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Back The Woman on the Stairs Save as PDF
Chapters (83)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by Bernhard Schlink
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Part One
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. Part Two
  33. 1
  34. 2
  35. 3
  36. 4
  37. 5
  38. 6
  39. 7
  40. 8
  41. 9
  42. 10
  43. 11
  44. 12
  45. 13
  46. 14
  47. 15
  48. 16
  49. 17
  50. 18
  51. 19
  52. 20
  53. 21
  54. 22
  55. 23
  56. 24
  57. 25
  58. Part Three
  59. 1
  60. 2
  61. 3
  62. 4
  63. 5
  64. 6
  65. 7
  66. 8
  67. 9
  68. 10
  69. 11
  70. 12
  71. 13
  72. 14
  73. 15
  74. 16
  75. 17
  76. 18
  77. 19
  78. 20
  79. 21
  80. 22
  81. Author’s Note
  82. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  83. What’s next onyour reading list?

She went up the stairs ahead of me, with a quick step, and I took in her feet, her flat shoes, her bare calves, her thighs and bottom in tight pants that ended just below the knee. I had left my apartment door open, and she entered slowly, looking around, completely at ease. She walked into the large room that I used as a living room and work room, walked over to the window, looked down at the street, then looked over the manuscript on my desk. “What are you writing?”

“The Federal Supreme Court handed down a ruling on copyright law…” I could not continue. I hadn’t taken her into my arms downstairs, and would have liked to do it now, but with my charmless smile, my too-long arms, my too-big hands, and my clunky movements, it seemed so wrong that I didn’t dare.

“Copyright law…what do we need to discuss?”

“Don’t you want to sit down? Would you like tea or coffee or…”

“Nothing, thank you, I need to be off.” But she sat down in the armchair I had surrounded with books and periodicals, and I sat down in the one opposite.

“When I go to Gundlach’s tomorrow…It’s a wealthy neighbourhood. Will my car look out of place if I park on the street? Will I look out of place there? Do the people all know each other, and will they notice a stranger?”

“Leave your car in the village you have to drive through to get to Gundlach. From there you walk, it’s half an hour, no more. Are you afraid?” She scrutinized my face.

I shook my head. “I’m glad. That you and I…What I said two days ago…I ambushed you. I’d like to say it again, this time better, but I’m afraid I’d ambush you again, and I’d rather wait until we have all the time in the world. No, I’m not afraid. You?”

She laughed. “That it won’t work out? That I’ll be reviled? That I’ll be abducted?”

“I don’t know. What will you do with the painting?”

“Nothing, as long as I don’t have it.” She stood up. “I have to go.”

Where to? I’d have liked to ask, and whether she loved me back, or might one day, and whether she was still sleeping with Schwind, and how it would go on Sunday, when we were sitting in the car. I asked her none of that. I stood up and wrapped my arms around her. She did not nuzzle into me, but neither did she recoil, and when she stepped back, she kissed me on the cheek, and ran her hand over my head. “You’re a good kid.”

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