Robert Walser - The Assistant

ONE MORNING AT EIGHT OCLOCK a young man stood at the door of a solitary and, it appeared, attractive house. It was raining. It almost surprises me, the one standing there thought, that Im carrying an umbrella. In earlier years he had never possessed such a thing. The hand extending down at his side held a brown suitcase, one of the very cheapest. Before the eyes of this man who, it seemed, had just come from a journey, was an enamel sign on which could be read: C. Tobler, Technical Office. He waited a moment longer, as if reflecting on some no doubt quite irrelevant matter, then pressed the button of the electric doorbell, whereupon a person, a housemaid by all appearances, came to let him in.

Im the new clerk, said Joseph, for this was his name. The maid instructed him to come inside and go right down thereshe pointed the wayinto the office. Her employer would appear presently.

Joseph descended a flight of stairs that seemed to have been made more for chickens than for people, and then, turning to the right, found himself in the inventors office. After he had waited a while, the door opened. Hearing the firm tread upon the wooden steps and seeing the door being thrust open like that, the one waiting there had at once recognized the boss. The mans appearance only served to confirm the certainty that had preceded it: he was in fact none other than Tobler, master of the house, the engineer Tobler. His face bore a look of astonishment, and he seemed out of sorts, which indeed he was.

Why is it, he asked, fixing Joseph with a punitive glare, that youre already here today? You werent supposed to arrive until Wednesday. I havent finished making arrangements. What were you in such a hurry for, eh?

For Joseph, that sloppy eh at the end of the sentence had a contemptuous ring to it. A stump of a word like that doesnt exactly sound like a friendly caress, after all. He replied that the Employment Referral Office had indicated to him that he was to begin work on Monday morning, that is, today. If this information was in error, he hoped to be forgiven, as the misunderstanding was beyond his control.

Just look how polite Im being! the young man thought and secretly couldnt help smiling at his own behavior.

Tobler did not seem inclined to grant forgiveness right away. He continued to belabor the topic, which caused his already quite ruddy face to turn even more red. He didnt understand this and that, certain things surprised him, and so forth. Eventually his shock over the error began to subside, and he remarked to Joseph without looking at him that he might as well stay.

I cant very well send you packing now, can I? To this he added, Are you hungry? Joseph replied imperturbably that he was. He immediately felt surprised at the serenity of his response. As recently as half a year ago, he thought quickly, the formidableness of such a query would have made me quake in my boots, no doubt about it!

Come with me, the engineer said. With these words, he led his newly acquired clerk up to the dining room, which was on the ground floor. The office itself was located below ground, in the basement. In the living and dining room, the boss spoke the following words:

Sit down. Wherever you like, it doesnt matter. And eat until youve had your fill. Heres the bread. Cut yourself as much as youd like. Theres no need to hold back. Go ahead and pour yourself several cupstheres plenty of coffee. And here is butter. The butter, as you see, is here to be eaten. And heres some jam, should you happen to be a jam-lover. Would you like some fried potatoes as well?

Oh yes, why not, with pleasure, Joseph made so bold as to reply. Whereupon Herr Tobler called Pauline, the maid, and instructed her to go and prepare the desired item as quickly as possible. When breakfast was over, approximately the following exchange took place between the two men down in the workroom, amidst the drawing boards and compasses and pencils lying about:

As his employee, Tobler declared in a gruff tone of voice, Joseph must keep his wits about him. A machine was of no use to him. If Joseph planned to go about his work aimlessly and mindlessly, with his head in the clouds, he should kindly say so at once, so that it would be clear from the start what could be expected of him. He, Tobler, required intelligence and self-sufficiency in his employees. If Joseph believed he was lacking in these attributes, he should be so kind as to, etc. The inventor appeared prone to repetition.

Oh, Joseph said, but why shouldnt I keep my wits about me, Herr Tobler? As far as my abilities are concerned, I believe and most decidedly hope that I shall be able to perform at all times whatever you see fit to ask of me. And it is my understanding that for the time being I am up here (the Tobler house stood atop a hill) merely on a provisional basis. The nature of our mutually agreed-upon arrangement in no way prevents you from deciding, should you consider this necessary, to send me away at a moments notice.

Herr Tobler now found it fitting to remark that he certainly hoped it would not come to that. Joseph, he went on, should not take umbrage at what he, Tobler, had just declared. But hed thought it best to get down to brass tacks at the start, which he believed could only be beneficial to both parties. This way, each of them knew what to expect from the other, and that is the best way to handle things.

Certainly, Joseph concurred.

Following this consultation, the superior showed the subordinate the place where he could do his writing. This was a somewhat too cramped, narrow and low-to-the-ground desk with a drawer containing the postage box and a few small books. The tablefor in fact thats all it was, not a real desk at allabutted a window and the earth of the garden. Gazing past this, one could glimpse the vast surface of the lake, and beyond it the distant shore. All these things were today enveloped in haze, for it was still raining.

Come with me, Tobler said abruptly, accompanying his words with a smile that to Joseph appeared almost unseemly, after all, its time my wife had a look at you. Come along, Ill introduce you to her. And then you should see the room where youll be sleeping.

He led him upstairs to the second floor, where a slender, tall figure came to meet them. This was her. An ordinary woman, was the young clerks first hasty thought, but then at once he added: and yet she isnt. The woman observed the new arrival with an ironic, indifferent look, but unintentionally so. Both her coldness and her irony appeared congenital. She held out her hand to him casually, even indolently; taking this hand, he bowed down before the mistress of the house. This is the secret title he gave her, not to elevate her to a more beautiful role but, on the contrary, for the sake of a quick private affront. In his eyes, the behavior of this woman was decidedly too haughty.

I hope you will like it here with us, she said in a strangely high, ringing voice, frowning a little.

Thats right, go ahead and say so. How nice. Just look how friendly were being. Well, well soon see, wont we. These are the sorts of thoughts Joseph saw fit to entertain upon hearing the womans benevolent words. Then they showed him his room, which was situated high up in the copper towera tower room, as it were, a noble, romantic location. And in fact, it appeared to be bright, airy and friendly. The bed was nice and cleanoh yes, this was a room in which one could do some living. Not bad at all. And Joseph Marti, for this was his full name, set down on the parquet floor the suitcase that he had carried upstairs with him.

Later he was initiated briefly into the secrets of Toblers commercial enterprises and made acquainted with the duties he would have to fulfill generally. Something odd was happening to himhe understood only half of what was said. What was wrong with him, he thought, and reproached himself: Am I a swindler, just full of empty talk? Am I trying to deceive Herr Tobler? He is asking for wits, and today I havent got my wits about me at all. Maybe things will go better tomorrow morning or perhaps even this evening.