Iron Gustav Read Online Free PDF

looking almost pleased about the quarrel. Sophie had pulled the blanket up to her chin and behaved as if she heard nothing.
    ‘Sophie,’ implored her mother, ‘Father listens to you. Go and smooth him down and find out what’s really the matter, what’s the trouble with Erich – he was even quarrelling with him in his sleep. Sophie, please!’
    ‘I don’t want to have anything to do with your quarrels.’ Sophie sat up, her face pale and twitching. ‘Oh, how you get on my nerves! I can’t stand it any longer. Nothing but quarrels and scandal! What does one live for, then?’
    ‘To go to church, of course,’ sneered Eva, ‘and see Pastor Rienäcker. God, what a wonderful beard he has! You can’t get bored with that in front of you.’
    ‘I’m not speaking to you,’ cried the elder sister. ‘Oh, you’re beastly. You think because you … But I don’t want to speak evilly of you. God forgive me that I should behave like you …’
    ‘Children, don’t quarrel,’ begged the mother. ‘We could all live so happily together. We could be so comfortable. But no – only quarrels and trouble …’
    ‘I’m sorry, Mother,’ said Sophie resolutely, ‘but it’s not enough, your comfortable life as you call it. You like it, but it’s only you old people who do. We, the younger generation – I have to agree with Evchen and Erich about that – we prefer other things.’
    ‘Thanks, Miss Goody-Goody,’ interrupted Eva. ‘I don’t want your support. I can tell Mother what I want myself. But to be like Erich, coming home at one o’clock in the morning, getting drunk and pinching Father’s money …’
    ‘Oh, God,’ wailed the mother. ‘Erich can’t have done that! If Father gets to know, he’ll kill him. He can have money from me.’
    ‘But, Mother,’ argued Sophie, shocked, ‘you shouldn’t give Erich money behind Father’s back. Parents ought to stick together.’
    ‘I’ve never heard such rubbish!’ said Eva contemptuously. ‘That is so much priggish nonsense. Better for Erich to steal money than …’
    ‘What does he want money for?’ countered Sophie heatedly.
    ‘I’ll tell you what’s wrong with you, Sophie. You get out of doing anything here. You’d rather gad about with some dirty little cheat in the private ward than empty Father’s chamber pot. You think you’re God knows who and that He’ll give you full marks …’
    ‘Mother,’ cried Sophie tearfully. ‘Don’t let her talk in such a vulgar way, I can’t bear it.’
    ‘Yes, you’re too refined to listen to the truth but you’re not too refined to thrust it down our throats.’
    ‘I won’t stand it any longer.’ Sophie wiped away the tears with the sleeve of her nightgown. ‘And I don’t need to. I’ll speak with the Matron this very day and I’ll move my things to the Nurses’ Home this evening.’
    ‘Sophie,’ cried the mother, ‘don’t do that, please don’t! Father will never allow it. You’re our daughter and we’re a family and we should cling together.’
    ‘Yes, so as to quarrel,’ said Eva. ‘Sophie’s quite right, she should get away. And I’ll go as soon as I can. Everyone must look after himself, and all that stuff about family and parents and love is only nonsense.’
    ‘But, Evchen, we do love one another.’
    ‘We don’t,’ said Eva. ‘We can’t stand one another.’
    ‘I won’t listen any longer,’ said Sophie. ‘Talking like that just shows your lack of faith – both you and Erich. And you only want to go away because you don’t want any restrictions. I’ve seen it coming for a long time without having to meet you arm-in-arm with men. It’s shameful. I knew it when you used to go to the fairground. When you were only thirteen years old you let boys pay for you on the roundabouts.’
    ‘You’re jealous because nobody ever looks at
you
, Sophie.’
    ‘And you weren’t at all ashamed when the wind blew up your skirts so that people could even see the lace on your