when one goes in for a great cleaning-up. Other people would
have burnt the stuff. What's the point? I shall perhaps read it again
with pleasure. The anonymous letters I once told you about are in this
envelope, you know."
George was silent. Up to the present Heinrich had vouchsafed no
information as to the circumstances under which his relations with the
actress had come to an end. Only one passage in his letter to Lugano
had hinted at the fact that it had not been without a certain deep-felt
horror that he had seen his former mistress again. Almost against his
own will the following words came out of George's mouth: "You know, of
course, the story of Nürnberger's sister who lies buried in Cadenabbia?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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