Gurdweill knew this speech off by heart. He had heard about the old lady’s two stomachs and the rest ad nauseam. But today he felt kindly disposed and he listened with enjoyment, as if he were hearing it all for the first time. She went on chattering. Now she was telling him, as she did every morning when she came to tidy his room and he was still there, about the news she had read in the Journal, especially the murders and catastrophes, which were the only things that interested her and for whose sake she bought the paper. Wagging her head sympathetically, she told him about the officer who had murdered his mistress in Paris, ‘shot her in the head with his pistol five times he did, and she died on the spot, poor little thing,’ and about an earthquake in China, where three thousand people had been killed and three thousand had been left ‘naked and without a roof over their heads, aie, aie, aie!’ and about a bank robbery in broad daylight in the heart of Chicago.

Gurdweill finished getting dressed and went into the kitchen to make himself tea. He decided to stay at home and work. He had a great desire to work and a feeling that his work would go well today. When he returned with the sooty kettle, the room was tidy and the old woman on the point of leaving. But she came back and stood before him with her broom and cloth, and said with a certain hesitation: ‘My Siedl says that I should put the rent up by five schillings. Prices have gone up, Herr Gurdweill, you know that yourself. But I told her: Herr Gurdweill is a quiet, decent man. We’ll give him another month. The room is really an excellent room. You see for yourself, Herr Gurdweill! Big and clean — you won’t find half a flea here, not if you search all day long.’

‘I can’t manage it at the moment. I’ll talk to your daughter about it.’

Now the old woman heard every word. ‘That’s quite all right, Herr Gurdweill. Not now, but next month. And it makes no difference if you talk to Siedl or me. No difference at all. The room’s for nothing, even with the extra five schillings! Where will you find such a nice big room for forty schillings? And for two people! It’s only because you’re such a decent man.’

‘Good,’ said Gurdweill, ‘we’ll come to some arrangement.’

He borrowed a small sum from the old lady and went downstairs to buy himself some food and cigarettes. Then he sat down to work.