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PARTISAN REVIEW
sum of 1365 marks, thereby demonstrating once more
his
complete
unworldliness. A few tentative attempts to put an end to the celebra–
tion or to intermit it were greeted with such outcries from my aunt
that these sacrileges had to be abandoned once and for all.
The dreadful thing was that my aunt insisted that all those
closest to her must be present. Among these were the minister and
the grandchildren. Even the members of the family could only
be
compelled by extreme severity to appear punctually; with the
minister it was even more difficult. For some weeks he kept it up
without protest, out of consideration for his aged pensioner, but then
he attempted, clearing his throat in embarrassment, to make it clear
to my uncle that this could not go on. The actual celebration was
short-it lasted only about thirty-eight minutes--but even this brief
ceremonial, the minister maintained, could not be kept up indefinitely.
He had other obligations, evening conferences with his confratres,
duties connected with his cure of souls, not to mention his regular
Saturday confessional. He agreed, however, to some weeks' con–
tinuance; but toward the end of May, he began energetic attempts
to escape. Franz stormed about, seeking accomplices in the family
for his plan to have his mother put
in
an institution. Everyone
turned
him
down.
And yet difficulties continued. One evening the minister was
missing and could not
be
located either telephonically or by mes–
senger, and it became evident that he had simply skipped out. My
uncle swore horribly and took the occasion to describe the servants
of the Church in words I must decline to repeat. In
this
extremity
one of the chaplains, a man of humble origin, was requested to help
out. He did so, but behaved so abominably that it almost resulted
in a catastrophe. However, one must bear in mind that it was
June and therefore hot; nevertheless the curtains were drawn to
give at least an illusion of wintry twilight and in addition the
candles had been lighted. Then the celebration began. The chaplain
had, to be sure, heard of
this
extraordinary event but had no proper
idea of it. There was general apprehension when he was presented
to my aunt as the minister's substitute. Unexpectedly she accepted
this change in the program. Well then, the gnomes hammered, the
angel whispered, "0 Tannenbaum" was sung, then there was the
eating of cookies, more singing, and suddenly the chaplain was
