One evening, as Philippina came into the hall from the street, she saw a
man coming up to her in the dark; he called her by name. She thought she
recognised his voice, and on looking at him more closely saw that it was
her father.
She had not spoken to him for ten years. She had seen him from time to
time at a distance, but she had always made it a point to be going in
another direction as soon as she saw him; she avoided him, absolutely.
"What's the news?" she asked in a friendly tone.
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 cafe with its corned
beef, sausages, and new beer.
From this time on he came around to the house on AEgydius 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.