TE23 Double Feature

The Hangman’s House

Andrea Tompa

backing which differed from school to school in shape and colour; here at the Farkas utca school it was a black pentagon with the name of the school around the edge and in the middle a twoor three-figure number clearly visible at a distance, one on the coat, so that it could also be seen in the street—because the school presumed that its pupils would have only one coat for all seasons, and the possibility of more coats was excluded in advance—and one underneath, on the uniform for wear in school, and in fact (as Grandmother used to tell them) everyone used to be able to have the number made at their own expense, like the yellow star, but the identity number had to be obtained at a cooperative tailor or hatter on production of a school record-book, but that wasn’t usually asked for because it was assumed that everybody was honest and would only ask for two of their own number, and they’d been to the corner of egyetem utca and Florilor, opposite the church, because home made ones weren’t acceptable, and Comrade 342

teacher Antal further checked the blue man made fibre uniform blouses and the girls’ hair ribbons, to see that their hair was tidy, and the stockings below the uniforms, because trousers were, of course, forbidden even when the temperature went below minus fifteen as was the case that day, and he checked record books, that is, the very word ‘check’ meant just that he stood silent and motionless at the gate and assessed everybody with a single keen glance—was there a button missing, was clothing torn—and now he was looking over the 71s (her number showed her year of birth) and the quick-witted 71-er, who another time had happily turned back from the gate at 7.55 because she’d forgotten the hair-ribbon which she hadn’t been able to put on her long, unruly hair in a manner calculated to satisfy Antal, or because she’d put trousers on again, or she’d come out in knee-length yellow-and-brown striped stockings that made her look like a gigantic bee (fat Uncle Zolti had brought the distinctive item of clothing, 343