9.

b) English-like comfort, waiters dressed in national clothing, an orchestra playing

under the windows in the garden, until 4 a.m. Not used to sleep at concerts, I took
advantage of the situation and enlightened myself. I read all the articles, telegrams,
information, serials and all the announcements in the newspapers in which the
groceries were wrapped. Let me bring you up to speed: the Princess of Meklenburg got
engaged to the Duke of Hessa, or maybe he is the prince and she is a duchess; Radivon
is selling gold timepieces for two lei each and, besides that, he is offering a tie clip,
which is also made of gold; the German Empress gave the Emperor twin princes; the
price of rape is rising; Pepita Ximenez fell in love with her brother-in-law, don Diego.
You didn't know that, did you ? After the march, an officer played "The moon is asleep"
twice. After that, I fell asleep too.
The table was now replete and the wall was covered in hundreds of species of
bugs, in jewels of strange shapes which looked like familiar and unfamiliar beasts like
the big world in miniature of various colors which Adela defined by comparing them
to precious gems, to metals and fabrics... At times, I could hear "The Petpedec" in the
garden. "The Crazy star" was rising towards the poplar at an alarming pace. "The
Petpedec" a nickname chosen by Adela for a quail that religiously repeats the only
three syllables it knows, night after night: "Petpedec!"; "The crazy star"... the blue star
which tells us that it's 11 p.m. and that the party is coming to an end, when it rises
above a certain poplar, the third one in the row of five from the neighboring yard.
Adela was also the one who chose this name one night when we thought it was rising
too fast towards the poplar, thus defying the laws of nature.
- Have you finished the intinerary ? she asked me. You will tell me absolutely
everything afterwards, won't you ? What do you mean ? Aren't you sure you'll be
taking the trip ?
And the ironic, caring smile would fade and then reappear in her eyes, just like
the brightness of the star in the sky.