"It's in flower" "The old lady got up in a bad mood" "Is she up?" "What a miracle!" "She wants the new cover for her bedpan" " Did you bring pastries?" " Loads" " And some housekeeping money" " Loads?" "No way. 500" "That's more than enough" "We'll settle up later" "Remember, you don't have to skimp." "Got any other problems?" " None." "Do you have any money left?" " Heaps" " Has the postman come?" " Not yet" "A letter's coming from America" "I want her to read it while I'm here" "Wait, I'll go" "She's ringing again for the tenth time today!" "Her hand's itching for that bell" "Silly cow!" "Good morning, Mother!" "Iren, where's my buttered toast?" "It's me" "Oh, you?" "Did you bring pastries?" "Of course." "And what else did I bring?" "Flowers, for sure" "Will you never learn to economise?" "All right." "I always say the same thing because you always do the same thing" "Don't keep bringing flowers." "Buy me perfume" "What else did I bring?" "Show me!" "Or did you lose it already?" "Good" "Kiss me, please" "Lovely." "But how do you get all that money?" "I earn it." "I'm a big whore" "A whore?" "I'll tell Janos when he comes back" "He'll give you a good beating" "Put it on" "It's beautiful!" "It was high time..." "Professor Hetenyi is coming today." "And Iren will be nervous" "She'll forget to put it away again" "The professor is used to bedpans" "But what makes you think he'll come today?" " She keeps eavesdropping" " She doesn't" "Eavesdropping, me?" "Calm down, you'll have a stroke." "Give her the toast" "The professor will be coming today" "He hasn't been for a long time." "It's been more than a month" "He promised he'd come once a month" "I know you're in love with the professor" "You want to talk to him about Goethe in German and you don't want him to see your pee" "That's only natural, isn't it, Iren?" " What's that?" " Don't deny you're in love with him" "Why else would you learn all those Goethe quotations?" "Dumme Gans!" "Why?" "For myself" "I eat toast for myself, too" "It's a pity he's so ugly" " We can't all be beautiful like you" " Am I beautiful?" " If only you were as clever" " As who?" "As the professor?" "Dumme Gans!" "Oh, I almost forgot..." "The professor phoned to say he's very busy and can't come" "He said you'll live to be 100 anyway" "So you'll see each other often" "He told me, too, that I'd live to be 100" "Did he say the same to you over the phone?" " Are you fooling?" " Of course" "Are you really?" "Mother, I'm telling the truth." "Don't you remember the other day we were talking about your 100th birthday and who we'd invite and that I'd wear the red silk low cut dress?" "Don't you remember?" "Didn't we choose the white silk dress?" " That's long gone" " What?" "Nothing." "Nothing!" "Then give me some soda water" "Did the professor really say I'd live to be 100?" "Oh, all these books!" "You can only read one at a time" "But I think about the rest." "Leave them!" "Have you done your German homework?" "What will Janos say if you can't speak German when he comes home?" "I may have forgotten Hungarian by then!" " What was that?" " I'm sick of your son" "You're teasing me again" "Of course" "Tell me about when you went to the spa" "To the spa?" "When you all slept in one room" " And?" " Remember the night when your younger son was peeping?" "Poor Gyuri?" " You never knew him" " You told the boys to turn to the wall." "When was that?" "Long ago 40 years ago or so" "You must have been very young then" " Was I 36?" " About that" "What was that about peeping?" "Well, it was..." "But I've told you before" "I don't quite remember!" "The children were in bed and you wanted to undress" "You must have been beautiful" "Yes, I was very beautiful" "Large hats were in fashion then" "They had to be tied with wide, black ribbons" "Under the... what's the word?" "The chin" "And my husband gave me a wide, black moiré ribbon" "I tied it under the chin and all the young men turned to look" "Not only the young men!" "Professor Hetenyi would have turned too had he known you" "Come on!" "He wasn't even born" " Well, go on" " About what?" "About the peeping" "You know, this bonnet was made of the ribbon that my husband gave me" "But this one is velvet" "And you got a moiré ribbon" " Never mind" " Never mind." "Never mind" " Perhaps it was velvet!" " It could have been" " What is it you want to know?" " How you undressed" "Well, we all had to sleep in one room" "The boys were in bed and I wanted to undress" "You know..." "ladies wore corsets in those days" "Long corsets from here to here" "My husband had to unlace mine and I didn't want the boys to see" " But I've told you all this!" " But I don't remember!" "You told the boys to turn to the wall..." " Yes" " And then?" "You made sure they weren't looking" "Yes." "There I was in my petticoat" "No, in your bloomers" "White, lace-trimmed, knee-length bloomers" "Bloomers" "Then you saw that Janos had turned to the wall" "But your other son Gyuri was peeping" " Peeping, sure enough" "He had lovely curly locks and he peeped out behind them" " And then?" " What then?" "What happened then?" "I've forgotten" "You spread a towel over the bars of the cot..." "Of course I did" "And Gyuri pulled it aside and peered out" "He peered out, yes, and giggled" "And Janos?" "He just stayed turned to the wall and didn't move, poor thing" "Because he was honest even then, wasn't he?" "Dumme Gans!" "You remember better than I do" "Yes, even then he was very honest" "That's what you wanted to hear" "Nonsense!" " You love Janos" " Nonsense!" "All right." "Don't joke" "I want to talk seriously" "When Janos comes back from America tell him he mustn't be so headstrong" " Why not?" " You just tell him" "Why don't you tell him?" "He won't be back for a long time" "You've got a letter" "Janos?" "How should I know?" "I haven't read it" "Give me the magnifying-glass" ""I have little time for writing..." ""My film will be shown before long..." ""...in the largest New York cinema..." ""...which can seat 30,000 people..." ""...and is being built on a mountain 2,000 metres high" ""It has to be finished for the premiere" ""Because mine will be the opening film" ""From the top you can see half of America..." ""...from the Cordilleras to the Andes..." ""...not to mention the Atlantic Ocean" ""The cinema will have an airport, too..." ""...for the rich who will all..." ""...all come by plane" ""Up till now I've been staying at the Waldorf Astoria..." ""...in a 20-room suite..." ""...on the 100th floor" ""But the reporters were such a nuisance that we moved..." ""...to a 16th century castle..." ""...brought over here stone by stone from France" ""Even my Negro butler and my barber..." ""...have a suite of their own..." ""I ride for an hour every morning" ""I've got a white mare, 'Darling'" ""Six secret agents hired by the film company..." ""...follow me on horseback  at a distance of a 100 paces..." ""I can't send you lovely presents yet..." ""...because I won't get my fee..." ""...till the film is completed..." "Before the film is completed?" ""Anyway the import duty's too high back home" ""So I'm sending a few little things with Luca for you" ""But I've chosen for you a grey Ford sedan" ""I'll bring that myself" ""A record-player with a thousand records..." ""...and a super radio..." ""...on which you can even tune in to the North Pole" ""Although they don't play Beethoven there..." ""As for the planned opening ceremony..." ""...don't talk about it yet because some details..." ""...are to be kept a diplomatic secret" ""Very distinguished people have been invited to it" ""And I'm not bragging." "I just want you to be pleased" ""Mrs Roosevelt, the former President's widow..." ""...will be lady patroness" ""And she has invited her best friend..." ""..." "Queen Wilhelmina of Holland who accepted the invitation" ""So did the Soviet Foreign Secretary..." ""...and the Greek queen..."" "How do you invent all that nonsense?" "How can such a clever woman who's read so many books believe it?" "Easily" "Where her son's concerned she's deaf and blind" " What did you write?" " I laid it on thick" "She'll tell me about it at dawn tomorrow" "To make you happy, too" "You can't keep it up for long" "Fiddlesticks!" "Not for ten more years" "He's served one." "There's only nine left..." "She won't live that long" "No." "But till then she should have no worries" "The professor promised her she'd live 100 years" "Come here." "Look at that shapely face" "Where are you going?" "I have to get going" "What lovely red hair you've got." "Like an English princess" " Is it really lovely?" " Yes." "Kiss me" "Not on my forehead" "I'll kiss you too" "You're very good and pretty" "I want to ask you" "Why must secret agents guard my son in America?" "In America all famous people are guarded" "I see" "Mother, why didn't you ask the caretaker for my key?" "I enjoyed walking about" "With that heavy basket!" "You've brought me the whole barnyard again!" " How was the journey?" " Fine" "I told your mother to come in" "I enjoyed walking" "My dear, why don't you come home?" "Don't start that again!" " You know I won't come" " You could easily, though" "Your husband won't be back for ages" "Stop that, Mother!" "Won't you take off your coat?" "Why did he have to meddle in politics?" "Politics are not for decent people" "The Comrades are stewing in their own juices" "But why are you involved?" "Why should you suffer?" "No one can drag me away from here" "And anyway, I can't leave my mother-in-law..." "You see..." " Mother?" " So you sold Granny's chest, too" "Yes" "The Comrade headmaster wants to see you" "Right, I'll go" "They found them yesterday" "They smelt the gas" "Dead, all four of them?" "Yes" "He had a row with his boss" "And his sister has been deported" "She was a physics teacher" "Come in, Comrade" " Who is it?" " I've come for the newspaper money" "Luca!" " How did you get here?" " I'm doing the paper round" "I came yesterday too" "We only moved in last night" "Luca, poor dear!" "No one saw me come in" "So what?" "I can receive who I want in my home" "Well, we live here now" "It's a bit grand, but we had to accept it" "I tried to ring you twice" "My phone was disconnected" "Look who's here!" "She's just come for the paper money" "I've been fired" "That's the limit." "It really is" "You're cold" " If only I knew he was alive" " He is" "He was confronted by a friend of ours" "And you only tell me now?" "I kept silent for a week, then I felt ashamed" "That they didn't lock you up instead?" " It could still happen" " Tell me, Luca..." "Did you know about everything Janos did?" "Are you implying the accusation is true?" "You'll find out from the papers I deliver" "When people are half honest, like we are we only feel half the humiliation" "We'd prefer to being hanged outright" "Do you see?" "But even so they trust us as little as they do the ones who won't conform" "Like Janos" "I see." "Never mind" "Have breakfast with us" "Two men are coming!" "Was the gate open?" "Go in there!" " Am I about to meet Janos?" " Idiots!" "Good morning" "We're from the exchange" " Your phone's out of order" " No, it works" " When did you last use it?" " Last night" " Where is the phone?" " In the living room" "Dead" " Are you from the exchange?" " Yes" " See?" " What?" "Two mechanics" "Apparently." "I may be given a caretaker too just as I've got a new secretary for my new job" "New people are needed" "Here." "Janos's letters from France" "I thought you'd like them" "Take the money, too." "It's for his mother" "I'll give you my phone number" "I can tell you, Luca..." "A normal mind can't cope with the goings on here" "At least find out if he's alive" "Good day, Mother!" "Good day!" "You don't have to shout" "Sit down in the armchair" "Tell me, is it spring?" "And what a horrid one." "Rain and wind" "Never mind." "As long as it's spring" "You should take long walks." "You don't look well" " Didn't you get a letter either?" " Not for a fortnight..." "Maybe longer" " Let me think." "I don't remember..." " Don't think!" "Lazy people don't even write to their wives" " Why are you so late?" " I beg your pardon?" "I want to lie down" "Iren!" " Why don't you let me in?" " Is anything wrong?" "No, but let me in." "I'm all right" " Why didn't you bring flowers then?" " I had no time" " Let me in, I'm late" " You had no time..." "At last..." "I can't smell the toast" " Has she eaten it?" " A while ago" " Is it that late?" " About midday" "Go in and steal yesterday's flowers" " Are you broke?" " We'll find some tissue for them" "What kind of flowers were they?" "She'll notice at once that they're not there" " You brought white carnations" " I'll put rouge on them" "Do you want a glass of brandy?" "Yes, please" "She broke another plate" "Now four are missing from the set" "What's the matter?" "I know something's up" "What do you know?" "Is it surprising I'm upset?" "My inheritance is going to pieces!" "The fourth broken plate!" " Or is the china yours?" " Yes, she left it to me" "What's the matter with you?" "Nothing" "Give me a hand, please" "I left a heavy basket downstairs" " I can lend you money." "No news?" " Nothing" " And my mother-in-law?" " She was asleep a moment ago" " What's up?" " Nothing." "Just nerves" "Time of the month?" "The ministry has impounded our furniture" "I can reclaim what's mine later" "Everything was valued at a high price" " Wasn't it all already confiscated?" " Not my things" "He pestered me for two hours" "After he left the caretaker and the family came, all three of them and sang Verdi's "Requiem" for me" "I'm just joking" "Once at the convent I had lice" "The mother superior had my head shaved" "My hair took a year to grow" "I feel a bit like that now" "The mother superior was also from Vienna" "She used to talk to my best friend in German" " It annoyed me" " Your lovely red hair was cut?" "Yes, because it was red" "Then Mother arrived with a whip in her hand" "Dammit!" "I've had enough for one day" "One sideboard, 4,000..." "One desk, 5,000..." "Yes, if I sold it" "But I won't, I'd rather die" "I want him to find things as they were" " Are you going in?" " Later" "Why don't you take a quick nap?" "No, I'll sleep after lunch" "Come on." "What's wrong with you?" "Nothing." "Just new arrivals" "I've got company." "Co-tenants" "In my flat, I mean." "They moved in." "I moved out" " Did you?" " To the maid's room" "The wife of a prisoner, traitor and conspirator isn't allowed to live in a two room flat!" "I'd been expecting it" "Why are you crying?" "What's there to cry about?" "I'm young, pretty and a co-tenant!" "I just don't know where to put my furniture." "They want their own" "Since the old lady broke her leg she's even more whimsical" "Either she rings several times for nothing or she doesn't touch the bell all day" "She doesn't read, just lies still, with her eyes closed" "Nothing interests her" "Is that you, Iren?" "Who else?" "You rang, didn't you?" "Come nearer" "I can't see your face" " Did I ring?" " Twice" "I can't remember" "Do you know what I wanted?" "Should I know that too?" "You wanted to ask the time" " Good." "What is the time?" " Almost noon" "Almost noon?" "What else did I want?" "To ask me what I'm having for lunch" "What are you having?" "Beef and potatoes with tomato sauce" "I don't want that" "No cabbage?" "True, the professor forbids it" "But I always eat a spoonful" "I know what I wanted to ask." "What is the time?" "I told you." "Almost noon" "I know." "I know it's noon" "Then why hasn't the young lady come yet?" "Good day, Mother!" "Is that you?" "Why are you so late?" "Iren says it's noon already" "I wrote a letter to Janos and took it out to the airport" "What did I bring you?" "Flowers for sure" "Will you never learn to economise?" "What kind of flowers?" "White carnations" "They suffered a bit from the journey" "What else did I bring?" "French soap?" "Tell Janos not to send any more." "We've got enough" "Let him send it." "It's never enough" "He should economise." "He can't economise either" "What will become of you if you don't learn to economise?" "You'll get old one day" "Never!" "As long as there's rouge and lipstick to be had" "I thought it was afternoon and you'd gone home but it's only midday" "And I have to eat that miserable lunch" " Come here, child" " Here I am" "Closer" "Closer still" "Tell me the truth" "When will he come home?" "Who?" "Please tell me the truth." "When will he come home?" "In his last letter he said three more months" "But one month has already passed" "You mustn't cry." "Two months isn't long, do you hear?" "I won't live that long!" "Remember, the professor said you'll live to be 100!" "Don't you remember, the professor..." "The professor may have died by now" "All right" "I'll ask Janos to come home" "What are you saying?" "I'll ask Janos to come home" " When?" " This very day" "I don't ask that." "When is he to come home?" "Right away" " Right away?" " Right away" "If he can't finish his rotten film, to hell with it" " What did you say?" " If I write that I'll divorce him if he doesn't come at once, he'll rush home!" " Divorce him?" " That's right!" "I've been left alone too long!" "Anybody else would've been unfaithful long ago!" "What's that half wit thinking of?" "Come home?" "Before the premiere?" "To hell with the film and all the dollars, too!" "He won't get a bean if he doesn't finish it, but I don't care!" "I'm fed up with living alone!" "If he comes home now, he won't get paid a cent" "I don't want his money!" "You're quite right." "I'll cable him at once!" "Dumme Gans!" "With men, work comes first" "You mustn't stop Janos from finishing his film" "Did you know the Dutch queen wants to see it?" "Who is more important?" "You or the Dutch queen?" "I'll cable him at once!" "I forbid you to cable him!" "Just listen here, my dear" "I know what hurts you" "You are jealous of Janos" "But I know my son" "There's no need to worry" "My son is like me" "He's devoted to those who love him" "He may have one or two affairs in America..." "And in Europe too..." "I also had an affair once" "In the end my son will tell every woman to scram" "You're not to cable him" "My son will live and die with you" " The doctor's here" " The singer has come again" " How is our forever young patient?" " Well, thank you" "Come just once to my concert and you'll stop mocking me" " How did you sleep?" " Quite well" " Do you sing in church?" " Yes." "Bach chorales" "All right." "I won't say anything" "The professor sent you and that's enough for me" "It won't take a minute" "Take a deep breath" " Any fever?" " None" "Breathe again" "Did you have a temperature last night?" "I was tired, I didn't take it" "Tell me... when can I go to your concert?" "In June we're singing a Handel "Te Deum" in church" "I can't wait till then" "Maybe the professor will be back by then" "You'll both come" "Don't make jokes" "I'll never go to a concert again" "Not even with the professor?" "You know, I haven't been in a church for 90 years?" "Not once?" "Not even for your wedding?" "No..." "You see, when I was 12 my mother gave me a new dress to wear for a picnic in the Wienerwald" "I prayed to God all evening for a fine day so I could wear the new dress" "But it rained the next day and I was very angry with God" "And you haven't been to church since?" "Only to see paintings when we went to France on our honeymoon" "Deep breaths" "Then when my mother wanted to take me to church I said, "No!"" " And you didn't go?" "No" "Then the next Sunday when the weather was fine and I was very happy my mother asked, "Stina, kommst du in die Kirche?"" "But Stina was clever, wasn't she?" "Yes" "I said no again" "I said to my mother..." ""I won't ask anything from anyone whom I can't trust" ""I want to stand on my own two feet"" " You succeeded in that" " What did you say?" "I said you succeeded" "I'm not so sure" "Since I became so old I'm lonely and helpless" "But when I die only my son will hold my hand" "Animals too want to die alone" "If my son cannot hold my hand then I want to be alone" "Won't you share my lunch?" "Thank you" "Don't thank me." "It's tomato sauce today" "I know you always liked to make it for Janos" "Is it good?" "First class!" "Even the tomato sauce?" "Yes." "What if I liked it?" "Don't you?" "I hate it" "You know what my son said when he first introduced you to me?" "He said your hair was so lovely" "Just a little!" "Where's the comb?" "Under the mirror" "I said, "Yes, her hair comes down to her waist"" "Get the ivory comb" "In those days it came down to your waist" "Thank you" "Now you go home" "It's for you." "She's called twice already" "Her name is Luca" "We're not at home for anyone" "We'll call her back" "Hello, Erzsi?" "Take the phone out!" "Where are the children?" "Oh, Mother, waiting here again?" "I don't like those strangers in your home" "They're all right." "There's no problem with them" "I told your mother to come to our place" "I enjoyed walking, Mrs Nagy" "I got a letter!" "He's alive!" "Next Sunday I can go and visit him!" "If I can go and see him then he must be healthy" "And if he's not healthy at least he's alive" "The old lady is not very well" "What happened?" "Last night I suddenly woke up" "I heard her talking, and went in to see her" "She was talking to herself, but in a very loud voice" "She was shouting, quarrelling with her son" "At dawn she was so flushed I went to phone the doctor" "Pneumonia" "You'd better hire a nurse for the night" "It might spread to the whole lung" "Nursing her day and night is too much for you" "I'll have no strangers in this house" "Talk it over" "Is she asleep?" "She doesn't often come to" "The doctor has just left" "She'll need a catheter tomorrow too" "Three times three of these" "Three times three of these or even four" "Prop her up, stay near her" "Plenty of liquids, lemon too" "Can't you stay for the night?" " I'm on duty" " I don't need anyone" "Good day, Mother" "Good day, Mother" "She's quite listless" "When she's delirious she speaks German" "Mein Johann!" "An unusually strong physique" "She has all my respect" "It was an awfully long night" "She can hardly breathe" "She's been silent all day" "Waiting and watching the door" "Dear Mother, say something!" "Can you hear me?" "Mother, dearest" "I kept the stove on all day yesterday" "Such a crazy, cold spring" "I had to turn on the heat too" "How do you make floating islands?" "My sister used to make it" "Prepare the poultice, please!" "Good day, Mother" "A few more days and you'll be all right" "Doctor" "I can keep her alive for a few more days" " Is there any hope of...?" " None" " What is your wish?" " Whatever's best for her" " It makes no difference" " Whatever's best for her" "She can't feel anything" "She may not regain consciousness" "I could keep her heart going for two days or so" " Is there any hope of...?" " None" "What is your wish?" "Whatever's best for her" "I haven't talked to you yet, dear" "My son's last letter..." "Did you know he's going to get the Kossuth Prize?" "He hasn't told me yet" "He'll get it" "Now you go out" "Send the doctor in" "You know, Mr singer doctor..." "Do you know, Mr singer doctor that my son's going to get the Kossuth prize?" "Wonderful!" "He'll get it..." "It's still a secret" "Tell Luca my daughter-in-law..." "to be proud of my son..." "Wonderful!" "Now you... you go and sing" "What am I going to tell him next Sunday at the visit?" "You" "Why is there shaving today?" "Is it Thursday?" "Will you shave us both?" "Speak up, dammit!" "Interrogation?" "Discharge?" "Destination?" " I don't know" " Don't you know your destination?" "No." "I don't know where they'll take me" "Nowhere" "You can go home to the missus for lunch" "You can even have some fun in bed" "So, where are you going?" " 17, Szilfa Street" " Which district?" "Second" "Sign here" "Put these away" "Sign this, too" "Stand on the scales." "You needn't undress" "Unbutton your shirt" "Swallow" "Tickets, please!" "Are you free?" "Are you free?" " Where to?" " To Buda" " By which bridge?" " What do you mean?" "Are you a stranger here?" "It doesn't matter which bridge" "Can we stop at a tobacconist's?" "There's one here" "Wait." "What do you want?" "A packet of Kossuth and matches" "Thank you" " Political?" " Yes" " You've been released?" " So it seems" "Stop here, please" " Here you are" " Thank you." "Goodbye" "Good morning" " Who do you want?" " Is my wife still living here?" "Good God!" "So you've come home!" " Does my wife live here?" " Of course she does" "Doesn't she know you're back?" " Of course she's living here!" " She's not at home" "Do come in." "Come on in" "I knew you were innocent!" "I rang three times but no one answered" " Yes, the co-tenants are away too" " Co-tenants?" "They're very decent people" "I've got the key." "Go upstairs and have a rest" "I'll get the key right away" "Here you are" " There you go" " Thank you" "It's only me" "When did Mother die?" "It was an easy death" "Can you get used to me again?" "I love you" "I've grown old" "Will you sleep with me tonight?" "Yes" " Will you stay with me all night?" " Yes" "Every night... as long as I live"