It took him about twenty minutes to shave. Afterwards he stood in front of the mirror to change his tie to a black one with white stripes, which he had recently received as a gift from Dr Astel and which he was now going to wear for the first time. It was seven o’clock. The grey, rainy day was already drawing to a close, and the room was steeped in twilight. Gurdweill stood in front of the mirror and feasted his eyes on the new tie, which he considered more handsome than his own greenish one. Suddenly it seemed to him that someone was standing behind him. He shuddered. He whipped around and found Frau Fischer. ‘For God’s sake!’ he hissed through his teeth.

The old woman asked him if he wanted a cup of coffee. She had just brewed a pot and there was enough for him too. And her coffee was good, as Herr Gurdweill knew for himself. Pure coffee, without anything mixed in — her dear departed husband had adored it. You could search every café in the city for coffee like hers, he would say — and in the end you wouldn’t find it! And she might as well take the opportunity to tell him — she went on, scratching with one finger behind her ear — that her Siedl said that Herr Gurdweill had not yet paid this month’s rent, and it was already past the twentieth! Not that she was pressing him, God forbid; nothing could be further from her thoughts! On the contrary, if he didn’t have it now, she would gladly wait. She would even wait for a few weeks. She trusted Herr Gurdweill — pssss! No one more than him. She only wanted to remind him, in case he forgot. Because Herr Gurdweill had other things on his mind, of course … As for the coffee, she would bring it at once; it was still hot. Standing on the stove. No? What a shame! Such good coffee!