shirt, where water had splashed on him in a gondola ride with his wife. Von Igelfeld shares the remarks made to him about a problem with the water in Venice, leading to a decline of German tourists in the summer. The courses of their meal were measured, leading them to send the fish course back to the kitchen. The three decide to end their stay in Venice early, so Prinzel can seek medical advice in Germany. Then young Tadeusz – a boy with a Polish family staying at the same hotel – walks past the measuring device, which reveals that he has a very high level of radiation. Von Igelfeld approaches the mother, speaking in French, telling her that her son has an issue with radioactivity. She replies politely, thanking him for the information, and indicating she has a theory about children and radioactivity, saying no more. Von Igelfeld receives a telegram from Unterholzer about an award from the Portuguese government. He is happy because he thinks the curtly worded telegram meant it was for himself. As they drive through Austria back home, Prinzel points out that Unterholzer probably meant the award was given to him, not to von Igelfeld. After a moment of sadness, he realizes this is not the end, and the three head back to Germany, "where they belong". Characters Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld: A tall German scholar of philology, who has specialized in Portuguese irregular verbs. He is about 35 years old in the last five chapters. Dr Dr (honoris causa) Florianus Prinzel: Colleague of von Igelfeld. Igelfeld thinks of him as the athlete-scholar, though he is not an athlete. Prinzel first met von Igelfeld at college. He marries Ophelia, and works at a language institute near her home town, keeping touch with von Igelfeld regularly. He received an honorary doctorate from a university at Palermo. Dr Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer: Colleague of von Igelfeld. Igelfeld scorns his family's social status, but never mentions this to Unterholzer. Professor Vogelsang: Professor who excels in old Irish, at Munich, and where von Igelfeld begins his doctoral studies. Vogelsang has no qualms in taking advantage of the work of his student, and offers no support when the foul language transcribed in Ireland leads to his student being tossed out of his lodgings. Patrick Fitzcarron O'Leary: Contact for the field trip to Cork, where von Igelfeld finds Ireland to be a very