STROEBEL. Do have a seat, Herr Beermann.
(Beermann sits down on the sofa. Stroebel does likewise.)
BEERMANN [mopping his brow]. A personal question, Herr Assessor, are you married?
STROEBEL. No.
BEERMANN. I thought not. If you had a family you would not speak in that fashion of sentimentality.
STROEBEL. If I had a family, I would not, to begin with, be involved in this.
BEERMANN. But ...
STROEBEL. My name would not appear in the diary of Hauteville.
BEERMANN. You never can tell.
STROEBEL. Excuse me. What is there left of family life when such things happen?