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him straight out that he is a confidence
trickster. I would give something to hear the story of his life, it
must have been colourful enough. This man must have waded
through a sea of filth. But he would deny it of course, and even
resort to insults.’ A feeling of irritation came over him; `Life
is becoming unbearable with the people and conditions of
today: mountains of empty shells everywhere and if you do
come across something that looks like a nut worth cracking, it
turns out to be a lifeless pebble.’
    “Jews, Hasidic Jews!” muttered the confidence trickster
contemptuously, pointing at a group of figures in rags and tatters
- the men at the front with tangled beards and black caftans, the
women behind them, their children in bundles tied to their backs
- who were hurrying silently down the street, their wide-open
eyes staring wildly into the distance. “Emigrants. Not a cent in their pockets. They believe the sea will part before them when
they come. Mad! Not long ago in Zandvoort a whole crowd of
them would have been drowned if they hadn’t been pulled out
in time.”

    “Do you mean that seriously or is it just a joke?”
    “No, no, I’m perfectly serious. Didn’t you read about it?
Religious mania is breaking out everywhere you look nowadays. For the moment it is mostly the poor who are infected by
it but”- Zitter’s irritated expression brightened up at the thought
that perhaps the time was coming soon when his chickens would
be there for the plucking - “but it won’t be long before the rich
catch it too. I know about these things.” Happy to have found
a profitable topic of conversation - he had noticed how
Hauberrisser’s attention had been caught - his tongue was loosened once more. “Not only in Russia, where the Rasputins and
Jan Sergeis and other holy men keep popping out like rabbits,
the mad idea that the Messiah is coming has spread over the
whole world. Even among the Zulus in Africa things are happening; there’s a negro running round there who calls himself
the ‘Black Elijah’ and performs miracles. I know all about that
from Eugene-Louis” - he quickly covered up his error- “from
afriend who was outthere recently hunting leopards. Iknow one
famous Zulu chief myself, from Moscow” - his face suddenly
showed a certain unease - “and if I had not seen it with my own
eyes, I would not have believed it: the man’s a complete ass in
all other respects, but, as true as I’m sitting here, he can perform
magic, he really can. Magic! Don’t laugh, my dear Hauberrisser, I’ve seen it myself and no trickster can pull the wool over
my eyes” - for a moment he completely forgot that he was
supposed to be playing the role of Count Ciechonski - “I can do
all that to a T myself. Devil knows how he does it. He says he
has a fetish and when he calls on it he’s fireproof. What is true
is that he heats up large stones until they glow red - I’ve
inspected them myself! - and then walks slowly across them
without burning his feet!” In his excitement he started chewing
his fingernails and muttered to himself, “But just you wait, my
lad, I’ll find out how you do it.” Suddenly worried that he might
have given himself away, he quickly assumed the mask of the Polish count and emptied his glass, “Nazdravje, my dear Chauberrisser, nazdravje, cheerio. Perhaps you will see the Zulu
yourself; I have cheard he is in Cholland, appearing in a circus.
But shall we not go to the Amstel Room next door for a bite … “

    Hauberrisser stood up quickly. He was not in the least interested in Arpad Zitter as a count. “Awfully sorry, but I am
otherwise engaged for this evening. Perhaps another time.
Goodbye. So nice to have met you.”
    Baffled by his sudden departure, the confidence trickster
watched him leave open-mouthed.

     

Hauberrisser rushed through the streets of Amsterdam, in a
fever of excitement, though he could not say why.
    As he