EMMA ZUNZ
941
miserable sin, and explaining the daring stratagem by which the
Justice of God would triumph over human justice. She did not wish
to be punished, not because of fear, but because she was an instru–
ment of justice. Then, a single shot in the middle of his chest would
seal the fate of Mr. Loewenthal. But things did not happen in this way.
When facing Aaron Loewenthal, Emma felt the urgency of
avenging the outrage she had suffered, rather than the urgency of
avenging the death of her father. She could not help killing him after
this absolute dishonor. Neither did she have time to lose
in
theatri–
calities. Sitting down and afraid, she excused herself, claimed (being
an informer) the responsibilities of loyalty, mentioned some names,
implied others and stopped, as if fear had cut her short. She suc–
ceeded in making Loewenthal go out to get a cup of water. When
he, incredulous of such fear, but indulgent, returned to the dining
room, Emma had already taken out the heavy revolver from the
desk-drawer. She pulled the trigger twice. The huge body fell as
if
the noise and the smoke had cut it down, the glass of water broke,
the face looked at her with astonishment and anger, the mouth of
the face cursed her
in
Spanish and in Yiddish. The evil words would
not let up; Emma had to shoot once more.
In
the yard, the chained
dog began to bark, and a flow of thick blood oozed from his obscene
lips and soiled his beard and suit. Emma began to speak the accusa–
tion that she had prepared ("I have avenged my father and they will
not punish me.... "), but she did not finish it because Mr. Lowen–
thal had already died. She never knew whether he had understood
her at all.
The persistent barking of the dog reminded her that she could
not yet rest. She disarranged the couch, unbottoned the coat of the
dead man, took off his soiled pince-nez and put it on the cabinet file.
Then she picked up the telephone and repeated what she was to
repeat so many times,
in
these and other words: "Something incred–
ible has happened.... Mr. Loewenthal asked me to come on pretext
of the strike.... He abused me, and I killed him.... "
It
was an unbelievable story, but was finally believed by every–
one, because it was essentially true. The tone of Emma Zunz was true,
her shame was true, her hate was true. The abuse she had suffered
was also true; only one or two proper names were false.
(Translated from the Spanish by
E.
C.
Villicana)
