Longuet and Blum the Socialists, Hansi and Bess the musical world, Zoltan the art lovers,
Parsifal the religious, Beauty and Emily and Sophie and Margy the fashionable, Rick the
English press, Corsatti the American—what a clamor there would be when they all got going!
Taking a leaf from his father's notebook, Lanny arranged a code so that he could
communicate with his mother confidentially. His letters and telegrams would be addressed to
Mrs. Dingle, that being an inconspicuous name. Papa Robin would be "money" and Mama
"corsets"—she wore them. Freddi would be "clarinet," and Rahel "mezzo." Lanny said it was to be
assumed that all letters and telegrams addressed to him might be read by the Nazis, and all
phone calls listened to; later he might arrange a secret way of communication, but nothing of the
sort could come to the Hotel Adlon. If he had any thing, private to impart, he would type it on
his little portable machine and mail it without signature in some out-of-the-way part of Berlin.
Beauty would open all mail that came addressed to Lanny, and forward nothing that was
compromising. All signed letters, both going and coming, would contain phrases expressing
admiration for the achievements of National Socialism.
"Don't be surprised if you hear that they have converted me," said the playboy turned serious.
"Don't go too far," warned his mother. "You could never fool Kurt, and he's bound to hear
about it."
"I can let him convert me, little by little."
Beauty shook her lovely blond head. She had done no little deceiving in her own time, and
had no faith in Lanny's ability along that line. "Kurt will know exactly what you're there for,"
she declared. "Your best chance is to put it to him frankly. You saved his life in Paris, and you
have a right to ask his help now."
"Kurt is a Nazi," said Lanny. "He will help no one but his party."
Irma listened to this conversation, and thought: "This can't be real; this is a melodrama!"
She was frightened, but at the same time began to experience strange thrills. She wondered:
"Could I pretend to be a Nazi? Could I fool them?" Her mind went on even bolder flights.
"Could I be a vamp, like those I've seen on the screen? How would I set about it? And what
would I find out?"
XI
They got the morning newspapers. Hard to imagine a millionaire's yacht and palace being
seized, and no word of it getting to the outside world; but the rules were being changed in
Naziland, and you didn't know what was possible until you saw it. They searched the French
papers and found much news from Germany, having to do with the Conference on Arms
Limitation at Geneva, and Germany's threats to withdraw from it. Hitler had unexpectedly
summoned the Reichstag to meet, and the correspondents assumed that it was to give him a
platform from which to address the world. All France was agog to know what he was going to
say, and apparently that left the papers no space for the troubles of a Jewish
The next chance was the mail. A letter mailed in Bremerhaven or Berlin on the day before
yesterday might have arrived yesterday afternoon or it might not, but surely it would arrive
this morning. Hansi was waiting downstairs at the hotel office; he couldn't think about
anything else, not even Lanny's plans. He came rushing into the room, out of breath from
running and from anxiety. "A letter in Mama's handwriting!" He handed it to Lanny, to whom
it was addressed; his own sense of propriety had not permitted him to open it.
The letter had been scrawled in haste on a scrap of paper and mailed in a plain cheap
envelope. Lanny tore it open, and his eyes took it in at a glance. He hated to read such words
aloud, but there were five persons waiting in suspense. The letter was in German, and he
translated it:
"Oh, Lanny, the Nazis have seized the boat. They have arrested Papa. They would not tell us a
word what they will do. They will arrest us if we go near them, but they will not arrest you. We
are going to Berlin. We will try to stay there and wait for you. Come to the Adlon, and put it in
the papers, we will watch there. We are so frightened. Dear Lanny, do not fail poor Papa. What
will they do to him? I am alone. I made the children go. They must not find us all together.
God help us all. Mama."
So there it was! Those poor souls traveling separately, and doomed to spend their days and
nights in terror for themselves and grief for what might be happening to the father of the
family! Hansi broke down and cried like a child, and Beauty did the same. Bess sat twisting her
hands together. The others found it difficult to speak.
Somebody had to take command of that situation, and Lanny thought it was up to him. "At
least we know the worst," he said, "and we have something to act on. As soon as the car comes,
Irma and I will drive to Berlin, not stopping for anything."
"Don't you think you ought to fly?" broke in Bess.
"It will make only a few hours' difference, and we shall need the car; it's the right sort, and
