‘You think so? Lotte Bondheim: do you think she resembles Thea, for example? Or Jenny Koppler, or any other woman you like? No, no, my friend — you can’t pull the wool over my eyes!’

‘I admit that she’s different from them, and that’s the reason I love her.’

‘You love her, you say. Don’t make me laugh! It would be more correct to say — but you’ll only get upset again …’

‘Go on, say it! I’m interested to hear.’

‘I would say, fear —’

‘Oh no, not again,’ groaned Gurdweill. ‘That damned word again, that idiotic word! If you don’t stop I’ll … I’ll go out of my mind.’

‘Come, come, calm down. It’s not so easy, you know. I promise you: you won’t go out of your mind. You know what you need? You need a little courage, and that’s all.’

‘What do I need courage for? I’ve got enough already! And another thing: I don’t want to fight anybody … I want peace and quiet!’

‘That’s exactly the problem. You think it will help you, but you’re only putting it off — in the end you’ll have to fight! And the longer you wait the harder it will be …’

‘I tell you I won’t fight, and I won’t fight! And anyway, there’s nobody for me to fight. Do you hear? I don’t want to! I don’t want to! And now let me go to sleep, to sleep, to sleep!’