"They don't cater there for the requirements of a spoilt Viennese."
"Oh, I'm not spoilt," said George.
"Weren't you at Auhof either?" Anna turned to George.
"Oh no," he answered quickly. "No, I wasn't there," he added less sharply. "I was invited though.... Frau Ehrenberg was so kind as to ... I had various invitations for the summer. But I preferred to stay in Vienna by myself."
"I am really sorry," said Anna, "not to see anything more of Else. You know of course that we went to the same boarding-school. Of course it's a long time ago. I really liked her. A pity that one gets so out of touch as time goes on."
"How is that?" asked George.
"Well, I suppose the reason is that I'm not particularly keen on the whole set."
"Nor am I," said Josef, who was blowing rings into the air.... "I haven't been there for years. Putting it quite frankly ... I've no idea, Baron, of your views on this question ... I'm not very gone on Israelites."
Herr Rosner looked up at his son. "My dear Josef, the Baron visits the house and it will strike him as rather strange...."
"I?" said George courteously. "I'm not at all on intimate terms with the Ehrenberg family, however much I enjoy talking to the two ladies." And then he added interrogatively, "But didn't you give singing lessons to Else last year, Fräulein Anna?"