It was a cold day. I sat in my room writing letters. I
glanced out of the window. In the window directly opposite me stood Herr Stroh,
gazing blatantly upon me. I was annoyed at his interest. I pulled down the blind
and switched on the light to continue my writing. But the drawn blind and the
artificial light irritated me, and suddenly I didn’ t see why I shouldn’ t write
my letters by daylight without being stared at. I switched off the light and
released the blind. Herr Stroh had gone. I concluded that he had taken my action
as a signal of disapproval, and I settled back to write.
66. ____________ I left my room and went down to complain
to Frau Lublonitsch. "She’s gone to the market," Gertha said.
"She’ 11 be back in half an hour." 67. ____________
"I shall tell Frau Chef," she said. Something in her
manner made me ask, "Has this ever happened before.’" "Once or
twice this year," she said. "I’ 11 speak to Frau Chef." And she added, with her
music-hall grimace, "He was probably counting your eyelashes."
68. ____________ For nearly an hour I sat patiently at the
window. Herr Stroh rested his arms now and again, but he did not leave his seat.
I could see him clearly, although I think I imagined the grin on his face as,
from time to time, he raised the glasses to his eyes. There was no doubt that he
could see, as if it were within an inch of his face, the fury on mine. It was
too late now for one of us to give in, and I kept glancing down at the entrances
to the hotel Stroh, expecting to see Frau Lublonitsch or perhaps one of her sons
or the yard hands going across to deliver a protest. But no one from our side
approached the Stroh premises. I continue to stare, and Herr Stroh continued to
goggle through his glasses. Then he dropped them. It was as if
they had been jerked out of his hands by an invisible nudge. He approached close
to the window and gazed, but now he was gazing at a point above and slightly to
the left of my room. After about two minutes, he turned and
disappeared. 69. ____________ "Did she
telephone to his house" "No, Frau Chef doesn’t use the phone;
it mixes her up." "Who protested, then" "Frau
Chef." "But she hasn’t been across to see him. I’ ve been
watching the house." "No, Frau Chef doesn’t visit with him. But
don’t worry, he knows all right that he mustn’t annoy our guests."
When I looked out of the window again, I saw that the blind of Herr
Stroh’ s room had been pulled down, and so it remained for the rest of my
stay. Meantime, I went out to post my letters in the box
opposite our hotel, across the path. The sun had come out more strongly, and
Herr Stroh stood in his doorway blinking up at the roof of the Guesthouse
Lublonitsch. He was engrossed, he did not notice me at all. 70.
____________ Like most of the roofs in that province, the
Lublonitsch roof had a railed ledge running several inches above the eaves, for
the purpose of preventing the snow from falling in heavy thumps during the
winter. On this ledge, just below an attic window, stood the gold-and-rose
ormolu clock that I had seen in Frau Lublonitsch’s splendid bedroom.
I turned the corner just as Herr Stroh gave up his gazing; he went
indoors, sullen and bent. Two car-loads of people who had moved into the hotel
that morning were now moving out, shifting their baggage with speed and the
signs of a glad departure. I know that his house was nearly empty.
A. I didn’ t want to draw his attention by following the line of
his gaze but I was curious as to what held him staring so trancelike up at our
roof. On my way back from the postbox I saw what it was.
B. I caught sight of a tiled stove constructed of mosaic tiles that were
not a local type. I also noticed, standing upon the cabinet, a large ornamental
clock; each curve and twirl in the case of this clock was overlaid with that
gildedbronze alloy which is known as ormolu. The clock twinkled in the sunlight
which slanted between the window hangings. C. I looked up a few
moments later, and this time Herr Stroh was seated on a chair a little way back
from the window. He was facing me squarely and holding to his eyes a pair
of field-glasses. D. I returned to my room. Herr Stroh still
sat in position, the field-glasses in his hands resting on his knees. As soon as
I came within view, he raised the glasses to his eyes. I decided to stare him
out until such time as Frau Lublonitsch should return and take the matter in
hand. E. Just then Gertha knocked at my door. "Frau Chef has
protested, and you won’t have any more trouble," she said. F.
So I lodged my complaint with Gertha.