My Years with Ludwig von Mises.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

And all the time I had no real home. Feri and I could not live
together; he had to stay in his apartment, which was too small for a
family. The baby, the nurse, and I lived in the Hotel Bristol. I
nursed the baby myself, and when I came home from rehearsals or
performances, the nurse and the baby were always waiting for me,
the nurse scolding, the baby crying. It was impossible to get a
larger apartment, as hard as Feri tried. There was no peace in the
world, no peace in my heart. And other events added to the inner
turmoil.
That season a rather sensational charge was brought against Director
Wallner of the Volkstheater, and without any intention of
mine I became involved in it. For personal reasons certain older
qctors and actresses felt animosity towards Wallner and accused
him of morally questionable behavior toward young actresses, me
qmong them. He was-so they said-directing ]uedin von Toledo
in a morally offensive and improper way. When the case came
before the jury, the old actors and actresses were not allowed to
take the oath. I was sworn in. I declared that I never felt any
misgivings about Director Wallner or his manners; and whatever
he said, and whatever explanatory movements he may have made
during rehearsals, it was done-I said-in the keenness and enthusiasm
of artistic work. I never felt offended. He was acquitted, but
my position at the Volkstheater became so difficult I could not stay.
Why do I tell this story? At that time I did not know Professor
von Mises, who was still in the Austrian Army. But when later,
after the death of my first husband, Ludwig von Mises and I met in
Vienna and became friends, I told him about it. Some time later he
surprised me by telling me that he had gone to the archives of the
Neue Freie Presse and had looked up all the records about the
case. He had to assure himself that I had spoken the truth.
I did not renew my contract, and the newspapers said that I had
resigned "for reasons of health." I was, of course, in perfect health
and was offered immediately an excellent contract for the Thaliatheater
in Hamburg. Feri asked me to stay, but I was still too
selfish to be able to give up my career. I accepted the offer, though
I ,realized I had to leave my child also, at least for a while. The war
was over, the Austrian Empire was torn to pieces, Germany was
defeated. Traveling from one country to the other was now very
difficult; there was not even a direct train connection between
Vienna and Hamburg. One had to change trains at the border, and
the trip took twenty-nine hours. The cars were not heated, there
were few train personnel, and. there was no food, no milk at any of
the stations. I could not subject my child to that; I first had to find
smitable quarters before I could have him stay with me. I left.
In Hamburg I played the same roles I had played in Vienna,
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