The Longest Winter by Mary Jane Staples Read Free Book Online Page B

drive. Carl wished to be a fully orientated owner-driver. It would help him to be father and mother to the Benz. His interest in it was such that he was as happy tinkering with it as driving it. James indulged one eccentricity of his own. If Carl ran the engine in the stables James went outside to escape the noise.
    ‘I must say,’ said Carl once, ‘that considering you don’t really care for autos it’s damned decent of you to bother about the Benz.’
    James bothered for a reason that had little to do with the Benz. He sat on the steps now, watching the bent heads of Carl and Ludwig. Ludwig realized he could learn a few things himself.
    ‘Well, really.’ It was Anne’s voice. She stood at the wide entrance to the stables, the sun behind her. With her was Ludwig’s sister, Helene, a fair but not entirely brilliant young lady. Sophie thought her a little giggly, the baroness thought her a little flighty. She was rather keen on Carl,but Carl, while as cheerfully disposed towards her as all girls, hardly thought about her at all. ‘Carl, you’re utterly fiendish,’ said Anne.
    ‘Oh?’ said Carl from the mechanical deeps.
    ‘Oh? Oh? Come out from there,’ called Anne, ‘you promised to take us all out. We’ve been waiting ages already. James, is that you up on high?’
    ‘Ladies,’ said James and bowed from his perch. Anne was good to look at. In her favourite blue she was as colourful as summer itself. Helene Lundt-Hausen looked a little insipid beside her. Helene was white-skinned, pretty. Anne was warm, lovely.
    ‘James,’ said Anne, ‘as you’re the king of all you survey, kindly command your subjects to rise up and sally forth, for there are beautiful maidens impatiently awaiting them.’
    ‘That’s almost a proclamation,’ said James.
    ‘Beautiful maidens?’ Carl lifted his head. ‘Where are they? Do you see any, Ludwig?’
    ‘Isn’t he hideously hopeless to have as a brother?’ said Anne to Helene.
    ‘Well, he is rather naughty sometimes,’ said Helene. ‘You are, aren’t you, Carl? Are you going to be awfully sweet now and take us driving?’
    James winced. Helene’s conversation never reached celestial heights. At the best it was as coy as her archly pouting bosom.
    ‘Just give us five more minutes,’ said Carl.
    ‘No,’ said Anne, ‘it’s either now or never. James, order them.’
    ‘Gentlemen,’ said James, comfortably on the fence, ‘I order you.’
    ‘We’re filthy,’ said Ludwig. He and Carl were both in rolled-up shirtsleeves and their hands were black.
    ‘Oh, you beasts,’ said Anne, ‘now you’re going to spend hours scrubbing yourselves. Carl, Sophie said if you don’t bring the Benz round to the house in two minutes she’s coming to smash it to pieces with a hammer.’
    ‘Dear Sophie,’ said Carl. He and Ludwig began to wash their hands under a cold, running tap, using a large bar of yellow soap.
    ‘James, don’t just sit there, please,’ said Anne, ‘you can bring the Benz round. You are accompanying us, you know, we don’t want to be odd. So please come down, or
you’ll
get smashed to pieces with a hammer.’
    ‘Whatever you say,’ said James, climbing down.
    They were all ready in the end. Carl offered to drive. So did Ludwig.
    ‘James, I think,’ said Sophie.
    ‘Yes, he is the master engineer,’ said Anne.
    ‘Thank you,’ said James, ‘but I’m really a horse-and-cart man.’
    ‘James, we command you,’ said Sophie.
    So James took the wheel. Anne sat up in front with him and Carl, Sophie and Helene on the high rear seat with Ludwig. They sailed smoothly through the gates and into the Salesianergasse.
    ‘James, the other way!’ screamed Anne as he turned left.
    ‘What other way? I haven’t been told,’ said James as he adjusted the course of the car. The day was full of changing shades of light, cloudsscudding across the blue sky and under the sun, Vienna looking alternately soft and bright. The traffic was a mixture of trotting