We packed the rest into it and moved off to the next stand.
Lina pushed the pram.
The blacksmith made such jokes about it that I thought better to drop behind a bit with Patricia Holl-mann.
At the next stall one had to throw rings over wine bottles.
If the ring landed clean one won the bottle.
We got away with six bottles.
Lenz, regardful of etiquette, presented them to the blacksmith.
There was one more booth of a similar kind.
But the proprietor had smelt a rat and was just declaring it closed as we came up.
The blacksmith was making trouble; he had observed that here beer bottles were to be contended for. But we declined. The chap at this booth had only one arm.
With a large following we arrived at the Cadillac.
"Now what?" asked Lenz, scratching his head. "We'd better tie the pram on behind."
"Sure," said I, "but you'll have to get in and steer so that it doesn't tip over."
Patricia Hollmann protested.
She was afraid Lenz would actually do it.
"All right," said Lenz, "then we had better divide up.
The two teddy bears go to you.
The gramophone records too.
Now what about the frying pan?"
The girl shook her head.
"Passes to the workshop, then," announced Gottfried. "Take it, Bob, you're master of the order of the poached egg.
The coffeepot?"
The girl nodded toward Lina.
The cook blushed.
Gottfried presented her with the thing as at a prize-giving.
Then he hauled out the crockery basin.
"The washing gear here?
To our old friend, no?
He'll have use for it in his job.
The alarm clock likewise.
Blacksmiths are heavy sleepers."
I handed Gottfried the flower vase.
He passed it to Lina.
Stammering, she tried to decline.
Her eyes were glued on the penitent Magdalene.
She feared, if she took the vase, the smith would get the picture.
"I'm very fond of art," she burst out.
"Fraulein," asked Lenz, with a grand gesture turning round, "what do you say to that?"
Patricia Hollmann took the picture and gave it to the cook.
"It is a very beautiful picture, Lina," said she, smiling.
"Hang it up over your bed and take it to heart," added Lenz.
Lina seized it.
She gave a great gulp of gratitude.
"And now you," said Lenz pensively, to the pram.
Despite her joy over the Magdalene, Lina's eyes were again covetous.
The smith observed that one could never be sure when one might not need such a thing, and laughed so at the idea that he dropped one of the wine bottles.
But Lenz was against it.
"Just a moment. I saw something a while back," said he and disappeared.
A few minutes later he collected the cart and pushed off with it. "That's settled," said he when he came back alone.
We climbed into the Cadillac.