1 Farwell The farewell evening in Berlin concluded just as it ought to have concluded: with the scrawny body of the dentist sprawled across the bed, his head buried in that moist, gigantic breast whose pair had long ago been sliced offby the saber of a drunken hussar. Previously, he had drained six mugs of beer, bought a drink for anyone who entered the tavern, clinked glasses, hugged friends and strangers (what a hubbub!), and won one last round of whist to the cheers of the kibitzers, mainly because his fellow card players had connived to make him emerge triumphant, not cheating in broad daylight but by the light of the candles on the tables and shelves. He departed from Der Grobe B'®§; 1 Farwell The farewell evening in Berlin concluded just as it ought to have concluded: with the scrawny body of the dentist sprawled across the bed, his head buried in that moist, gigantic breast whose pair had long ago been sliced offby the saber of a drunken hussar. Previously, he had drained six mugs of beer, bought a drink for anyone who entered the tavern, clinked glasses, hugged friends and strangers (what a hubbub!), and won one last round of whist to the cheers of the kibitzers, mainly because his fellow card players had connived to make him emerge triumphant, not cheating in broad daylight but by the light of the candles on the tables and shelves. He departed from Der Grobe Bar after nightfall, letting them think that he would quickly return from the latrine and order another round for one and all; in any case, he left behind his coat on the back of his chair, a scuffed overcoat, rather short in the sleeves, which had not found a place in his luggage for Bukarest, but which eased his exit from the scene. Later, at the brothel, they welcomed him with whoops and tears, in the way whores do when they take an occasion to heart. The establishment did not shut up shop in his honor, it is true, but the girls were able to bid their farewells one by one, plundering Eleven Titties brothel. It was not until April 14, when the daffodils were in bloom and his tomcat had wounded his muzzle and paw in one of the neighborhood cat fights, that he read to his astonishment a short item in a gazette about the holding of a plebiscite: "Today, the lieutenancy and the ministry have proclaimed, by means of bills posted on the streets, the candidacy of Prince Karl of Hohenzollern to the throne of Romania.

The event seems to have filled the whole nation with rejoicing." That evening, as the jovial Karl of Prussia bantered with the other Karl (now at last a captain) in the foyer of the Berlin Opera House, addressing him as "Turk", the dentist felt no inclination for mugs of beer, for chatter and whist at the bar, or for the eleven titties, two per five lively wenches and the one huge one on the chest of Rosa. Frequently refilling his glass with schnapps, puffing his pipe and gazing through the open window at the stars and the eaves of the houses across the way, Herr Strauss regretted not having taken the young officer seriously. He fell asleep dreaming of beautiful women and impatient crowds waiting at his door for him to quell their toothaches. A few days later, a courier of the dragoons regiment handed him a yellowish envelope with a crest and the seal of the House of Hohenzollern- Sigmaringen. It was raining buckets, but the envelope was dry when it emerged from beneath the military cape. =~ sr after nightfall, letting them think that he would quickly return from the latrine and order another round for one and all; in any case, he left behind his coat on the back of his chair, a scuffed overcoat, rather short in the sleeves, which had not found a place in his luggage for Bukarest, but which eased his exit from the scene. Later, at the brothel, they welcomed him with whoops and tears, in the way whores do when they take an occasion to heart.

The establishment did not shut up shop in his honor, it is true, but the girls were able to bid their farewells one by one, plundering Eleven Titties brothel. It was not until April 14, when the daffodils were in bloom and his tomcat had wounded his muzzle and paw in one of the neighborhood cat fights, that he read to his astonishment a short item in a gazette about the holding of a plebiscite: "Today, the lieutenancy and the ministry have proclaimed, by means of bills posted on the streets, the candidacy of Prince Karl of Hohenzollern to the throne of Romania. The event seems to have filled the whole nation with rejoicing." That evening, as the jovial Karl of Prussia bantered with the other Karl (now at last a captain) in the foyer of the Berlin Opera House, addressing him as "Turk", the dentist felt no inclination for mugs of beer, for chatter and whist at the bar, or for the eleven titties, two per five lively wenches and the one huge one on the chest of Rosa. Frequently refilling his glass with schnapps, puffing his pipe and gazing through the open window at the stars and the eaves of the houses across the way, Herr Strauss regretted not having taken the young officer seriously. He fell asleep dreaming of beautiful women and impatient crowds waiting at his door for him to quell their toothaches. A few days later, a courier of the dragoons regiment handed him a yellowish envelope with a crest and the seal of the House of Hohenzollern- Sigmaringen. It was raining buckets, but the envelope was dry when it emerged from beneath the military cape.