A loud, ringing peal of female laughter rose from the street below, and stopped abruptly. Gurdweill smiled benevolently and placed the wrung-out swaddling clothes neatly on the chair.

‘Yes, go ahead and laugh,’ he said silently to the invisible woman, ‘it’s a pleasure to hear you laugh!’ He did not hear a door opening and footsteps coming down the corridor. Now there was a knock at the door of the room, two hesitant taps, apparently with a single finger. Gurdweill put out his hand and opened the door.

‘Oh!’ he cried in surprise.

‘I’m disturbing you,’ said Lotte. ‘I’ve come at an inconvenient time.’

‘Not at all! On the contrary!’

Only now he realised that he was without a collar or jacket, and he blushed slightly.

‘Excuse me, Lotte, for my, er, appearance …’ he stammered in embarrassment. ‘I’ll get rid of all this in a minute. But please sit down, on the couch! I’m so glad! That you came now, I mean. I can’t tell you how glad I am! I’ll be free in a minute.’

He began hastily taking the laundry off the chair, but then he changed his mind and put it back and took hold of the half-full tub. Lotte watched him in silence.

‘Pardon the mess. During the day there’s no time, and now that the baby’s asleep …’

Lotte opened the door and he went out with the tub. From somewhere in the corridor came the sound of water splashing and gurgling and then the banging of the tin tub against a wall, or something of the kind. And a moment later he was back to take the laundry.

‘And you do all that yourself?’ said Lotte with a mocking note in her voice, nodding at the laundered swaddling clothes.

‘Yes, why not?’

‘Hmm, I should have thought that sort of thing was more suitable for a woman than a man …’

‘Old-fashioned prejudices, Lotte,’ said Gurdweill with a forced smile. ‘In our day and age roles aren’t so well defined.’

After hanging the laundry in the kitchen, on a line stretching from the window to the opposite wall, he returned to the room and put on his collar and jacket. Lotte sat on the couch in her coat and hat, playing nervously with her purse. She declined the tea or coffee that Gurdweill offered. There was no need for him to trouble himself; she really didn’t feel like anything to drink.

Gurdweill drew up a chair and sat down next to her. ‘How did you enjoy yourself in the Tyrol? I heard from Ulrich that you came back six days ago. I wanted to see you with all my heart but I simply couldn’t manage. As you see, I’m busy even in the evenings. The baby can’t be left alone.’

Lotte said ironically, ‘And I suppose Thea’s busy at the office in the evenings too …’