"
Effi was quite right. As a matter of fact no close friendship was
established with the Crampas family. They met once at the Borckes',
again quite casually at the station, and a few days later on a steamer
excursion up the "Broad" to a large beech and oak forest called "The
Chatter-man." But they merely exchanged short greetings, and Effi was
glad when the bathing season opened early in June. To be sure, there
was still a lack of summer visitors, who as a rule did not come in
numbers before St. John's Day. But even the preparations afforded
entertainment. In the "Plantation" a merry-go-round and targets were
set up, the boatmen calked and painted their boats, every little
apartment put up new curtains, and rooms with damp exposure and
subject to dry-rot were fumigated and aired.
In Effi's own home everybody was also more or less excited, not
because of summer visitors, however, but of another expected arrival.
Even Mrs. Kruse wished to help as much as she could. But Effi was
alarmed at the thought of it and said: "Geert, don't let Mrs. Kruse
touch anything. It would do no good, and I have enough to worry about
without that." Innstetten promised all she asked, adding that Christel
and Johanna would have plenty of time, anyhow.
* * * * *
[An elderly widow and her maid arrived and took rooms for the season
opposite the Innstetten house. The widow died and was buried in the
cemetery. After watching the funeral from her window Effi walked out
to the hotel among the dunes and on her way home turned into the
cemetery, where she found the widow's maid sitting in the burning
sun.
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