Three Arched Bridge Read Free Page A

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7
    A T THE END OF MARCH , one bitter morning (it was one of the three days that mark the tail end of winter), they again summoned me urgently to the count, 1 was seized with trembling lest those crazy jabberers had come back, I would have found it easier to interpret for woodpeckers, 1 was ashamed of myself when, dozing in the cart, I found myself repeating to myself as if crazy the ancient ditty, “Oh March wind, oh brother mine, dry the loudmouths on the washing line,” However, this time it was not them but the people from “Boats and Rafts,” There were three men; one of whom, tall and pale and with a pointed beard, spoke little. Judging by the respect shown to him by the other two, he was one of the main directors of “Boats and Rafts,” and perhaps their great master’s deputy. All three spoke perfect Latin. They had brought with them some black leather bags, full of all kinds of documents,
    This time the count brought us into his study. Heavy oak bookshelves occupied part of the walls, and I strained my eyes to read the titles of the books from a distance, in the hope of asking for one of them some time, should the opportunity arise,
    â€œWe fail to understand what complaint the noble count might have against us,” said Pointed Beard, not raising his eyes from his bag, “As far as I am aware, we have always fulfilled every item in our agreement,”
    Our liege lord’s cheeks, pale since his daughter first fell ill, blushed above the cheekbones,
    1 had acted as interpreter for several conversations between the count and “Boats and Rafts,” and I knew well that it was always “Boats and Rafts” that complained about our lord, and not the other way around. There had been continual complaints about the delayed repayment of sums borrowed by our liege lord from “Boats and Rafts” since the time of the unfortunate campaign against the duke of Tepelene. The bank of “Boats and Rafts” had twice reduced the interest rate, from fourteen to nine and then to six percent, and had finally agreed to postpone the repayment of the loans for five years without interest, They were forced into this against their will, because they did not want to create an open breach between themselves and the count, from which they would emerge the losers, since the count could profit from the quarrel and refuse to pay back a single penny, Most princes did this now and then, and everybody knew that there was no power that could force the count to honor an agreement with a bank, even with one of the largest in Dürres, such as the bank of “Boats and Rafts,”
    So when Pointed Beard mentioned the question of a complaint, our liege lord blushed, because he thought this was subtle mockery.
    â€œWhat complaint?” he cried, “Who has been complaining about you?”
    His tone seemed to be sayings Have you grown so big-headed as to imagine 1 would make the effort to make complaints against endless moaners like yourselves?
    The man from “Boats and Rafts” eyed him frostily,
    â€œThere is no question of a direct complaint, my noble count,” he said.
    â€œThen speak clearly,” the count said.
    The representative of “Boats and Rafts” stared at him fixedly. His beard, coating the lower portion of his jaw, appeared to carry the entire weight of his head.
    â€œSir, it is a question of a bridge,” he said finally.
    â€œAh,” the count said. The exclamation seemed to escape him involuntarily, and we all — who knows why? — gazed at one another.
    â€œA bridge, no less,” Pointed Beard repeated, as if doubting we had understood correctly. His piercing eyes never left the count.
    â€œSo that’s the problem,” the count said. “And what concern of yours is it?”
    The “Boats and Rafts” representative took a deep breath. It seemed that he needed something more than air to shape the