The Goose Man. Jakob Wassermann. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Jakob Wassermann
Издательство: Bookwire
Серия:
Жанр произведения: Языкознание
Год издания: 0
isbn: 4064066161590
Скачать книгу
is.”

      Jordan began to eat rapidly, but soon lost his appetite, pushed his plate to one side, propped his chin on his hands, and stared at the immobile clouds of tobacco smoke before him.

      He had a feeling that it was no longer possible to keep at this work day after day, year in and year out. Running from one end of the city to the other, up and down the same stairs, through the same old streets—he could not do it. Answering the same questions, making the same assertions, refuting the same objections, praising the same plan in the same words, feigning the same interest and quieting the same distrust day after day—no, he could not do it. Disturbing the same people in their domestic peace, prodding himself on to new effort every morning, listening to the same curtain lectures of that monster of monsters, the insatiate stock market, and standing up under the commands of his chief, Alfons Diruf—no, he was no longer equal to it. It was all contrary to the dignity of a man of his years.

      He was ashamed of himself; and he was fearfully tired.

      He thought of his past life. He recalled how he had risen from poverty, and worked up to the position of a highly respected merchant. That was when he was in Ulm. There he had married Agnes, the blond daughter of the railroad engineer.

      But why had he never become rich? Other men who were distinctly inferior to him in shrewdness, diligence, and polish were now wealthy; he was poor. Three times he had been threatened with bankruptcy, and three times friends had come to his rescue. Then a partner joined him, invested some capital in the firm, and the business was once more on its feet.

      But it turned out that this partner was a stranger to loyalty and quite without conscience. “Jordan is a drag on the business,” he would say to his customers, “Jordan is stupid, Jordan cannot make a calculation.” And the partner never rested until Jordan was paid a set sum and eased out of the firm.

      He then tried his fortune here and there for eight or nine years. “Don’t worry, Jordan,” said Agnes, “everything will come out well.” But it did not. Whatever Jordan took hold of, he took hold of at the wrong end at the wrong time with the wrong people.

      He could not get on. Not only because his hand was heavy and his head too honest, but because he had allowed himself to be befooled by a chimera.

      Early in life he had had a dream, and all his enterprise and industry were directed toward the fulfilment of this dream. It had been impossible: he had never been able to save up enough money. Every time he discussed his favourite wish with Agnes, and told her about the happy days when he would be able to live his own life and be his own boss, she encouraged him and tried to help him. But it seemed now that she had known all along that he had merely been dreaming, and that her magnanimity had prompted her not to jolt him out of his delusion.

      It had always seemed to him that the world of dolls was a world in itself. He had taken an enchanted delight in picturing the types of faces, clothes, and hair he would design for his various dolls, big and little. Dolls of the most variegated charm peopled his fancy: there were princesses of different degrees of proximity to the throne, fisher maids and mermaids; there were shepherds and shepherdesses, Casperls and lusty imps, dolls with heads of porcelain and dolls with heads of wax, all so faithfully imitated that it would require anthropomorphic skill to detect that they were not human beings. Their hair was, of course, to be human hair. Some of them were to wear the costumes of foreign races, while others were to be dressed up like fairy figures, sprites, and gnomes. There was to be a Haroun al Raschid and an Oriental Dervish.

      The last time he moved his choice fell on Nuremberg. He was attracted to Nuremberg because it was the centre of the doll industry.

      About this time Agnes died, and he was left alone with the three children for whom he had to make a living. He no longer had the courage to hope for success or prosperity; even the doll factory had become a chimera. He had but one ambition: he wished to lay aside ten thousand marks for each of his three daughters, so that they would be provided for in any event after his death. The boy, he thought, could take care of himself.

      Up to the present, however, he had not been able to place the half of this sum in the bank. And now, suppose he lost his position; suppose the frailties of old age prevented him from making his own living; suppose he was obliged to draw on the savings of years for his own support. How could he look his daughters in the face in the evening of his earthly life?

      “The slag hid behind something in the cellar, and when his wife tried to bring him his pants, she let them fall in the flour bin.” This elegant remark emanated from Bonengel the barber.

      His auditors gurgled, the waitress roared.

      As Jordan walked home he could hear above the wind the voice of Bonengel the barber. It sounded like the rattling of a pair of hair-clippers.

      He disliked walking up the steps to his front door; they were so narrow; they creaked as though they were ready to fall down; and he was always afraid he would meet some blind people. An oculist lived on the first floor, and he had often seen sightless persons feeling their way around.

      A letter was lying on his table. The cover bore the address of the General Agency of the Prudentia Insurance Co. He walked up and down a while before opening it. It was his discharge papers.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wBDAAMCAgMCAgMDAwMEAwMEBQgFBQQEBQoHBwYIDAoMDAsK CwsNDhIQDQ4RDgsLEBYQERMUFRUVDA8XGBYUGBIUFRT/2wBDAQMEBAUEBQkFBQkUDQsNFBQUFBQU FBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBT/wAARCAWgA4QDASIA AhEBAxEB/8QAHgAAAgICAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAABQYEBwMIAAIJAQr/xABiEAABAwIEBAQFAQUFBQUB ASEBAgMEBREABhIhBxMxQRQiUWEIFTJxgZEJFiNCoVKxwdHwJDNi0uEXJXKC8UNTkqI0dJSjsxg1 Y2RzhJOywhkmVHWDwzZWleInN0RFRlVl/8QAGgEAAwEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFBv/EADcR AAICAQMCBQIFAwMFAQEBAAABAhEhAxIxQVEEEyIyYXHwI0KBkaEzseEUUsEFQ2Jy0SRTgv/aAAwD AQACEQMRAD8A898r5tkRaw3zH1FhRPMC1XFvXBTiBW2py44hvBTBSSvQeqvfCSouhRUWdAB3sO+J UIuyXwA3rSB5rja2OVJe49De0vLsbMi1tqCiR4x8IZCQUBZv5vbADMVVNSqz72vWgKsix2Ce1sQa nzoryklvQlQumw2I9sYqXJQHil5CVBXQq7YML1D3N/hsbqDmJKIQRIcSXU3CAs7n0GAr9Yf5/PDy xIvfUDvf0/6YHKp76nykoKVX6W/uw6s8Mqk9TEulhQlFrUEEeb2H3tiaUc9yt/mVFuqMjWbZEakv liQEybAHSfMkdyMC8sZhdj1xpa3yGVE80uK2t674Fs0CWmUlpltznBViNJun1vjHVabMhICiwUN6 jdSU7X98JRUfT3G5xl6+KGviPmM1QRm40kORdJKtCtir0OB+RqszBcfTKfDbGkFOo979sLlPjyqg /wAtDZWLebbbGGfBl0ySUONqRcXG2xHtilS9Bnur8RBbMVVXKrLqkOlbKVWbKTtb2w0LzCh3KDaJ MhPjAFaQo+ZQHQnCHCecZCluMpWknylY2v7YxOyXXQUqBCr77YrDx2FvcfV3J9GrEiLKD6HVpfBu Fg74dMwZmQ82tcV5AlaE6+Wdwf5rYVY2XZLdIVIDJ5pTqtbzaf8A0wHa565CEtpUpy+wA74TqT+h UZOCruM9GzY9TpqbvKUyoEOJWq46dfvj7mrMC6khlLT2qPYkhJ6q98B6rT3ilLqWgG7+YoGwPvjD CZfWvSlnmIA81xtbCtNbxu4/h2MuQ8xpjPPRpToTGULjWdgr2wKzLUVrrj+hwlpKv4ek7W9RiPNo b8ZSHCyW21pukgbH1xOodMdcsXovMbUryFaf7sTaXrLTcvwr4GaLmdTuU0IkK1yAlQQVHdQHTCHG qTzEgPocUl4G4WDvfB6blSoyqmpoRXluLV/CS2gm47Wtg9WeHkykwT/sgMzlC5AudVt7e+Fe3Pcm T347AKRmSRPDhbXpfSkE6TuPU4+0nNcylP7vuOMqSeYhaiR998CaVR5fzNnkNL54WNgk3G+98PWZ sqyqjRCqJCN0rBcSy3uR67YeI+nuOU3N7+wOnV9+o0tD0dam0FdnFoO49Ptg5kTNq2WHmpy+Y0lV kOOHe1txfEHhllKoGRLcDDiYgbsorSQlSr9N+vfAzPVDms1JB5K/D2sNKfKDfC/8Bb/+5/BizvmJ UjMDoQ4pthFuWlBsLW6/rhspVfYcy1GXKWjxZSfqIClC+xwGpvCapT6E3PeZW3dRLaXE2JT62Pbr hVnZfqDE9yO8w6XtVkjSSSO1sPEvT2Gp7PX3MsfME01EOpfc52v6L7delvTDxW5UeVS5aojja5aE glKFAqSL+Y29sL