About midday
I had to get him out of that room , and to drive that notion about his birth-day out of his head ; so , in my anxiety , I hazarded a white lie . This is how it all came about : `` The day before his birth-day , the servant was waiting for him at the Red Deer in Rosmin . I had ridden over there myself to see how my father got on , and how he looked ; but I kept myself out of sight . About midday the cart came slowly rumbling up . The driver helped my father out -- for he had great difficulty in moving -- which at first gave me a fright about his legs ; but it was really mainly owing to the fur boots and the jolting . On the street the old boy took out a letter and read it . Then he went up to Jasch , who had run to the cart , and who had to pretend that he did not understand a word of German , and began to make all manner of alarming gesticulations .