Deinem Blick mich zu bequemen,
Deinem Munde, deiner Brust,
Deine Stimme zu vernehmen,
War mir erst' und letzte Lust.
She stood behind him and looked over his shoulder at the music. At times she bent a little forward, and he then felt the breath of her lips upon his temples. Her voice was much more beautiful than he remembered its having ever been before.
They were speaking rather too loudly in the next room. Without stopping singing Anna shut the door. It had been Josef who had been unable to control his voice any longer.
"I'll just pop in to the café for a jiffy," he said.
There was no answer. Herr Rosner drummed gently on the table and his wife nodded with apparent indifference.
"Goodbye then." Josef turned round again at the door and said fairly resolutely: "Oh, mamma, if you've got a minute to spare by any chance——"
"I'm listening," said Frau Rosner. "It's not a secret, I suppose."
"No. It's only that I've got a running account with you already."
"Is it necessary to go to the café?" asked old Rosner simply, without looking up.
"It's not a question of the café. The fact is ... you can take it from me that I'd prefer myself not to have to borrow from you. But what is a man to do?"