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I Lose a Topaz by Gastronomy 29
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On
one side of me sat a neat, quiet, courteous little fellow by the name
of Minewarter, strongly Aryan (as they would say now) and a prize
scholar. Good-natured he was, but he kept himself to himself, for he
was an official's son. His father was a minor Government servant of the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, and he had no doubt in the world that his own
future lay in the same glorious rut. His whole attitude was coloured by
this aspiration, to be what his father was, and strangely enough the
boy who sat on my other side was equally determined to follow in his
father's footsteps and become a cab proprietor.
Kainz was his name. He had small eyes in a ruddy face and a rough cheerful manner, and his father owned several Fiakers and Einspänners. Not
only did Kainz want to be a cabby, but it had already been arranged by
his father that he should go into the family business.
Now,
one day my teacher arranged a special lesson arising from an
interesting talk he had given on common minerals such as coal, chalk,
salt and sulphur. He told us to bring, week by week, any mineral
objects we could find or borrow, and he would base further talks on
them. I was determined that I would distinguish myself, and I brought
my whole collection up to school with me. Alas, I sat at the back and
the other boys were too quick at thrusting out their own treasures.
Seeing myself frustrated, I decided that my immediate neighbours, at
any rate, should see my collection. They had seen my swaps— now they
should view all my treasures at a glance. I brought out my box and
nudged Kainz. He took a quick look, turned his head guilelessly to the
front and groped
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