In one way, it was her father who had hung the two pictures on the wall. Could
there be any connection other than the similarity of names?
Berkeley was a philosopher who denied the existence of a material world
beyond the human mind. That was certainly very strange, one had to admit. But it was
not easy to disprove such claims, either. As regards Sophie, it fitted very well. After
all, Hilde’s father was responsible for her “sense perceptions.”
Well, she would know more if she read on. Hilde looked up from the ring
binder and smiled when she got to the point where Sophie discovers the reflection of a
girl who winks with both eyes. “The other girl had winked at Sophie as if to say: I can
see you, Sophie. I am here, on the other side.”
Sophie finds the green wallet in the cabin as well— with the money and
everything! How could it have made its way there?
Absurd! For a second or two Hilde had really believed that Sophie had found it.
But then she tried to imagine how the whole thing must appear to Sophie. It must all
seem quite inscrutable and uncanny.
For the first time Hilde felt a strong desire to meet Sophie face to face. She felt
like telling her the real truth about the whole business.
But now Sophie had to get out of the cabin before she was caught red-handed.
The boat was adrift on the lake, of course. (Her father couldn’t resist reminding her of
that old story, could he!)
Hilde gulped a mouthful of soda and took a bite of her roll while she read the
letter about the “meticulous” Aristotle, who had criticized Plato’s theories.
Aristotle pointed out that nothing exists in consciousness that has not
first been experienced by the senses. Plato would have said that there is
nothing in the natural world that has not first existed in the world of ideas.
Aristotle held that Plato was thus “doubling the number of things.”
Hilde had not known that it was Aristotle who had invented the game of
“animal, vegetable, or mineral.”
Aristotle wanted to do a thorough clearing up in nature’s “room.” He tried
to show that everything in nature belongs to different categories and
subcategories.
When she read about Aristotle’s view of women she was both irritated and
disappointed. Imagine being such a brilliant philosopher and yet such a crass idiot!
Aristotle had inspired Sophie to clean up her own room. And there, together
with all the other stuff, she found the white stocking which had disappeared from
Hilde’s closet a month ago! Sophie put all the pages she had gotten from Alberto into
a ring binder. “There were in all over fifty pages.” For her own part, Hilde had gotten
up to page 124, but then she also had Sophie’s story on top of all the correspondence
from Alberto Knox.
The next chapter was called “Hellenism.” First of all, Sophie finds a postcard
with a picture of a UN jeep. It is stamped UN Battalion, June 15. Another of these
“cards” to Hilde that her father had put into the story instead of sending by mail.
Dear Hilde, I assume you are still celebrating your fifteenth birthday. Or
is this the morning after? Anyway, it makes no difference to your present. In a
sense, that will last a lifetime. But I’d like to wish you a happy birthday one
more time. Perhaps you understand now why I send the cards to Sophie. I am
sure she will pass them on to you.
P.S. Mom said you had lost your wallet. I hereby promise to reimburse
you the 150 crowns. You will probably be able to get another school I.D.
before they close for the summer vacation. Love from Dad.