While Balint and his companions sat round a marble-topped table and ordered beer, sausages and hot pies, Wickwitz was hurrying with his schoolboy companion toward the Miloth town house.
The Miloths lived in a house in the heart of the medieval part of the town. It was built on a narrow plot that had its front on the Unio street while the back could be reached through one of the narrow little alleys that abounded in the old town. It was to this back entrance that Zoltan led Wickwitz. Leaving the officer outside the boy went in to make sure that the coast was clear. While still on their way he had told Wickwitz that Judith wanted to see him. If she wants to see me, thought Wickwitz, then all is well … and still a secret! That’s a good sign. Wickwitz repeated these words to himself several times: with his limited vocabulary he thought only in short sentences. Despite the success of his plans he was not over excited. The boy had told him to wait, so he waited. He was used to it, for life in the army often entailed waiting for long periods without any apparent reason. In the meantime he walked up and down, slowly and deliberately, and when he saw a pretty maid come out of one of the neighbouring houses and cast admiring glances at the handsome young officer in the street, he automatically took note of the number of the house from which she had emerged.
Zoltan soon returned and beckoned urgently to Wickwitz, who moved quickly inside the house and followed the boy up a dim service stairway leading to the upper floors. Zoltan took the stairs three or four steps at a time. Arriving at the top floor Zoltan showed the officer into what seemed to have been a schoolroom and himself disappeared down a corridor. As he waited, Egon looked for a place to put his cap. The furniture was grubby and obviously rarely used. First he thought of putting it on a bed that stood against the wall, but thought better of it, reflecting that one never knew when a bed might not be useful. Finally he hung it on the corner of a washstand.
He heard light steps in the passage outside. The door opened and Judith entered quickly, holding out her hand with a nervous gesture.
‘I sent for you to come because they’re sending me away, to Vienna … perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow!’ Judith was excited and out of breath, and sank down into one of the Thonet chairs beside the dusty work table. The young man sat beside her, gazing at her with his great soulful spaniel’s eyes. ‘It’s because I told them,’ she went on breathlessly. ‘I told them yesterday that we loved each other and that you wanted to marry me!’
Wickwitz shook his head gravely and waited until she spoke again.
‘I know that it was only your noble nature that prevented you … I know that but I love you! I don’t care about anything. I love you and I want to save you!’
Wickwitz stretched out his hand and held hers tightly as a sign of gratitude and encouragement. At his touch her face began to soften its expression and tension, and he could see the tears that stained her lashes.
‘You can’t imagine how awful it was! Papa shouted, of course, as he always does; but Mama, Mama said the most dreadful things …’ and she broke off, too ashamed to admit that her mother had slapped her face as if she had been a small girl caught out in some naughtiness. ‘It was terrible, terrible! But I didn’t give in and I’ll hold out whatever they do to me. That’s what I had to tell you!’ and she put her free hand over the one of his that already held her in a gesture of one who makes a solemn vow.
Wickwitz felt that his turn had come to speak, but he could not think of anything better than ‘How good you are, Judith!’
Even he realized that something more was called for and so not knowing what to say, he stood up, pulled the girl towards him and kissed her on the mouth. This, he thought to himself, was better and simpler way than words. When, after a long kiss, he released her, she continued to speak, softly but with great determination.
‘I belong to you! I am yours for ever! I don’t mind how long we have to wait, even if it’s the two whole years before I’m of age. I’ll hold out if you do.’ She paused, and then, as if sensing his thoughts, she said, ‘Could you … because of …?’
The devil waits for no one, thought Wickwitz. If the matter of Dinora’s drafts became known, ‘Dishonourably Discharged’ was all he could expect. The words burned into him like a flame. Still he could not break the thread that he had spun so successfully. He could not ruin everything by merely saying, ‘No! I won’t wait!’ So, somewhat hesitantly, but still with enough emphasis to keep the girl reassured, he said: ‘I’ll wait as long as I can! And if, after all, everything comes out and I’m exposed … well, then, Schluss — it’s the end, as I told you yesterday. But, as long as it’s possible Treu bis an der Tod! — True unto death!’ and he laughed sadly.
The choice of the little German phrase was a happy one and had an immediate effect on the girl. She shook herself and clutched convulsively at his arm.
‘No!’ she cried. ‘Don’t even say it! Never that! But how much time do we have? How long can you hold out? I can’t do anything now … but if I have time I’ll do it. I promise!’
‘Two months, three at the most. In the meantime I’ll do what I can. I’ll try to stall it until you come back … if then …’ he left the phrase unfinished knowing he could hardly say ‘If you’re my wife then your family will pay my debts!’ So he kissed her again, and while doing so he thought that maybe he could get an extension on Dinora’s drafts by somehow arranging to pay the interest.
‘I’m sure we won’t stay in Vienna more than four weeks — six at the most!’ She pressed herself to him: ‘Until then! Can I be sure that until then … you won’t …?’
‘I swear it!’ said Wickwitz in a voice as brave and manly as he could make it. ‘But where will you be in Vienna?’
Before Judith could answer Zoltan had put his head round the door and whispered urgently: ‘Come quickly, Judith! Margit’s just called to ask if you were with me. Mama’s looking for you. You’d better go down quickly!’
As Egon and Judith exchanged another quick embrace, Margit’s voice could be heard in the distance calling out: ‘Yes, Mama, of course I’ve called her! She’s coming at once!’ and her voice faded away at the last words, showing that she had already started to descend the main stairway.
Judith quickly glided along the corridor to the head of the stairs where she looked back, just for an instant, as Zoltan was hurrying Egon back the way he had come.
‘Quickly now!’ hissed the boy, and Egon, tucking his sword under his arm, ran down the stairs and into the street. Once outside he straightened up, let his sword hang free, and with an unmistakable swagger walked back towards the centre of the town. Catching a glimpse of himself reflected in a shop window, he stopped for a moment to twirl his moustaches and admire the splendour of his own image.
Balint got home just as midday was striking. As he entered the main hall of the house he met one of his mother’s housekeepers coming out of the kitchen passage. This time it was not Mrs Baczo but Mrs Tothy, though as they were so alike it made no difference. Balint at once gave orders that no word should ever be uttered about the duel in his mother’s presence, even now that it was all over. He explained that everyone should know this lest the Countess should catch an unguarded word and be angry that no one, neither her son nor her servants, had told her what had happened.