Jason Philip cleared his throat, and tried to get out of the light in the hall and back into the shadow: he wished to conceal his shabby clothes from his daughter.
“Now, listen,” he began with affected naturalness, “you might inquire about your parents once in a while. The few steps over to our house wouldn’t make you break your legs. Honour thy father and thy mother, you know. Your mother deserves any kindness you can show her. As for me, well, I have dressed you down at times, but only when you needed it. You were a mischievous monkey, and you know it.”
He laughed; but there was the fire of fear in his eyes. Philippina was the embodiment of silence.
“As I was saying,” Jason Philip continued hastily, as if to prevent any inimical memories of his daughter from coming to his mind, “you might pay a little attention to your parents once in a while: Can’t you lend me ten marks? I have got to meet a bill to-morrow morning, and I haven’t got a pfennig. The boys, you know, I mean your brothers, are conducting themselves splendidly. They give me something the first of each month, and they do it regularly. But I don’t like to go to them about this piddling business to-morrow. I thought that as you were right here in the neighbourhood, I could come over and see you about it.”
Jason Philip was lying. His sons gave him no help whatsoever. Willibald was living in Breslau, where he had a poorly paid position as a bookkeeper and was just barely making ends meet. Markus was good for nothing, and head over heels in debt.
Philippina thought the matter over for a moment, and then told her father to wait. She went upstairs. Jason Philip waited at the door, whistling softly. Many years had passed by since he first attacked the civil powers, urged on by a rebellion of noble thoughts in his soul. Many years had passed by since he had made his peace with these same civil powers. Nevertheless, he continued to whistle the “Marseillaise.”
Philippina came waddling down the steps, dragged herself over to the door, and gave her father a five-mark piece. “There,” she bellowed, “I haven’t any more myself.”
But Jason Philip was satisfied with half the amount he had asked for. He was now equipped for an onslaught on the nearest café with its corned beef, sausages, and new beer.
From this time on he came around to the house on Ægydius Place quite frequently. He would stand in the hall, look around for Philippina, and if he found her, beg her for money. The amounts Philippina gave him became smaller and smaller. Finally she took to giving him ten pfennigs when he came.