the guns in the town of greinstein were faintly audible. the family of schnitzelhaaser lived alone there in mourning, an old man and old woman. they never went out or saw any one, for they knew they could not speak as though they did not mourn. they feared that their secret would escape them. they had never cared for the war that the war lord made. they no longer cared what he did with it. they never read his speeches; they never hung out flags when he ordered flags: they hadn’t the heart to.
they had had four sons.
the lonely old couple would go as far as the shop for food. hunger stalked behind them. they just beat hunger every day, and so saw evening: but there was nothing to spare. otherwise they did not go out at all. hunger had been coming slowly nearer of late. they had nothing but the ration, and the ration was growing smaller. they had one pig of their own, but the law said you might not kill it. so the pig was no good to them.
they used to go and look at that pig sometimes when hunger pinched. but more than that they did not dare to contemplate.
hunger came nearer and nearer. the war was going to end by the first of july. the war lord was going to take paris on this day and that would end the war at once. but then the war was always going to end. it was going to end in 1914, and their four sons were to have come home when the leaves fell. the war lord had promised that. and even if it did end, that would not bring their four sons home now. so what did it matter what the war lord said.
it was thoughts like these that they knew they had to conceal. it was because of thoughts like these that they did not trust themselves to go out and see other people, for they feared that by their looks if by nothing else, or by their silence or perhaps their tears, they might imply a blasphemy against the all highest. and hunger made one so hasty. what might one not say? and so they stayed indoors.
but now. what would happen now? the war lord was coming to greinstein in order to hear the guns. one officer of the staff was to be billeted in their house. and what would happen now?
they talked the whole thing over. they must struggle and make an effort. the officer would be there for one evening. he would leave in the morning quite early in order to make things ready for the return to potsdam: he had charge of the imperial car. so for one evening they must be merry. they would suppose, it was herr schnitzelhaaser’s suggestion, they would think all the evening that belgium and france and luxemburg all attacked the fatherland, and that the kaiser, utterly unprepared, quite unprepared, called on the germans to defend their land against belgium.
yes, the old woman could imagine that; she could think it all the evening.
and then,—it was no use not being cheerful altogether,—then one must imagine a little more, just for the evening: it would come quite easy; one must think that the four boys were alive.
hans too? (hans was the youngest).
yes, all four. just for the evening.
but if the officer asks?
he will not ask. what are four soldiers?
so it was all arranged; and at evening the officer came. he brought his own rations, so hunger came no nearer. hunger just lay down outside the door and did not notice the officer.
a this supper the officer began to talk. the kaiser himself, he said, was at the schartzhaus.
“so,” said herr schnitzelhaaser; “just over the way.” so close. such an honour.
and indeed the shadow of the schartzhaus darkened their garden in the morning.
it was such an honour, said frau schnitzelhaaser too. and they began to praise the kaiser. so great a war lord, she said; the most glorious war there had ever been.
of course, said the officer, it would end on the first of july.
of course, said frau schnitzelhaaser. and so great an admiral, too. one must remember that also. and how fortunate we were to have him: one must not forget that. had it not been for him the crafty belgians would have attacked the fatherland, but they were struck down before they could do it. so much better to prevent a bad deed like that than merely to punish after. so wise. and had it not been for him, if it had not been for him...
the old man saw that she was breaking down and hastily he took up that feverish praise. feverish it was, for their hunger and bitter loss affected their minds no less than illness does, and the things they did they did hastily and intemperately. his praise of the war lord raced on as the officer ate. he spoke of him as of those that benefit man, as of monarchs who bring happiness to their people. and now, he said, he is here in the schartzhaus beside us, listening to the guns just like a common soldier.
finally the guns, as he spoke, coughed beyond ominous hills. contentedly the officer went on eating. he suspected nothing of the thoughts his host and hostess were hiding. at last he went upstairs to bed.
as fierce exertion is easy to the fevered, so they had spoken; and it wears them, so they were worn. the old woman wept when the officer went out of hearing. but old herr schnitzelhaaser picked up a big butcher’s knife. “i will bear it no more,” he said.
his wife watched him in silence as he went away with his knife. out of the house he went and into the night. through the open door she saw nothing; all was dark; even the schartzhaus, where all was gay to-night, stood dark for fear of aëroplanes. the old woman waited in silence.
when herr schnitzelhaaser returned there was blood on his knife.
“what have you done?” the old woman asked him quite calmly. “i have killed our pig,” he said.
she broke out then, all the more recklessly for the long restraint of the evening; the officer must have heard her.
“we are lost! we are lost!” she cried. “we may not kill our pig. hunger has made you mad. you have ruined us.”
“i will bear it no longer,” he said. “i have killed our pig.”
“but they will never let us eat it,” she cried. “oh, you have ruined us!”
“if you did not dare to kill our pig,” he said, “why did you not stop me when you saw me go? you saw me go with the knife?”
“i thought,” she said, “you were going to kill the kaiser.”
