Read Hanns Heinz Ewers Alraune for Free Online Page B

that little, ugly, over thin woman sitting
beside him, always filling his glass and loading his plate with
heaping portions of food. She didn’t eat anything–but she drank as
much as he did and with every new glass her ardor grew. She
laughingly caressed his huge meaty arm with her bony finger.
    Near her stood Karl Mohnen, Dr. jur and Dr.
phil. He was a schoolmate and chess player. It was through chess
that they had met and become great friends. By now he had studied
almost as long as Stanislaus, only he was always taking exams,
always changing his major. At the moment it was Philosophy and he
was studying for his third exam. He looked like a clerk in a
department store, quick, hurried and always moving.
    Frank Braun always thought that he should go
into business as a merchant. He would certainly be happy running a
confectionery where he would have women to serve him. He was always
looking for a rich party–on the street–large window promenades too.
He had an aptitude for meeting new people and making new friends,
especially traveling English women. He clutched onto them
gladly–but sadly they had no money.
    There was still another person there, the
small Hussar lieutenant with the little black mustache that was
chatting with the girls. He, the young Count Geroldingen, could
always be found back stage in every theater performance. He painted
the sets, was talented with the violin and the best horse racer in
the regiment. He was now telling Olga and Frieda something about
Beethoven that was horribly boring. They were only listening
because he was such a handsome little lieutenant.
    Oh yes, they all belonged here without
exception. They all had a little gypsy blood–despite titles and
orders, despite tonsures and uniforms, despite diamonds and golden
spectacles, despite all the civilized posturing. Some were
devouring food; others were making small detours away from the path
of civilized decency.
    A roar resounded and merged with Frau
Marion’s singing. It was the Gontram rascals fighting on the
stairs. Their mother went up to quiet them down. Then Wölfchen
screamed in the next room and the girls had to carry the child up
into the attic. They took Cyclops along, putting both to bed in the
narrow child’s wagon.
    Frau Marion began her second song, “The
Dance of Shadows” from the opera “Dinorah”.
    The princess asked the Privy Councilor about
his latest endeavors and if she could come once more to see the
remarkable frogs, amphibians and cute monkeys. Yes, she could
certainly come. There was a new species of rose that she should
really see. It was at his Mehlemer castle. He also had large white
camellias that his gardener had planted; she would be interested in
them as well.
    But the princess was more interested in the
frogs and monkeys than the roses and camellias so he related his
endeavors to transfer eggs from one frog to another and
artificially inseminate them. He told her that he had already
produced a beautiful female frog with two heads and another with
fourteen eyes on its back.
    He would dissect one and remove the eggs from
it and fertilize them before transferring the little tadpoles to
another frog and just like that, the cells would merrily divide and
develop into new life with heads and tails, eyes and legs.
    Then he told her about his efforts with
monkeys, relating that he had two young long tailed monkeys that
were being suckled by their virgin mother–She had never even seen a
male monkey!
    That interested the princess the most and she
asked for all the details. She had read something about it but
didn’t understand all the Greek and Latin words. Maybe he could
explain it to her in perfect German so she could understand?
    The obscene cliches and behaviors dripped out
of the Privy Councilor as he explained in anatomical detail just
what he did. Spittle drooled down from the corners of his mouth and
ran down his heavy, hanging lower lip.
    He enjoyed this game, this obscene chatter,
watching her