Part One: Chapter IX, An Operation, a Turtle, and a Long Distance Call Summary and Analysis

Maria is in labor again, and " Tante Lorlein" is born. George confesses he always wanted to name a child "Barbara". The family goes off on another vacation in Veruda, but Maria is sidelined by kidney stones. She goes to Vienna for surgery to have nineteen stones removed. Georg brings her three baby chicks to accompany her. When the chicks get too big, he brings her a turtle. Here, Maria reveals a side to her unbefitting to her nun background. She tricks her nurse, Sister Agrosia, who has never seen a turtle before, into believing that turtles eat the toes of newborns. The maternity ward is next to Maria's room and the nun sits outside the door making...