"Now we're coming into the cooling room." "As you can see the upper three furnaces, the first one, the second and the third over there are constantly in service." "The other furnaces can be fired up when required..." "You will have no direct contact with Herr Hoffmeister, our director general." "And you are never to disturb him for any reason whatsoever." "Is that quite clear, Herr Zeitz?" "This is his office." "And this is your office." "Friedrich Zeitz, Herr Hoffmeister." "Oh, yes, the new boy..." "with the first in engineering." "From Freiburg university." "I majored in metallurgical chemistry." "Is it no rather late for work?" "Yes." "Though I mean... no." "I have all the time in the world." "Well, I haven't." "Frau Hoffmeister is a stickler for punctuality, soup is in the plates at 7.30." "I abhore soup." "Hey, Fritz." "You call that a kiss?" " No time, Anna." "I'm too busy." " You're always too busy!" "Your washing's dry but have yet to iron it!" " I'll bring it up with your soup." " I abhore soup." " Do you?" "That's new." " Yes, it is." "The board was very impressed by your report on the raw materials to output ratio." "We've decided..." "I've decided to widen your responsibilities." "You'll start by supervising the order for parts for the Düsseldorf railway bridge." "You'll be very comfortable in here." "If you need to consult me, don't hesitate." "My door will be always open to you." " Found it?" " Almost!" "There's such a mountain of files!" " My father's father started the foundry in..." " In 1835!" "Exactly." "Then the boom came with the demand for railway tracks..." "For the first main line from Dresden to Leipzig in 1839." "Is there anything you don't know?" "Oh, yes, Herr Hoffmesiter, I still have much to learn." "Are you all right, sir?" " Shall I call the doctor?" " No." "I have... a quite serious health condition." "But nobody here at the plant must know of it." "Nobody." "Friedrich Zeitz, Herr Hoffmeister is expecting me." "My doctor has confined me to the house until further notice." "I can partly run the steelworks by telephone so..." "I've decided to give you a new job." " Me?" " Yes." "I want you to report to me here once a day to discuss current business and then to relay my instructions back to the works." "What do you say?" "Stop here, please." "The manufacture of 328 girders should be subject to a 40% deposit, not 33%, as mistakenly states in the contract." "Incidentally, Herr Hoffmeister." "For six days this furnace has been out of line." "The hairline crack in the reservoir must be between the sixth and the seventh." "That's why this furnace and this one here are still not operational." "Could you please type out two copies of the engineer's meeting?" "Herr Hoffmeister wishes to add his own notes before distributing it to the factory." "I'll take a copy from my desk." "...it follows that renovating the foundry will cut budget costs and double the output to 12 tons per year..." "Thank you." "That's enough for today." "Come on." "Herr Zeitz?" "I'm Frau Hoffmeister." "Herr Hoffmeister's wife?" "Of course." "I'm not his mother." "So we meet at last." "My husband has told me a lot about you." "I was just about to take some tea." "Would you like to join me?" "It's very kind of you but..." "I'm already late." "Another time, perhaps." "Goodbye, Herr Hoff..." "Frau Hoffmeister." "Music means more to me than anything in the world." "Except my husband and son of course." "Oh, no, thank you." "Milk?" "Thank you." "Yes, thank you or no, thank you?" "Yes, no, it's perfect." "Somebody once said, I can't remember who, that so... that music can exist without the wolrd but the world cannot exist without music." "I believe it was Goethe." "Yes." "So you enjoy literature then, Herr Zeitz." "To be honest I mostly read science books." "Tea is really very nice." " Have you never tasted tea before?" " No, it's the first time." "Well, enough about me." "Tell me about yourself." " I'm afraid, there's nothing to tell." " No, surely you must have a family." "I never knew my father." "My mother died when I was very young." " But who brought you up?" " I was a ward of state." "Well, you certainly did brilliantly at school." "I had to, it was my only hope, literally my only hope." " Have you found somewhere nice to live?" " Very nice, thank you." "My husband commissioned it." "I hated sitting for it, I think it shows, doesn't it?" " That's a very pretty..." " Isn't it beautiful?" "I saw it in a shop window and fell in love with it." "My husband thinks it's ghastly." " More tea?" " No." "Thank you." "I should be getting back to the office." "Yes, of course." "What time is it?" "Otto will be home soon." "Otto, he's our son." "You haven't met him yet?" "No." "He is... he is a very bouncy, very happy boy, but he doesn't really apply himself in school." "It occurs to me..." "I did some tutoring when I was a student." "If you like I could give your son some extra lessons." " Would... would you have time for that?" " I could make time." "No." "Don't let me disturb you, I left my newspaper somewhere." " So how do you find our young friend?" " You'll never guess what he just offered." "I've no idea." " He's offered to give Otto extra lessons." " Well!" "You soon have the whole family under your wing." "It's easy." "Come on, try." "See?" "You've got it in you." "Now, let's practise your French." " French is a beautiful language." " No, it's not." "Mother makes me learn it." "But I hate it." "Try reading me this fable." "The Wolf and the Dog." "A prowling wolf, whose shaggy skin Hid little but his bones," "So strict the watch of dogs had been" "Once met a mastiff dog astray." "A prouder, fatter, sleeker Tray," "Sir Wolf in famish'd plight, Would fain have made a ration upon his fat relation" "But then he first must fight;" "And well the dog seem'd able" "To save from wolfish table his carcass snug and tight." "So, then, in civil conversation" "The wolf express'd his admiration of Tray's fine case." "Said Tray, politely, 'Yourself, good sir, may be as sightly;" "A penny for your thoughts, Fritzi?" "Stop calling me that." "If you say so, Fritzi." "Not now." "Why not?" "I've got an important job to finish for tomorrow." " Are you sure there's no other reason?" " No, like what?" "Like what?" "Like who?" "Like what?" "Like who?" "Like what?" "I think we should buy Otto that train." "Karl, please, it would make him so happy!" "I told him he must wait until christmas." "I know but he got such good marks in his exams." "Thanks to our friend here." " Hm?" " Hmm." "How expensive is this train set, anyway?" " Very well!" " Good." "I leave you two to get on with your work." "How can one resist?" "I bet you can't play trains and recite fourth declension nouns at the same time." "Dominus, domina, domino..." "Dominum." "Dominum, domini, domino." "Domini, dominii, domina, dominis, dominorum, domines." "Very good." "Again." "Singular." "Dominus, domina, dominum, domini, domino." "Plural." "Dominii, dominii, dominos, dominorum, domines." "Singular." "Dominus, domina, dominum, domini, domino." "Plural." "Dominii, domini, dominos, dominorum, domines." "Singular." "Dominus, domina..." "Here, this is for you." "What is it?" "It's to say thank you for your kind work with Otto." "I can't accept it." "No, but you must." ""The laborer is worthy of his hire."" "You don't understand." "I don't want money from you." "Wait!" "I was tactless earlier today." " I do hope that I didn't offened you." " No." "Here." "By way of an apology I'd hoped that you would stay to dinner with us sometime." "Even... even this evening." "If you're free." "I'm terribly sorry, I have an engagement." "As Germans we know our industrial strength." " But you know what our weakness is?" " I'm sure you are going to tell me." "Raw materials." "That's what we lack." "Take your steelworks." "Every year one-third of its budget gets spent a manganese ore." " And the price keeps going up as you know." " Can't we just use less manganese?" " Out of the question." "It's a key ingredient in metal alloys." " So what are you getting at?" "What I'm getting at is highly confidential." "Vast deposits of manganese have been discovered in Mexico." "Enough to keep your steelworks running for decades." "It's highly confidential but you know about it?" "Yes." "A fellow student from Freiburg, now working at Veracruz, tipped me the wink." "And we've got to get in there first." "Form a consortium, buy up the land, secure the mining rights, dig up that ore." "We're a long way from Mexico." "This is the 20th century." "The age of speed and new horizons, the world is ours for the asking, all we have to..." "Just a second." "Always find it strangely moving when she plays this piece of music." "It's very affecting." "Don't you think?" "Yes." "You were saying?" "I do find it very affecting." "No, about Mexico." "I'm sorry..." "I was saying." "We must take this golden opportunity." "Why would Mexico bring in a German steelmaker when they have Americans on their doorstep?" "Why?" "Because..." "You know this revolution they've just had Pancho Villa, Zapata?" "Yes, it's been in the papers." "Well, German military advisers played a crucial role." "Yes?" "The Mexican leadership wants to blunt North-America's influence by attracting investment from Europe." "The door is wide open." "How much would we have to invest to get started?" "Hello." "Yes, ma'am?" "Does Herr Friedrich Zeitz live here?" " He's out at work!" " Yes, I know, I was just er..." " I was wondering if I could see his apartment?" " His apartment?" "It's up there, top floor!" "Who are you?" "Nobody!" "The landlady!" "I beg your pardon, ma'am, I had no idea!" "Top floor, room 14." " I'll see you up." " Oh, no, don't bother, just give me the key." " Should I give him a message?" " Yes." "Don't tell him I was here." "Private secretary?" " I'm not sure I am up to the job..." " Of course you are." "You're young but you have all the right qualities." "Who else do we have to thank for our new venture in Mexico?" "Herr Hoffmeister, I can't tell you how honoured I am by the trust of you." " I've one small condition to ask but it needn't detain us." "It would be better if you left your present lodgings and moved in here." "Isn't it a bit more convenient in every respect?" " I take your point but..." " What's putting you off the thought of moving in here, you'll be better off here than up in your garret." "Did I tell you I lived in a garret?" "Yes." "Didn't you?" "Oh, Herr Zeitz!" "My... my husband's told me what he had asked and I understand that you that you have some reservations." "Can I ask you what they are?" " I've been given board and lodging by employers in the past and..." " Oh, but..." "Well, my husband is not offering you a servant's position." "I cherish my independence." "Of course." "I can well understand how important that is." "For a young man to be independent." "Is that your... your only reason?" "Speaking for myself I will do everything that I can to make your stay as comfortable as possible." " Thank you, I'm sure but..." "Oh, no, thank you for accepting." "We'll expect you tomorrow, I'll send Hans to bring your belongings." "I can't not going, my job depends on it." "I'll come back here as soon as I can, I promise." "Don't..." "Please." "Not now." "As you can see there's enough room for everyone to feel comfortable." "Those are the servants' stairs." "No." "Your room is here." "And ours is just down the hall." "So please, tell me if you're not completely comfortable." "Your my husband's assistant and I'm his wife." " Let's agree to be frank with each other." " Agreed." "Dinner's at 7.30., my husband's a stickler for punctuality, he likes his soup served on the dot." " Yes, Frau Hoffmeister." "Hah, Charlotte, though people call me Lotte." " Is your room adequate?" " Impeccable." "Thank you, sir." " Pleasant autumn we're having." " Yes." "A blaze of colour." "Oh, I'm so sorry I was late." "I was with Otto." "You haven't met?" "Let me introduce you." "Herr Zeitz, my Husband, Karl." "Karl, Herr Zeitz." "...and it rears at every single jump." "So eventually I asked the riding master for a quieter horse." "And he says to me:" "Madam, a horse is like a mirror." "It reflects everything you fear or dare to do, so if your horse refuses a fence it is you who are not ready for it." " Huh!" "It sounds like that Viennese doctor that claims he can read your thoughts by listening to your dreams." "What's his name again?" " As if you didn't know." "And my husband loves to play the village idiot." "I'm turning in." "See you shortly, my dear." "And you tomorrow." "Yes sir." "See you tomorrow." "Thank you, Magda, you can leave it." "My husband never eats dessert." "And always retires to bad at a quarter to nine." " Every night?" " Yes." "Except for New Year's Eve." "I knew nothing of life before I met Karl." "I was engaged to be married to a childhood friend in the town that I grew up." "But he died in a mountaineering accident and..." "Karl was a friend of my parents'." "He... er..." "He helped me through the ordeal, gave me a shoulder to cry on." "Why are you telling me this?" "Well, because I presume that you're surprised that my husband is not younger." "No... no." "Here." "Sorry." "What do you think of it?" "Let's say it's a fine portrait of you." "But... unfaithful." "Unfaithful?" "Yes, it's..." "It's like a mask, it's smooth and superficial and shows nothing of who you are." "Deep down." " Time for bed, I think, don't you?" " Uh..." "No, I'll stay down here awhile..." "...try and do some more of your puzzle." " You'll find your own way to your room?" " Yes, Frau Hoffmeister." " Lotte." "Good night, Friedrich." "Good night." "Lotte." "...by replacing this third furnace here we will most likely be able to extract similar minerals such as copper and nickel, and reasonably expect a return of around 115 % in the first year..." " Is Madame Lotte at home?" " I don't know, Sir." "Holland:" "Amsterdam." "Greece:" "Athens." "Serbia:" "Belgrade." "Switzerland:" "Bern." "Belgium:" "Brussels." "Denmark:" "Copenhagen." "Finland:" "Helsinki." "Portugal:" "Lisbon." "England:" "London." "Father wouldn't let me learn the piano." "He made me learn fencing instead." "He said it'd be more use to me when I grow up." "What for?" "For fighting duels with people who dishonour my wife." "Or my mother." "Oh!" "A rat!" "A mouse!" "It just ran under there..." "Where is it?" "It's a horrible thing with a big fat face." "I see it, I see it!" "Quick!" "It's up..." "No, Otto!" "Don't!" "Thank you!" "The bankers in Frankfurt are interested in the project." "They're waiting to see our investment plan." "What will you do with your sunday?" "I don't know." "Probably go to the café, play a few rounds of billiards with some friends." "Chase the girls?" "Ah!" " Do you have a sweetheart?" " I'd rather not talk about it." "Ah, a secret fiancée." "So I'll see you at lunch then." "Frau Hoffmeister." "She wouldn't miss the 10 o'clock service if the world was on fire." " Don't you accompany her?" " No time for all that humbug." "But if you enjoy church don't let me stop you." "Me?" "No." "No, no, thank you." "Only the passion that touches its abyss can light the tinder of your utmost truth." "Only to him who loses his whole self will self be given." "Blaze that." "For only by catching fire will you learn to know the world deep inside you." "Only where mistery works does life begin." "Please, be seated." "One, two, three, freeze." "Back to the start." "Yes, I saw you." "One, two, three... freeze." "One, two, three, freeze." " Back to the start again." " No, no, no." "I'm here." "One, two, three..." "I won, I won!" "I get to give you a dare." "You cheated!" "What?" "Oh, Otto!" "No, I didn't." "I didn't cheat." "Oh, no, don't give me that grumpy face." "Smile." "I didn't cheat, did I, Friedrich?" "You're not cheating." "Stop." "Enough!" "So will you, please?" "Really..." "I can't, I have too much work to do." " Well, even on the sunday?" " Even on the sunday." "Don't you ever go to church?" "My husband can't stand any noise of any kind anymore." "He even gets cross when I play the piano." "I can't keep Otto cooped up in this monastery." "He'll be very upset if you don't come." "Otto!" "Come." "What a lovely boy." "Just like his parents." "Hey man, come in here, look at these potatoes!" " I do like your scent." " Thank you." "What is it?" "Young man, don't you know better than to ask a lady her scent?" "No, I'm afraid, I didn't." "But if I don't ask how can I find out?" "It's L'Heure Blueue, by Guerlain." "It suits you so well." "I'm not sure Guerlain may have made it especially for you." "Ready, smile!" "And!" "Otto!" "Where is he?" "Otto!" "Otto!" "Otto!" "Otto!" "Otto!" "Otto!" "Otto!" "Otto!" "Otto!" "Otto!" "I would hate to appeare indiscreet but my husband has told me..." " Yes?" "...that you have a..." "...a friend in town, a lady friend." "I didn't expect him to tell you about it." "Oh, we tell each other everything, it's only natural." "Oh, I assure you that's all I know I..." "Especially since I understand that it's a secret affair." "Yes, it is." "It's very romantic idea, a secret love affair." "Like a novel." "How gentlemanly of you not to disclose her name." "One day I'll tell you who she is." "Stop." "Stop." " So you're top dog now, are you?" " Don't be silly." "I asked the man on the gate and he said you'd taken over from the boss." "I'm only his private secretary." " What about the car?" " He lets me use it." "What about his wife?" "You forgot this lot." "Washed and ironed." "Thank you." "You promised to come back and see me, you remember?" "Sorry, I haven't had time." "There's a young couple living in your old room now." "They're going to have a baby." "They're going to be happy together." "Anna, I've got to go." "You did that a long time ago." "Carry on!" "Go on then!" "Go back to your mistress!" "Anyone would think it was made for you." " I'll lend you a top hat too." " Is that really necessary, sir?" "Indispensable." "In that case, thank you." "No, I thank you for relieving me of these dreary obligations, a Sunday in the country and then an evening in town listening to some fat woman take forever to die." " I prefer to walk back." " As you wish." "Alone." "Why?" "Because..." "You know very well." "No, I don't." "Please, tell me." "Because we can't keep doing this." "Doing what?" "Lying to each other." "Lying to each other?" "What on earth are you imagining, Herr Zeitz?" "Who do you think you are?" "And what do you think I am?" "Help!" "Help!" "Come!" "Quickly!" "Don't just stand there!" "Help me!" "Let's try and get him to sit up." "It's another seizure." "Karl, can you hear me?" "Listen to me!" "Yes?" "I'm going to call Doctor Meyer." "I'll give you one of those injections." "I don't need that." "I feel better already." "Right." "Now." "Tell me all about it." "About what?" "Your night at the opera." "Thank you, Doctor." "It was a serious heart attack." "The doctor says he might not recover unless he keeps lying in bed." "It was fortunate that you were there last night." "If my husband hadn't survived I..." "Dread to think what would have become of us." "The new machine is being installed but it can't be brought on stream until it's been run in for months." " Never mind about that." "Friedrich, all our hard work is paid off." "Tomorrow the bankers sign up for our Mexico venture." " I had no idea." " No?" "I wonder that surprise you." "The wheels will be turning fast from now on." "I shall need a man on the spot to oversee the money operations." " On the spot in Mexico?" " Where else?" "And you're the man for the job." "What?" "Me?" "I want you out there as soon as possible." "Why me?" "The whole idea of this wonderful scheme was yours, wasn't it?" "Just think, travelling halfway across the world, building and running a mining town, exploring the depth of the earth." "What a prospect, what a life for a young man." "So should I take this proposal as a... kind of exile?" "Exile from what?" "Alright." "If you want me to go I'll..." "I'll go." "If you have any personal reasons that I'm not aware of that prevent you or deter you from going I shan't force you into it." "No, sir, there's nothing." "And no one." "The dinner's on the table." "Aren't you coming down?" "Are you unwell?" "Hasn't your husband told you?" "What?" "That I'm to go to Mexico for two years." "For two years?" "No..." "You..." "You..." "You can't!" "No, you can't!" "You can't!" "You can't!" "When do you need to leave?" "Ten days." "No." "Please, don't..." "Don't..." "I..." "I..." "I can't live without you." "Why didn't you tell me?" "Tell you what?" "You already knew." "No." "Not here, no." "Not now." "Mother!" "Mother?" "No." "You mustn't." "Not here, not now." "Please, I told you." "No!" "When then?" " When you return." " In two years?" " Yes." " Will you still want me in two years?" " Will you still want me?" "We'll make a..." "A vow to each other." "A promise to love each other." "Do you see?" "No." "Friedrich!" "Friedrich!" "Where the devil are you?" "I was just arranging some flowers." "And one of those horrible creatures from the garden came in." "You know, one of those fury ones." "It knocked over the vase." "I was frightened, I screamed." "Friedrich came to my rescue and chased it out the window." "Everything's fine now." "Come along, Friedrich, I need you too." "No, no darling." "Otto has been waiting for his lesson." " Will you see cowboys and indians?" " No, Mexico isn't America." "But it's a huge big country too with lots of deserts." " Will you carry a gun?" " Well, definitely." " How long will it take you to get there?" " Just over three weeks." "So, we sail from Hamburg, here, down the coast of England and France." "Spain, Portugal and all the way across the Atlantic to Brazil." "Venezuela, and finally dock here in Mexico in a port called Tampico." "Will you send me stamps for my collection?" "That's enough now, Otto, it's time to supper." "Will you come back here afterwards?" "Yes." "I promise I'll come back here." "There." "It's finished." "Now what do we do with it?" "Break it up." "Stop." "Stop!" "St..." "Stop." "Stop." "Come closer to me." "It's ridiculous this great table separating us." "Soon it'll be an ocean." "Why don't we try and be happy this evening?" "Yes, I'm sorry." "Here's to your last night." "Our last night." "I may, mayn't I?" "For our last night." "I'm going to make a suggestion and I want you to think very carefully before you answer me." "Now what if you..." " May I clear the table, ma'am?" " Yes, of course." "Thank you." "It was delicious." "What if you come away with me?" "With your son, of course." " You must be..." " Think... carefully... please." "You must be dreaming." "Then I shall stay here." "If you stay here we'll be found out." "I want to say goodbye to Friedrich before he leaves tomorrow." "At the crack of dawn for what I hear." "Yes, sir." "Five o'clock." "Let's make the most of these last few moments together." "I wanted to thank you for making this immense sacrifice for leaving your homeland and your loved ones behind you." "Karl, do you really think you should...?" "Why deny oneself a pleasure while one is still alive?" "My secret love." "Your letters take so long to get here that I can't bear to wait for the next one before I write." "Hello, I've..." "I've come for some letters for Frau Verlage." "They should be transatlantic mail from Mexico." "I'll check for you." "We are still only at the prospecting stage and I cover vast distances on horseback." "I have had to learn to ride, shoot, make a campfire." "I dull my mind with work to try and numb my yearning for you." "But the evenings by the campfire, tired as I am" "I write to you envying the sheet of paper which will soon be in your hands." "Pressed to your breast perhaps even to your lips." "My beloved," "I can think of nothing but you from morning till night." "Especially at night." "If only you knew how much I miss you, no sooner was our love disclosed than we had to say goodbye." "The moment I saw the train take you away" "I knew that your absence would be unendurable." "But do not worry." "This is our pact and I will stand the test with fortitude." "We're aparted by distance, but also by time." "Little by little the past feels more and more like a foreign country." "Your letters are all that I have to keep it alive inside me." "I too preserve your letters like treasure." "But yesterday I had quite a fright." "Otto showed me a Mexican stamp which he said his father had given him." "Look at the stamp that father gave me." "I was terrified that Karl might have found your letters." "I had a letter from Friedrich." "Poor boy had bad luck." "Caught some kind of fever." "Seems he almost died." "Ma'am!" "Ma'am!" "Are you all right?" "Let me help you." "Are you all right?" ""Dear Herr Hoffmeister," "Everything is going well here." "I shall be back in six months." "In the meantime I wish you a happy and prosperous year for 1914 to you, your gracious wife and young Otto." "Respectfully yours, Friedrich Zeitz."" "Father, may I keep this stamp for my collection?" "Hans, what does that bell mean?" "It means we are at war, ma'am." ""After stabilizing all fronts our glorious army has retaken the initiative." "This time in the East."" "How I wish this war would end." "I don't care whether we win or lose as long as it is over." "I no longer even know when I can hope for your return." "This may be my last letter or the last you will receive for some time." "We have heard there is to be a naval blockade." "I feel like a man under house arrest." "Cut off from my country and the woman I love, by an ocean of steel and fire." "Returned to sender, ma'am." "Why?" "Well because of the war, I suppose." "Is there a war in Mexico?" "I wouldn't know, ma'am." "My husband wondered whether you've heard anything from Fr..." "From Herr Zeitz?" "I'm afraid we've lost touch with him, madam." "How so?" "Didn't Herr Hoffmesiter tell you?" "All see trafic between Europe and South America has stopped." "No ships, no mail." "Can't somebody cable him just to see if he's all right?" "I'm sure he is all right." "There's no war there." "Tell your husband not to fret, Frau Hoffmeister." "I can't..." "I can't breathe!" "I can't breathe!" "I can't breathe!" "Sssh." "It's all right." "It's all right." "It's all right." "It's all right." "Sssh." "It's all right." "Sssh." "It's all right." "It's all right." "Still these letters which you will never read." "The steelworks have been requisitioned to make artillery guns." "No word from you, but I keep on writing you." "Karl tried to object." "They threw him out and put an army officer in charge." "As a result my poor husband has fallen ill again." "I am frightened, I've got nothing to hold on to." "The world of yesterday, the world I knew, is vanishing." "And I can't endure the present." "On his last day, Karl told me a stupendous secret." "I wanted to bring you together from the very beginning." "But then I felt such pain." "I could see that you loved him more than you ever loved me." "He took possession of you and dispossessed me." "How could I have kept you from loving him?" "I told Otto it was for his sake." "That he'd be safer in a boarding school." "But in my heart of hearts I felt I was abandoning him." "Just as I feel abandoned myself now that I'm alone." "With no one left to love." "I remember those lines from the poem I read you one evening." "The week before you left." ""In the old, cold, lonely park two ghosts recalled the past."" "And you answered at once." ""Why take refuge in the past when we can revel in the present."" "Please, ma'am." "Don't sit there in the dark." "For six years now we've been apart." "And for four of them I haven't heard a word from you." "Not a single sign of life." "And yet I am certain you are still out there." "Somewhere alive." "I still think about you all the time." "The only thing that keeps me alive is the memory of our love." "It is for our love that I am in mourning." "Your skin, my skin, our union." "Ma'am?" "Ma'am!" "We have lost the war." "We've lost what?" "Germany has lost the war." "Hallo." "Yes." "Tomorrow." "Yes." "Herr secretary!" "Hello, Hans." "Thank you, Hans." "What a pleasure to come back here after all these years." "Yes, Herr secretary." "All these years." "Hello, Friedrich, welcome back." "I hope I haven't been too long." "I'm back in Germany on business." "I took the chance to look you up." "It's very nice of you." "Are you settled in Mexico now?" "By necessity, more than choice." " You're still in the mining business?" " Oh, no." "No." "I used my knowledge of chemistry to start a chemical fertilizer plant." "I'm pleased you've done so well for yourself." "Do you intend to stay in Germany for long?" "I'm not sure it depends on how my business goes I've come over to sign contracts with the company in Frankfurt." "I had no news of you." "Your letters stopped coming." "So did yours." "So eventually I stopped writing them." "I wrote you a letter just after the armistice." "Must have gone astray." "A riding accident." "I would have been unfit to serve the war." "In any case we were kept under house arrest." "Did you want to serve?" "I felt a sense of guilt by thinking of all the boys my age who had to... go off and fight." "When the blockade began I tried to get out, I was desperate to get back to..." "To my home country." "Is that Otto?" "Yes." "He's 19 now." "Starting in geography, his dream is to explore the polar regions." "What about you?" "What's your dream?" "Oh, I don't have any dreams." "I'm alive." "The wolrd is at peace." "Yes." "It is." "I couldn't quite finish it, there was a piece missing." "No, there isn't." "Look." "They're all here." "Where did you find it?" "Here." "It's been here all the time." "I sold it." "You never liked it anyway." " The portrait of Herr Hoffmeister's wife." " Now, his widow." "Yes, I know." "I'm sorry." "I never got married myself." "I've been with women but..." "Well, of course." "Far be it from me to reproach you on that front." " More tea?" " No, thank you." " I should be getting back to my hotel." " So soon?" " I have a business meeting." " Oh, I completely understand." " Well, thank you for taking the trouble to visit..." " Could I ask you just one favour?" "Yes." "Might I have a look at my old bedroom?" "It's..." "It's silly, I know." "...how sentimental one becomes with age." "I must warn you that your room is exactly the same." " Nothing has changed." " Not even you." "See?" "Nothing has changed." "Everything's the same." "No, nothing has changed." "Except us." "I haven't forgotten my promise to you." "We're nearly there." "It took us a long time to get here." "Any chance for room?" " Er..." "No, no." "We're booked solid." " You too?" "What's going on in this town?" "Well, it's the parade." "The war veterans." "They've booked every single room in the town." "A war wound?" "So you're here for the parade?" "Yes." "Yes, we are." "Well there..." "Then you are in luck." "We have a..." "An unexpected vacancy." " Er..." "And that's Herr..." " Zeitz." "Herr and Frau Zeitz?" "Yes." "Herr and Frau Zeitz." "Is this your first stay in town, sir?" "No." "We were here once." "Before." "Before." "Yes, indeed, ma'am." "Shall we go for a walk?" "Yes." "We walked down this very same path with Otto." "You remember?" "Yes." "He kept running on ahead and we'd almost lost him for the umpteenth time." "I kept calling him to come back." "But actually I just wanted to be alone with you." "We were stargers then." "As now." "Don't ever leave me again." "Don't ever leave me." "I never ever leave you from now on." "It took us a long time to get here."