Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-11-08
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By rhs BoOklOVsr

More chronicles OF the HakOnltEeS
and Czelovars have been added TO the
family saga by q. B. Stern in Mosaic"
We made the acquaintance Of these
two striking families of Austrian Jews,
descendants of Simon Rakonitz and
Babette weinberg of Pressburg, in THE
Matriarch" and "a Deputy Was King"
In 1.-THE Matriarch" AnaStasia Rakonitz
was the benevolent family tyrant who
rules all the men Of the family and
oil the younger generation and aspired
to have her home the center OF all
family life. In "a Deputy Was King"
Anastasia was succeeded In her func-
lions by her granddaughter, Toni Ra-
konitz, who, though modern. was
startling replica Of her grandmother.
Dominating women were characteristic
of the Rakonitz and CEelovar FAM
lilies. In Mosaic" the part is played
by Berthe Czelovar, born Michel,
daughter Of Lena Rakonitz, daughter
of Simon and Babette, and Jules
Michel Berthe is married early to
Konrad Czelovar. gay Vienna rake, who
Is always faithful to her when he Is at
home in Paris, but Is altogether UNI
faithful when he is away on his ire
uuent trips. Berthe Is intuitively con-
scious of 1t all, but makes allowance
for temperament. She herself has tenn
perament, Of a different kind, but
Equally demanding concessions. She
conceives of herself as q fascinating
genius who has escaped public great
ness only because she has CHOSEN 10
sacrifice herself by marriage. She has
a grievance against life and all moth
erS because she has no children, wnen
she has also conceived OF hersen as q
benevolent matriarch, real head OF ali
her family connections: VINO ever
heard Of q matriarch with no chnoren
of her own? The first two years OF
her marriage are spent in LONDON;
where she does not get on At all wen
with the London branch OF the Ia
konitzes, because they do not reenze
that she is wonderful and spoil ner.
They are busy, instead, IN sponlng
Elsa, born q Vienna Czelovar, the young
wife of middle-aged Albrecht RAJ
konitz, and Berthe's sister law;
Rivalry springs up between Berthe ana
Elsa, which endures lifetime.
* 4 ~
Berthe persuades her husband that
she cannot be happy away from ner
beloved native Paris, so they return
there and take up their abode with ner
narents. the good bourgeois MlcneiS'
and her sister Lett, who has always al,
lowed Berthe to guide her. The MlcneI
auartment, Seize Rue Caumont, neas
the Arc de Triomphe, Is the pacKgrog,nu,
of most of the story. Here the Mlcnel
oorents and Berthe's husband, Konrad,
die. from here Lett goes to marry Ao-
rier Levine, whom she leaves after Two
years because her conscience troubles
her for taking him away from MS mis-
tTess with whom he has lived for years
here I,etti returns with her sman son,
Etienne: here Berthe, Letti ana EClenlle
live for many years together, VIII D.
the as "Old Man Business suppottCln1e
the family by selling antiques; mere,
' -ri Etienne brings his young
wife Camille de Jong, second OF tntLo
cousin. of the San Reno branch OF uIe
fan,iIv In less than o year Camllle Ie-
hels becomes hysterical, ana makes neI
h,,ehand move to San Reno, because
she cannot endure the all-enveioplng:
Generous, but tyrannical o1ctatorsnAP VI
Berthe. The apartment at SelDs TIE W.,
Caumont continues 70 pe InS lal n,..
loeadnIIarters in Paris. There the couS-
;ns Val the artist, and Helen, the
= ndon rnodiste, visit, and there nnally
comes Rudi C1elovar, the composer,
nenhew of Berthe's husband, from ne
Vienna home. for the production OF ms
c,eeTa "Cicarette." Berthe takes charge
81 him his rehearsals, his entertain
nent. every moment OF his time. Sne
becomes his inseparable companion; az
really likes her, though ne y i Hnl,,a;,
unused by the equality OF comraoesniiP
.@ee,l1t5sd 6v his more than 60-year-olo
asIrit The opera is success ana Nuol
T,renares. as much as he ever prepaLeS
anythinc to return to Vienna ana MS
Ssnniiv Hut. no! Berthe has not SO
Manned Here Is another SON 70 re-
T,Iace the lost Etienne, TO compenssse
Tor the one she never had OF ner own.
He must bring his wife ana onlioren Sv "
paris and live In the apartment unoer
hars n looks as II the easy charming
t5s,di would do what Is expected OF MIN,
h,sk then the gentle Lett, whom every
oyse considers weak, intervenes, Is
treacherots TO the dominant Bertne'
hrinqs about q secret meeting between
Etienne and Rudi. Rudl escapes 70
vienna. Berthe discovers the ntrlgue,
there Is terrific quarrel az seize N w
Caumont. From the wreckage L ...,tS,
her SON. Berthe leaves for Vienna m
vending to live with Rudi, ana tne
matriarchal apartment Is LETT oeSeFVeu'
y y
II Is at Rudis home In Vienna tnat
berthe receives the blow which almost
Fills her. because it destroys ner sell
acteem-for a time. She encounters
Milly. Rudi's English wife, whom she mas
always conceived as Poor little mousse,
but who is really Rudis burner agaanse
the world, o good, haro, emclent puL i,.l.
her in which she tells her all the things
that every one else has refratned from
telling her all her life. They're
(Etienne and RudD not your sons. 1hey
never have been. Got to face facts.
Perhaps your own sons, If you'd had
any. might have been able to live Win
YOU. I don't believe it, though.
that. Why can't you put UP. with
ii (having no sons), instead OF always
trvinQ to grab somebody elSe'S? 4
people can't live with you, so you'll be
left alone" Dragging her heavy body
up the stairs to the apartment at Seize
Rue Caumont and putting her key IN
the lock, Berthe shivers at the Thought
of the cold, empty, apartment and won
ders If she will be able to start tne
kitchen fire and If there is any coffee
left in the pantry. Then, Lett came
trotting down the corridor from the
Kitchen. 'Tiens' she cried, her voice
ripping with JOY. It is you, Berthe!
/ had hoped, when I heard the door,
that it might be you" After her first
relief is over and the first STRINGS OF
renewed self-respect have begun Berthe
inquiries how it happens that Lett is
back at Seize Rue Caumont. ITO be
frank with you," Lett says, lit was not
amusing there" CLetti is 60). II was
bored. They were pleased TO see me. |
They gave me q nice room, In front OF
the villa, though it was mournful to
look from the window at nothing Dut
the place that / minded but to |
be nothing but a grandmother, with no
life of ones own--a week of that Is |