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By Stefan Heym
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About the author: Helmut Flieg was a German-Jewish writer, known by his pseudonim Stefan Heym(1913- 2001). He lived in the United States (or served in its army abroad) between 1935 and 1952, before moving back to the part of his now-partitioned native Germany which was the German Democratic Republic (GDR, " East Germany"). He published works in English and German at home and abroad, and despite longstanding criticism of the GDR remained a committed socialist. In Germany his writings were influential, but at a cost: his open criticism of 'real existing socialism' brought him into conflict with the authorities, and he had the largest secret police file in East Germany. Today, his books are constantly in print in Germany, and Heym received wide media coverage as a literary and political figure.
They needed a fourth for bridge.
One of them, who wore his stomach with dignity, came across the lobby8 of the hotel and said, " I hear you're an American. Play bridge? Care to join us? " 3
I said Yes. I had seen them around the hotel in Intcrla-ken4 for two days. They were waiting for the weather to clear on top of the Jungfrau, 5 they told me. Then they talked about the weather in general. Europe wasn't treating them right.
The fat man who had come over to me had big white hands with soft skin well cared for. Considering their size, they were remarkably deft with the cards. He was a newspaper publisher from Indiana, 6 he told me, and during the war he had worked in one of the big Government agencies in Washington for the nominal pay of one dollar a year. He didn't look the poorer for his sacrifice. His business was running itself, and so he was taking it easy. " Traveling, " he said. " Want to see the world before it goes to pieces." He laughed, hardly moving his chins.
He was the most substantial of the three. You could see it from the way the other two listened when he spoke-as if he were the headman at a board of directors meeting.
The second was gray-haired and gray-faced, and to his complaints about the weather he added complaints about the food. He was a professor from a New England7 college on his sabbatical leave.8 his field was Political Science, and he was gathering material for a book on present day European democracy. If was a very problematical subject, fie said, that was the trouble with it.
The publisher laughed. He really managed to laugh without moving any of his chins. I don't know how he did it.
The third man didn't say what he was; he just mumbled a name. He might have been a businessman, or a junior diplomat, or a coupon clipper in the medium brackets." He had one of those neutral faces but his eyes were constantly on the move, constantly observing, though I couldn't see anything for him to observe.
I was placed facing the publisher. I decided to play carefully. The three knew each other and probably had played together before. They had met in Vienna, they said, and had come to Switzerland on a lark.10
" Austria's the cheapest place in the world, " said the publisher. " The schilling isn't worth a damned thing, " '11
" How do the people live? " I asked.
The eyes of the man with the neutral face came up at me from his cards and went back again.
" Oh, I don't know, " said the professor. " Very unstable situation. They should introduce our kind of election system; they'd be much better off.12 Thank God we've got the Army there."
" So have the Russians, " said the publisher. " Three no trump." 13
I made it four spades. He said four no trump, the others passed.14 He had beautiful cards, and with my spades, it was perfect.
The professor dealt the next hand.
The publisher was telling how he had gone into the Russian sector of Vienna and taken photographs.
" Are you permitted to take pictures there? " I asked.
" No, " he said and laughed.
The professor said, " They could have confiscated your camera."
" Could they? " said the publisher. " I know our Consul General."
The man with the neutral face won the bid with five diamonds." He pulled in the first three tricks." But on the next play, he had to let the publisher in.
The professor was dummy.17 " Do you think there'll be a war? " he said suddenly. He seemed worried. He didn't want anything to happen during his sabbatical year.
" What do you want to do with the Reds? " said (he publisher. " Give them another five years, and they'll be unbeatable."
" I've been in France, " said the professor, " and in Italy, and Germany, and Austria—the trouble with those people is that they really don't believe in democracy as we do. Even in England..."
" You mean they won't fight for it? " said the publisher. " After all we've done for them? "
" Are we playing bridge? " demanded the neutral-faced man. He was losing. The rest of the hand was played in silence.
It was " my deal.
" I don't know, " the professor said slowly. " I guess quite a few18 of them won't fight. Those governments should introduce our election system. I've given some lectures on it."
The publisher was looking over the score.18 -" Lectures! " he said, contemptuously. " You won't get them with lectures.", " How will you get them? " I asked.
" How do you get anything? " the publisher shot back. " Money."
The professor was picking up his cards. " Money! Look at the money we sank into Chiang-Kai-shek! " 20
It was an unfortunate remark. The publisher didn't like it, and the man with the neutral face looked questioningly at the professor. Throughout the hand, 21 I could see that the professor was trying to fish for something proper to say to make up for his faux pas.22
Eventually, he addressed the publisher. “You're right— they are getting too strong. Look what we have against us, already: the Russians, the Chinese, those people in Eastern Europe—and all the trouble the French and the British are having in their colonies—and the unrest in Western Europe— the problem of India... We must stop them somewhere! " " We'll stop them all right! " 23 said the publisher. " Like in Korea? " I asked.
" Three hearts, " said the publisher. " MacArthur24 made a fool of himself. Getting half our Army stuck there!..."
" They're insidious, " 25 the professor said. " That's the trouble with them. I read their papers."
" You read Russian? " asked the neutral-faced man.
The professor hesitated. " A little..." Then he recovered. " I have to—for my work, you know! They are building dams and canals; new factories all over, even in those satellite countries. They may be having their troubles, but production is going up and prices are coming down, there. Those things get around! 26 That's why it's so insidious! That's why I'm not sure at all people will fight for our Western democracy! ''
The man with the neutral face put down his cards.
" According to what you say, it is already too late for us."
The professor was frantic. " I don't mean that. No, I really don't. We've got the bomb! "
it was probably unkind to add to the professor's discomfort. But I'm sensitive on the subject of atomic bombs. " I thought you wanted to teach them democracy! " I said. " Besides, the others have the bomb, too! "
" Yes, " said the publisher. " Damn them."
I felt the eyes of the neutral-faced man on me. " And you? " he inquired. " What do you think? "
" You're a policeman, aren't you? " I asked back.
His lips thinned into a pinched smile. " I work for the Government, " he answered.
The professor looked very gray. The publisher laughed. He laughed so hard that this time his chins moved. " Suppose we break it up, boys! " he called out after he had got his face back into shape. " Let's go to the bar."
He didn't bother to figure27 the final score.
" I do hope the weather will be good tomorrow, " said the professor. “I would so much like to see the Jungfrau."
Notes
1. bridge—a card game, similar to whist, for four players (The name is said to come from the Russian биржа)
2. lobby (Am.)—a hall) a foyer of a hotel
3. Play bridge? Care to join us? (colloquial-elliptical) = Do you play bridge? Would you care to join us? (care to—like, wish, be willing to, e.g. Would you care to
have a swim? I wouldn’t care (I would not like) to share a room with him.
4 Interlaken [inta'lirksnj—a resort in central Switzerland
5 Jungfrau ['juinfrau! — a peak 13, 668 feet high in the Bernese Alps, South of interlaken
6 Indiana—north central state of the U.S.A.
7. New England—northeast section of the United States, comprising six states (Main, New Hampshire, Vermont. Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut)
8. Sabbatical leave—in America a year of free time for rest, travel or research given to a college professor every seventh year
9. a coupon clipper in the medium brackets—a person who lives on the interest received from his moderate capital (bracket—a section of the population having a certain income level, e.g. the high income bracket)
10. to come on a lark – to come for the purpose of amusing oneself
11. The schilling isn't worth a damned thing (coltoq.) =the schilling is worth nothing (schilling = 100 groschen, the monetary unit of Austria)
12. better off—richer, in a more satisfactory state
13. Three no trump {cards)—rpii 6e3^KO3tipfl
14. pass (cards)—naccoiJaTb
15. won the bid with five diamonds (cards)—KynHJi nrpy 3a nHTb 6y6eH
16. tricks (cards)—b3htkh
17. dummy (cards)—in bridge one player sometimes lays his cards face up on the table and his partner plays both hands. That player is calied a dummy.
18. quite a few (colloq.) =rather many
19. score (cards and sport)—3anuch, c^t
20. Look at the money we sank into Chiang-Kai-shek—an allusion to the financial support given by the U.S.A. government to Chiang-Kai-shek, a reactionary Chinese general
21. hand (cards)—here- game
22. to make up for his faux pas—to make his companions forget his unfortunate remark (faux pas french lit.— false step)
4. He might have- been a business man.
5. They should introduce our kind of election system.
6. You're a policeman, aren't you?
JExerclse VI. Replace the words c words or expressions
1. He was gathering material for a book on modern democracy.
2. He murmured something I didn't understand.
3. They went to Paris to amuse themselves.
4. At last he addressed the publisher.
5. He was beyond himself.
6. It gave him pleasure to increase the professor's confusion.
Exercise VII. Give English equivalents for the following and use them In sentences of your ownr
oOpaiuaTbca c km-jihGo, xojieiibie pyKH, qflHH flo/map B rofl, He npHHHMaTE> < 5jih3KO k cepAuy, mtth upaxoM, jKajiofia, b omycKy, npofjopMOTarb, hh < iepra He ctoht, dxrrorpaiJiH-poBatb, 6eja b tom, ito..., npoiirpbiBaTb, npe3pHTejibHO, Hey^aiHoe 3aMe43HHe, aarvia, nHTi>, a KOHue kohuob, oc-raTbCfl B Aypanax, 6uii> BHe ce6n, yBejiniHTb CMymeHHe, npepBarb nrpy
rcise VIII. Complete the sentences given below by adding containing an Infinitive ns in the modeh:
phrase
Models: It was unkind of him to add to the professor's discomfort. Is it permitted to take photographs there?
1. It is necessary for him....
2. It was important for us....
3. It is sometimes difficult for me....
4. There was no reason for them....
5. It was impolite of you....
6. It was very generous of them....
7. It was impossible for the children....
“ The Dinner Party”
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