Fighting and resisting are not
her affair."
Roswitha came in with Annie and interrupted the conversation.
This conversation occurred on the day that Innstetten departed from
Hohen-Cremmen for Berlin, leaving Effi behind for at least a week. He
knew she liked nothing better than whiling away her time, care-free,
with sweet dreams, always hearing friendly words and assurances of her
loveliness. Indeed that was the thing which pleased her above
everything else, and here she enjoyed it again to the full and most
gratefully, even though diversions were utterly lacking. Visitors
seldom came, because after her marriage there was no real attraction,
at least for the young people. * * *
On her wedding anniversary, the 3d of October, Effi was to be back in
Berlin. On the evening before, under the pretext of desiring to pack
her things and prepare for the journey, she retired to her room
comparatively early. As a matter of fact, her only desire was to be
alone. Much as she liked to chat, there were times when she longed for
repose.
Her rooms were in the upper story on the side toward the garden. In
the smaller one Roswitha was sleeping with Annie and their door was
standing ajar. She herself walked to and fro in the larger one, which
she occupied. The lower casements of the windows were open and the
little white curtains were blown by the draft and slowly fell over the
back of the chair, till another puff of wind came and raised them
again. It was so light that she could read plainly the titles of the
pictures hanging in narrow gilt frames over the sofa: "The Storming of
Dueppel, Fort No.
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