-re chenemene manch mnnt
for von Bogner; he risked his last cent, he
borrowed. He borrowed and lost until he
was eleven thousand gulden in debt to a
South American tradesman whom he openly
despised. Then the game ended. Accord¬
aled
9107
ing to the code, a debt of honor must be
paid within twenty-four hours; and the
ry
South American was coldly emphatic in the
matter of promptness, He told Willi that
he would inform the commander of Willi's
regiment if the money were not paid on the
hour.
Willi sought bis rich uncle only to find
that during the long period since he had last
found it useful to show some interest in the
uncle’s existence the latter had married a
young harlot and, having turned his wealth
over to her, had from her only a small
allowance. The wife had shown business
ing
enterprise and foresight, and had made
much money in speculation and investments;
f a, but she permitted him to see her only on
rare occasions and gave him not a penny
before his allowance was due.
Willi found out the address of his aunt
and called upon her. He discovered that
she had formerly been one of his lights-o’¬
love, one whom he had treated rather
shabbily. He made upto her and impressed
upon her theurgency of his need fo. money,
while at the name time playing the ardent
lover. They spent a night together and
when he believed that she was going to
advance him the money she left him a
thousand gulden note instead, in payment
for their niglit of love — a bit of mockery
at the small sum he had left for her when
they had last spent a night together — a
gesture she had loathed at that time because
she was in love with him.
The thousand was of no use to Willi; but
he kept it and sent it to von Bogner. Then
he put a bullet through his head. The
uncle, having meanwhile prevailed upon his
wife to advance him the eleven thousand
gulden Willi needed te save his honor,
arrived just too late.
*One always remained an officer, no
matter what one did — or at any rate, one
became an officer again when one had paid
one’s gambling debts.“
In other words a man of honor was still
a man of honor if he blew out his brains
rather than be reported to his commanding
officer for failure to pay a gambling debt
when it was due. If he observed that fine
point of the code, he might act the part of
the swine in every other particnlar. He
might play for stakes higher than le could
afford; he might insult one of the players
under the aszumption that that player was
not his social equal and could not therefore
challenge him to a duel; and he could de¬
ceive his uncle with Fis uncle’s wife, not for
pleasure but meretriciously, by pretending
a sentiment he did not feel and asking her
for money which he could never repay.
Isaid at the beginning of this review that
Daybreak“ carried a moral lesson. But
it is not the conventional and obvious one,
that gambling is a vice or that the wages of
sin is death. We should be taught by this
little story to examine the central factor in
the code among those people who make 8o
iel im Morgengrauen
34 S . un. etenetetecen fihe en eh e e a.
much ado about their honor; for it is very
apt to be a weak, vain, and not very ad¬
mirable one, permitting them a free con¬
science to act discreditably in most of those
relations with human beings which call for
fairness and simple justice, kindness and
common honesty.
That, I believe, was the point Schnitzler
was getting at in this ironic novelette.
There was nothing very tragic in Willi's
suicide; for his life had no real significance
and his character was not worth preserving.
Even in death he was not ennobled. And
that is the final irony.
box 6/1