‘I don’t care!’ Gurdweill interrupted her. ‘It makes no difference. A baby is a baby! Even if he were a complete stranger you wouldn’t have the right to ruin his eyes with smoke — it’s simply gratuitous cruelty!’

‘That’s enough! I don’t want to hear another word. Go downstairs and buy something for supper; I have to go out soon!’

For a moment he felt an urge to snatch the baby out of her hands and never let her touch him again — come what may! He wasn’t going to abandon his child to her caprices! But he controlled himself. At that moment he hated his wife, but he was no match for her. He consoled himself with the thought that he still needed her now, but the moment the child was weaned he would take him away from her! Nothing would stop him! He sent her a look full of suppressed hostility, which she did not notice, and left the room.

When he came back, Martin was lying in his carriage.

‘We have to bathe him first. We can eat later, after he’s gone to sleep.’

‘No, we’ll eat first! I told you I have to go out. You can bathe him yourself, or ask the old woman to help you.’

As soon as they had finished eating she got dressed and left. In the depths of his heart Gurdweill was glad. He could cope better by himself, without shouting and arguments. He cleared the table and brought in the little tin tub from the kitchen, put it on a chair, set out a clean diaper and bath towels, and went back to the kitchen to heat up a big kettle of water. The old landlady was happy to help him, as she had already done many times before. And a few minutes later the baby was splashing his tiny limbs in the lukewarm water, to his vast and evident delight. He laughed all over his face and Gurdweill laughed joyfully with him, as he scrubbed his smooth little body with a yellow sponge.

‘Aie, aie, aie!’ exclaimed Frau Fischer, holding the baby in the water. ‘A baby is a blessing in the house! A woman feels it more than a man. Especially a bonny baby like Martin! A real ray of sunshine, God save him, pssss!’

Gurdweill smiled at her gratefully. ‘She’s a kind-hearted old creature in spite of everything,’ he said to himself.