Wirthin. Leben Sie wohl! mein Herr!
Time, a couple of days later. The girls discovered
with their work and primers.
Annie. Was fehlt der Wirthin?
Margaret. Das weiss ich nicht. Sie
ist schon vor zwei Tagen ins Bett gegangen—
A. My! how fliessend you speak!
M. Danke schon—und sagte dass sie nicht
wohl sei.
A. Good? Oh no, I don’t mean that! no—only
lucky for us—glucklich, you know I mean
because it’ll be so much nicer to have them all
to ourselves.
M. Oh, naturlich! Ja! Dass ziehe ich
durchaus vor. Do you believe your Meisterschaft
will stay with you, Annie?
A. Well, I know it is with me—every last
sentence of it; and a couple of hods of Ollendorff,
too, for emergencies. Maybe they’ll refuse
to deliver—right off—at first,
you know—der Verlegenheit wegen—aber
ich will sie spater herausholen—when I
get my hand in—und vergisst Du das nicht!
M. Sei nicht grob, Liebste. What shall we talk
about first—when they come?
A. Well—let me see. There’s
shopping—and—all that about the
trains, you know—and going to church—and—buying
tickets to London, and Berlin, and all around—and
all that subjunctive stuff about the battle in Afghanistan,
and where the American was said to be born, and so
on—and —and ah—oh,
there’s so many things—I don’t
think a body can choose beforehand, because you know
the circumstances and the atmosphere always have so
much to do in directing a conversation, especially
a German conversation, which is only a kind of an
insurrection, anyway. I believe it’s best
to just depend on Prov—(Glancing at watch,
and gasping.) —half-past—seven!
M. Oh, dear, I’m all of a tremble! Let’s
get something ready, Annie! (Both fall nervously
to reciting): Entschuldigen Sie, mein Herr, konnen
Sie mir vielleicht sagen wie ich nach dem norddeutschen
Bahnhof gehe? (They repeat it several times,
losing their grip and mixing it all up.)
Both. Herein! Oh, dear! O der
heilige—
Enter Gretchen.
Gretchen (Ruffled and indignant.) Entschuldigen
Sie, meine gnadigsten Fraulein, es sind zwei junge
rasende Herren draussen, die herein wollen, aber ich
habe ihnen geschworen dass—(Handing the
cards.)
M. Due liebe Zeit, they’re here! And of
course down goes my back hair!
Stay and receive them, dear, while I—(Leaving.)
A. I—alone? I won’t!
I’ll go with you! (To gr.) Lassen Sie
die Herren naher treten; und sagen Sie ihnen dass
wir gleich zuruckkommen werden. [Exit.]
