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13e 1935 MANON'S DEATH
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HOLLNSTEINER Since
your wife Alma is in a weakened condition due to her ordeal
of the past few days she unfortunately will not be able to
inform you herself. But since she does not want you to be
left in the dark any longer she asked me to report to you
on the last days of your daughter. Will you allow me to take
the liberty of doing so?
GROPIUS Yes.
Of course. - With pleasure.
HOLLNSTEINER You
see - until the Saturday before Easter Manon's state of health
was actually quite normal. Of course we noted that the symptoms
of the paralysis wore off very, very slowly and that an x-ray
treatment had initially resulted in a slight fever and headache,
so we considered the treatment ineffective. Quite unexpectedly
the child started to vomit and as the doctor on call was not
able to stop this and her pulse appeared to have weakened,
more specialists were immediately summoned. Professor Poelzl
took leave from Werfel in a very hopeful mood that same evening
and said: "You will celebrate a wonderful Easter tomorrow."
Unfortunately however the night did not go as well as had
been anticipated, and on the morning of Easter Sunday little
Mutzi required my presence so urgently, that I drove at 100
km/hour from Upper Austria to Vienna in a hastily borrowed
car. I found your daughter in a very serious but not yet hopeless
state.
It was probably a flare-up of the initial disease, brought
about by insignificant but still inexplicable causes. Nevertheless
they resulted in toxic manifestations of the organism that
lead to a paralysis of the gastro-intestinal tract. But then
signs of paralysis of the larynx and the alimentary canal
were once again diagnosed.
We tried every conceivable treatment and the child responded
surprisingly well at first, so the doctors left the house
that night with an optimistic prognosis, and of course Werfel
and I stayed nearby. As on previous nights one doctor stayed
behind, to spend the night awake at your daughter's bedside
together with Mrs. Alma and two nurses. The decisive worsening
came to pass in the morning, causing the physician to employ
every possible treatment and technique at his disposal.
When the situation seemed indisputable to us all, you were
given notice at once, in the natural expectation you would
board the first available airplane and hurry to your daughter's
sickbed. We believed that a telegram describing your child's
mortal danger would convince the official authorities to permit
you to enter the country without difficulty. But… so
be it.
In any case towards 11 o'clock the doctors informed me that
they had exhausted all possibilities and that the time had
come for me to fulfil my duties as a priest. Manon's strength
vanished progressively and… with her clear eyes gazing
into another world, her lips forming the delicate smile that
was so well known to all of us, she at last passed over quietly
and without struggle into the other realm. It was around three
in the afternoon. Acute paralysis of the gastro-intestinal
tract was diagnosed to be the cause of death. A medical officer
gave instructions that the funeral should be carried out as
soon as possible. we had planned to lay Mutzi out in state
in the parish church. Your fatherly wishes were taken into
consideration, but unfortunately could not be realised since
the announcements could already be read in the newspapers
and it was already too late for the most essential and meaningful
purpose of your trip. Since I knew that Mutzi had silently
waited in eager expectation of your arrival, the last desperate
yearning of your child would in the end not have been satisfied
by your mere attendance at her funeral.
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