under which he was forced to live. Just now there was wrangling over religious questions; the
old problem of the relations of church and state was being fought over with bitterness
inherited through six centuries or more. There were Polish Lutherans and German Lutherans
who couldn't and wouldn't say the Lord's prayer together. There were Polish Catholics trying to
polonize German Catholics. There was the Volhynian Russian church, and the Uniat church
which was half-way between Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic—they accepted the Pope,
but their priests married and had large families. Superimposed upon all this was a new Polish
ecclesiastical system, which subjected all the churches to the government. Herr Meissner, soon
to depart from this earth, found the making of a proper exit as complicated a problem as had
ever confronted him while staying on.
Lanny had been looking forward to having a frank talk with his old chum. He wanted to tell
Kurt what he had learned about the Nazi political machine, and make one last effort to get him
out of it. But he realized that it would be a waste of effort. Kurt was in a state of exultation
over the election results, for which he had been hoping for ten years and working for five. He
considered that Germany was being redeemed, and he was composing a
all marches. Lanny decided sadly that it was better to play piano duets and consider politics as
beneath the notice of inspired musicians.
He and Irma had intended to return to Berlin for another cruise; but there came a telegram
from Miss Severne, who was under strict orders to report the slightest sign of indisposition
on the part of her charge. She reported a digestive disturbance and a temperature of 101; that
didn't mean much in a child, and the nurse was sure it wasn't serious, but Irma fell into a
panic right away—she was a neglectful and selfish mother who had run away from her
responsibilities, amusing herself all over Europe. She wanted to take a plane; but Lanny
said: "By the time you get to an airport and arrange for one we can be half way home. You
spell me and we'll drive straight through."
So they did, and reached Juan in a little over two days—not so bad considering the
mountains in Austria and Italy. Twice on the way they stopped to telephone, and when they
arrived they found that the fire was all out. Was it the magic of Parsifal Dingle, or just the
natural tendency of very young children to get over a fever as quickly as they get it? There was
no way to know; suffice it that Lanny's stepfather had done his best, and Miss Severne had
done hers, and Baby Frances was well—and ready to take full advantage of a reformed and
penitent mother! Irma was so happy to prattle and dance and play with her darling that she
couldn't understand how she had ever wanted to be fashionable.
IX
They settled down to domestic life. In the evening Sophie and her husband would come over
to play bridge with Irma and Beauty. Marceline had begun attending a private school, where
fashionable young ladies didn't learn very much but were watched and kept out of mischief.
That left Lanny free to read the magazines which had accumulated in his absence, and to play
the music that took his fancy; also to attend the workers' school and tell them what he had
learned in England and Germany, and advise them how to avoid the misfortunes which had
befallen their comrades in these countries.
The only trouble was, the data appeared so complicated and the conclusions so uncertain.
"MacDonaldism" appeared to indicate the futility of "gradualness" and legality; the moment
you mentioned it, up popped some young Red to say: "You see what happens when the
workers put their trust in parliaments!" When you mentioned Hitler, right away a wrangle
started as to what had caused him. Was he an agent of German heavy industry, and a proof that
capitalism would not submit peaceably to any form of limitation upon its rule? Or were the
Nazis-a product of the fears which Bolshevism had inspired in the
business men, the petty officials, the white collar workers who had no unions and couldn't
protect their status?
You could take either side of this debate, produce a mass of facts to prove your case, and
come out feeling certain that you had won. The uncomfortable person was the one like Lanny,
who wanted the whole truth, and could see that there was some of it on both sides. Nobody
could look at an issue of a Nazi newspaper without seeing that they were exploiting the fear
of Red Russia to the limit; on the other hand, who could look at Hitler's Braune Haus with its
costly equipment, or see the Stormtroopers marching with their shiny new uniforms and
weapons—and not know that this movement was being financed by big money of some sort.
exploiting all the workers, and these two groups couldn't agree on any domestic policies.
