The Bridge on the Drina - PDFDrive.com

by Ivo Andrić

  word.Shegavetobeggersandthesickandwithmuchtactandcarehelpedrich

  familieswhohadfallenintodestitution,orphansandwidowsfrombetterhouses,

  allthose'ashamedpoor'whodidnotknowhowtobegandwereembarrassedat

  acceptingalms.Allthisshedidwiththesameskillassheshowedinrunningthe

  hotel and controlling the drunken, lustful and aggressive guests, taking from

  themallthatshecould,givingthemnothingandyetneverrefusingthemfinally

  orcompletely.

  Menwhoknewtheworldanditshistoryoftenthoughtthatitwasapitythatfate

  hadgiventhiswomansonarrowandundistinguishedaparttoplay.Hadherfate

  notbeenwhatorwhereitwas,whoknowswhatthiswiseandhumanewoman,

  whodidnotthinkonlyofherselfandwho,predatoryyetunselfish,beautifuland

  seductive but also chaste and cold, ran a small town hotel and emptied the

  pocketsofpettyCasanovas,couldhavebeenorcouldhavegiventotheworld.

  Perhapsshewouldhavebeenoneofthosefamouswomenofwhomhistorytells

  and who have controlled the destinies of great families, of courts or states,

  alwaysturningeverythingtogood.

  Atthattime,about1885,whenLottewasattheheightofherpowers,therewere

  richmen'ssonswhospentdaysandnightsinthehotel,inthatspecialroomwith

  doorsofmilkyfrostedglass.

  In the early evening they would drowse there, beside the stove, forgetting in

  dreamsorfatiguewheretheywereorwhytheyweresittingthereorwhatthey

  werewaitingfor.Profitingbythislull,Lottewouldwithdrawintoalittleroom

  on the first floor intended for the potboys, which she had converted into her

  'office' where she allowed no one to enter. That tiny room was heaped up with

  everykindoffurniture,withphotographsandobjectsofgold,silverandcrystal.

  There too, hidden behind a curtain, was Lotte's green steel safe and her little

  deskwhichwasquiteinvisiblebeneathapileofpapers,bills,receipts,accounts,

  Austriannewspapers,cuttingsaboutthemoneymarketandlotterylists.

  Inthattinyovercrowdedandstuffyroom,whoseonlywindow,smallerthanany

  otherinthebuilding,lookeddirectlyandatshortrangeontothesmallestarchof

  thebridge,Lottespenthersparemomentsandlivedthatsecond,hiddenpartof

  herlifewhichbelongedtoheralone.

  In it Lotte, in those hours of stolen freedom, read money market reports and

  studied prospectuses, wrote up accounts, answered letters from banks, made

  decisions,gaveinstructions,dealtwithbankdepositsandmadefreshpayments.

  Toallthosedownstairsandtotheworldingeneralthiswasanunknownsideof

  Lotte's work, the true and invisible part of her life. There she cast aside the

  smiling mask and her face grew hard and her glance sharp and sombre. From

  thisroomshecorrespondedwithherverynumerousrelatives,theApfelmaiersof

  Tarnovo,hermarriedsistersandbrothers,variousnephewsandniecesandallthe

  hordes of Jewish poor from Eastern Galicia, now scattered throughout Galicia,

  Austria and Hungary. She controlled the destinities of a whole dozen Jewish

  families,enteredintotheminutestdetailsoftheirlives,arrangedtheirmarrying

  and giving in marriage, sent healing to the sick, warned and admonished the

  workshy and spendthrift and praised the thrifty and industrious. She resolved

  theirfamilyquarrels,gavecounselincasesofmisunderstandinganddoubt,and

  incitedallofthemtoamoreunderstanding,betterandmoredignifiedwayoflife

  andatthesametimemadethismorepossibleandeasierforthem.Forwitheach

  of her letters she sent a money order for a sum sufficient to ensure that her

  counsels were listened to and her advice followed and that certain spiritual or

  bodilyneedsbesatisfiedorshortagesavoided.Inthisraisingofthestandardof

  the whole family and the setting of each individual member on his feet, she

  found her sole real satisfaction and a reward for all the burdens and

  renunciationsofherlife.WitheachmemberoftheApfelmaierfamilywhorose

  evenasinglestepinthesocialscale,Lottefeltthatshetooroseandinthatfound

  herrewardforherhardworkandtheforcetostruggleonward.

  Sometimes it happened that when she came up from the Extrazimmer so

  exhausted or disgusted that she had not even the strength to write or to read

  lettersandaccountsshesimplywenttothelittlewindowtobreathethefreshair

  from the river. Then her gaze would fall on that strong and graceful arch of

  stone, which filled the entire view, and the swift waters beneath. At dusk or

  dawn,insunshine,wintermoonlightorthesoftlightofthestars,thatarchwas

  always the same. Its two sides swept upwards, met at the sharp apex and

  supportedoneanotherinperfectandunwaveringbalance.Astheyearsrolledon

  thatbecameheronlyandfamiliarview,thedumbwitnesstowhomthisJewess

  withthetwofacesturnedinthemomentswhenshedemandedrestandfreshness

  andwheninhertradeandherfamilytrials,whichshealwayssolvedforherself,

  shecametoadeadcentreandapointwheretherewasnowayout.

  But such restful moments never lasted long for it always happened that they

  wereinterruptedbysomecryfromthecafébelow;ornewclientsdemandingher

  presence or some drunkard, awakened and ready for renewed onslaughts,

  shoutingformoredrinks,forthelampstobelighted,fortheorchestratocome, and always calling for Lotte. Then she would leave her lair and, carefully

  lockingthedoorwithaspecialkey,godowntowelcometheguests,orbyher

  smile and her special vocabulary to smooth down the drunkard like a newly

  awakened child and to help him to a chair where he could recommence his

  nightlysessionofdrinking,conversation,songandspending.

  Down below everything went wrong when she was not there. The guests

  squabbled among themselves. A beg from Crnče, young, pale and haggard,

  spilled every drink brought to him, retorted to everything said to him and

  insisted on picking quarrels with the staff or the guests. Save for a few short

  intervals,hehadbeendrinkinginthehotelfordayspast,andlustingafterLotte,

  but he had drunk so much and longed so greatly that it was clear that some

  deeper, much greater misery unknown even to himself was driving him on,

  somethinggreaterthanhisunrequitedlovefor,andunreasonablejealousyof,the

  lovelyJewessfromTarnovo.

  Lottewentuptohimfearlessly,easilyandnaturally.

  'Whatisit,Eyub?Whatareyoumakingsuchanoiseabout?'

  'Wherehaveyoubeen?Iwanttoknowwhereyouhavebeen..,'stammeredthe

  drunkardinavoicealreadyappeasedandlookingatherasifshewereavision.

  'They are giving me some sort of poison to drink. They are poisoning me, but

  theydonotknowthatI...ifI
...'

  'Sitdown,sitdownquietly,'thewomanconsoledhim,withherwhiteperfumed

  hands playing just in front of the young beg's face. 'Sit down. I will get you

  bird'smilktodrinkifyouwantit.Iwillgetitforyoumyself.'

  ShecalledthewaiterandgaveanorderinGerman.

  'Don't talk that lingo which I don't understand in front of me; all this firtzen-fiirtzen, forI...wellyouknowme....'

  'Iknow,Iknow,Eyub:Iknownoonebetterthanyou,Eyub,butyouIknow....'

  'Hm!Whohaveyoubeenwith?Tellme!'

  The conversation between the drunk man and the sober woman maundered on

  without end or meaning, without sense or conclusion, beside bottles of some

  expensivewineandtwoglasses;one,Lotte's,alwaysfullandtheother,Eyub's,

  continuallyfilledandemptied.

  While the young spendthrift stuttered and muttered on in his thick drunkard's voiceaboutlove,death,hopelessyearningandsimilarmatterswhichLotteknew

  byheart,fortheywerethestockintradeofeverylocaldrunkard,sherose,went

  over to the other tables at which sat the other guests who met regularly every

  eveninginthehotel.

  Atonetablewasagroupofyoungworthieswhohadonlyjustbeguntofrequent

  the cafés and drink, town snobs for whom Zarije's inn was too boring and too

  ordinaryandwhowerestillintimidatedbythehotel.Attheotherswereofficials,

  strangers,withanofficerortwowhohadabandonedtheofficers'messforthat

  day and come down to the civilian hotel with the aim of touching Lotte for a

  quick loan. At a third were the engineers who were building the first forest

  railwayfortheexportoftimber.

  InacornerreckoningsomethingsatPavleRanković,oneoftheyoungbutricher

  merchantsandsomeAustrianorother,acontractorfortherailway.Pavlewasin

  Turkishstyledresswitharedfezwhichhedidnottakeoffinthecafé.Hissmall

  eyes looked like two lighted slits, black and thin in his pale face, but which

  could widen and become unusually large and diabolically merry in exceptional

  moments of joy or triumph. The contractor was in a grey sports suit with high

  yellowlacedbootswhichreachedtohisknees.Thecontractorwaswritingwith

  agoldpencilattachedtoasilverchain,andPavlewithashortstubwhichsome

  wooddealer,amilitarycontractor,hadleftbehindinhisshopfiveyearsbefore

  when buying nails and hinges. They were concluding an agreement for the

  feeding of the workers on the line. Completely wrapped up in their tasks, they

  multiplied, divided and added; they ranged rows of figures, one set visible, on

  paper, by which each hoped to convince and deceive the other, and another,

  invisible and in their heads, closely and quickly reckoned, in which each for

  himselfsoughtforhiddenpossibilitiesandprofits.

  ForeachoftheseguestsLottefoundtherightwords,afullsmileorevenasilent

  glancefullofunderstanding.Thenshereturnedoncemoretotheyoungbegwho

  wasagainbeginningtobecomeuneasyandaggressive.

  Inthecourseofthatnight,throughoutthewholedrinkingbout,withallitsnoisy,

  yearning, lachrymose or coarse phases, which she knew so well, Lotte would

  findafewmomentsinwhichshecouldgobackonceagaintoherroomandin

  the milky light of the porcelain lamp continue her rest or her correspondence,

  untildownstairssomescenewouldbeginagainoruntiltheycalledherdown.

  Tomorrow was another day, just such another with the same scene of drunken

  spending,andforLottethesameanxietieswhichshemustmeetwithasmiling

  faceandthesametaskwhichalwaysseemedaneasyyetdesperategame.

  It seemed incomprehensible and inexplicable how Lotte could manage the

  quantity and variety of tasks which she carried out day after day and which

  demanded of her more cunning than a woman has and more strength than any

  man could muster. But none the less she was able to finish everything, never

  complaining, never explaining anything to anyone, never speaking about any

  taskwhichshehadjustfinishedorwhichstillawaitedher.Despiteallthatshe

  alwaysmanagedtofindanhourortwoeverydayforAlibegPašić.Hewasthe

  only man whom the town believed had won Lotte's sympathy, genuinely and

  independently of any source of profit. But he was also the most reserved and

  taciturn man in the town. The eldest of the four Pašić brothers, he had never

  married(inthetownitwasbelievedthatthiswasbecauseofLotte),nevertook

  partinbusinessorpubliclife.Heneverdranktoexcessorwentintocaféswith

  menofhisownage.Hewasalwaysofthesamemood,universallyamiableand

  restrainedtowardsall,withoutdistinction.Quietandreserved,hedidnotavoid

  societyorconversation,yetnooneeverrememberedanyopinionexpressedby

  him or ever repeated anything that he had said. He was sufficient unto himself

  and completely satisfied with what he was and what he seemed in the eyes of

  others.Hehimselfhadnoneedtobeortoseeminanywaydifferentfromwhat

  hewasandnooneexpectedhimoraskedhimtobeanythingelse.Hewasoneof

  thosemenwhobeartheirsocialpositionassomeheavyandnoblecallingwhich

  completely fills their lives; an inborn, great and dignified position justified by

  itselfaloneandwhichcannotbeexplained,nordeniednorimitated.

  WiththeguestsinthelargehallLottehadlittlecontact.Thatwasthejobofthe

  waitressMalčikaandthe 'zahlkelner' Gustav.MalčikawasashrewdHungarian

  girlwellknowntothewholetownwholookedlikethewifeofsomeliontamer,

  andGustav,asmall,reddishCzech-Germanofirrasciblenature,bloodshoteyes,

  bow legs and flat feet. They knew all the guests and all the townspeople; they

  knew who were or were not good payers, their habits when drunk, whom to

  receivecoldlyandwhomtowelcomecordiallyandwhomnottoallowtoenterat

  allfor'hewasnotforthishotel'.Theytookcarethattheguestsshoulddrinkalot

  andshouldpayregularly,butthateverythingshouldendsmoothlyandwellsince

  it was Lotte's motto: 'Nur kein Skandal!' If sometimes, exceptionally, it so

  happened that someone went unexpectedly be-serk in his cups or, after already

  getting drunk at some less reputable café, should force his way into the room,

  then Milan the servant appeared, a tall broad-shouldered and hairy man from

  Lika, of gigantic strength, a man who spoke little and did all the odd jobs. He was always correctly dressed as a hotel servant (Lotte saw to that). He was

  alwaysinhisshirt-sleeves,withabrownwaistcoatandwhiteshirt,withalong

  apron of green cloth, with sleeves rolled back summer and winter to show his

  huge forearms as hairy as two brushes, and with finely waxed moustaches and

  black hair stiff with perfumed military pomade.
Milan was the man who

  extinguishedeveryscandalatitsveryconception.

  There was a long-established and consecrated tactic for this disagreeable and

  undesiredoperation.Gustavkeptthefuriousanddrunkenguestinconversation

  untilMilancameupbehindhim;thenthe zahlkelner suddenlymovedoutofthe

  way and Milan seized the drunkard from behind, one arm round his waist and

  theotherroundhisneck,soswiftlyandskilfullythatnoonewaseverabletosee

  what'Milan'sgrip'reallywas.Theneventhestrongestofthetownne'er-do-wells

  flewlikearag-dollthroughthedoorswhichMalčikaheldopenatjusttheright

  moment,andthroughthemintothestreet.AtthesamemomentGustavthrewhis

  hat,stickandanythingelsehehadwithhimafterhimandMilanputthewhole

  weight of his body and clanged down the metal shutter over the door. All this

  was over in the twinkling of an eye, in close co-operation and smoothly, and

  almost before the other guests could turn to look, the unwelcome visitor was

  alreadyinthestreetandcould,ifhewerereallymaddened,beatafewtimeswith

  knifeorstoneontheroller-blindsasthemarksonitshowed.Butthatwasnota

  scandal in the hotel but in the street, a matter for the police who in any case alwayshadamanonpatrolinfrontofthehotel.IthadneverhappenedtoMilan,

  as had been the case in other cafés, that the guest knocked anyone down or

  rushedthroughtheroomsbreakingtablesandchairsorclungwitharmsandlegs

  to the door so that afterwards not even a yoke of oxen could drag him away.

  Milan never brought any excessive zeal or bad humour to his task, no love of

  fighting or personal prejudice; therefore he finished the matter swiftly and

  perfectly.Aminuteaftertheexpulsionhewasbackathisworkinthekitchenor

  pantry as if nothing had happened. Gustav only went, as if by chance, through

  the Extrazimmer and looking at Lotte, who sat at some table with the better guests,suddenlyclosedbotheyeswhichmeantthatsomethinghadhappenedbut

  thateverythingwasnowsettled.ThenLotte,withoutstoppingherconversation