This Month's Installment
The italicized bit is what I'm unsure about.
"People won't rack their brains about it. They have other things to think about now."She had not heard him. "But no, you are much too serious and holy for that. I told you already on the Adlershorst cliff: you cannot be nice and affectionate at all, even if you wanted. The poor woman whom you will later marry!"An impish feature flashed from her eyes and slipt from there down to her red lips that now possessed something seductive.The train was really late. The rush to the single stop always became bigger, often it received a concentration that was barely manageable. Everyone was on the way home. The beautiful summer freshness on the sea, in the country, in the woods had been abruptly terminated, most of the faces showed uneasiness and agitation.---102---Finally, they arrived in Königsberg. Here it was disclosed to them that as a result of events that had not been intended, the train would be left there temporarily and that they, not being let off before the evening, could use another for the continuation of the journey.Nuscha was beside herself, complained about the railroad management that could not meet greater demands, and behaved like an unruly child. But it didn't help her, she eventually realized it herself, laughed about her irritation, and soon recovered her cheerful mood with a good snack that she had in a Königsberg wine tavern.Although they arrived at the train station very early, the evening train was already crowded. They walkt through the aisles, even here the people were crowded, it was barely possible to get through. But Nuscha gave the conductor a tip, and he opened a compartment in first class for them.At first they were alone, then even this filled, eventually every seat was occupied, they even had to sit still closer together in order to give a sickly woman and her attendant the opportunity to sit down.The train started to move. They had both of the corner seats at the window. With the faint light that filled the compartment, he could not exactly make out the features of her face, but he noticed that every anxiety had left her. In a feeling of cozy security, she leaned her head close to the upholster, now and then, her eye winkt to him between the thick silky eyelashes, then the lids sank deeper, she seemed to sleep.Around them was calm, the people sat---103---sunk in their seats; now and then maybe one spoke with his neighbor, but usually in a subdued tone. The sickly lady struggled with a coughing fit that she overcame with the help of her attendant. Now one heard nothing but the regular, soporific rhythm of the pounding wheels.Outside was dark night up to the black windows. Now and then flashed the lights of a station through which the train travelled. Now a decrease in the breakneck hurry, the first stop. Nuscha rubbed her eyes, she appeared really to have slept."Still a short hour, and you will be in Rodenburg, then it won't be much longer and I too will be at home."Again the usual swarming and surging on the platform, the pushing and shoving on the walkways, then the train, which had already emptied a little, travelled farther into the night.Now Hans too wanted to try to rest for a little while. The day and its uninterrupted travelling had been exhausting enough, he felt a leaden fatigue in his whole body. But he had hardly stretcht out his feet and leaned back his head when - a strong jolt through the whole train, which suddenly stopt.A visible agitation spread through the travellers. Some stood up, some walkt up to the door, the window, some called for the conductor. What was the meaning of this?"They're looking for someone," Hans heard said in the next compartment, then it was quiet again."Everyone stays in place! No one leaves his compartment! The corridors are to be kept free!"---104---now sounded a piercing voice. At the same time, one heard loud steps on the walkways and in fact from several sides."Police officers! They are going into every carriage," it sounded again from next door."What could it be?" Hans askt Nuscha.She didn't answer, just shrugged her shoulders.
Grammatical Minutiae/Commentary
Zug is used in two different senses in sequential sentences (although divided by a paragraph break): "Ein schelmischer Zug blitzte aus ihren Augen und glitt von da zu den roten Lippen herab, die jetzt etwas Verführerisches hatten. / Der Zug verspätete wirklich." I couldn't find a translation that I was really happy with for the first instance, but eventually I went with feature - "An impish feature flashed from her eyes and slipt from there down to her red lips that now possessed something seductive." In the following sentence, Zug means train, but this becomes clear only with the context of the following sentences, which describe a rush of travellers. At first glance, the Zug in "Der Zug verspätete wirklich" could be understood in the same sense as the Zug from the previous sentence and paragraph. Instead of "the train was really late," then, this first sentence could be translated as "the feature was really late." I think this ambiguity is intentional and something of a comment on Nuscha's almost flirtatious behavior.
I'm not sure if there's any rhetorical intent behind it, but there's rhyming in the phrase "das Schieben und Drängen auf den Gängen." I couldn't find a way to include this in my translation, however: "the pushing and shoving on the walkways."
