seated himself, and when he had spoken he pressed his lips together again. For the first time
in his life Johannes Robin seemed an old man; he was sixty, but had never shown even that
much.
"The situation is a serious one, Johannes, but it can be settled for money, and you and your
family are to be allowed to go to France with us."
"I don't mind about the money," said the Jew, quickly. He had fixed his eyes on Lanny's face
and never took them away. He seemed to be asking: "Am I to believe what you tell me?" Lanny
kept nodding, as if to say: "Yes, this is real, this is not a dream."
"The charge against you is that you tried to carry money out of the country on your yacht."
every mark that I took!"
"Where did you put the permit?"
"It was in my pocket when I was arrested."
"Are you sure of that?"
"Absolutely. I would have been mad to try to carry money out of Germany without it."
Lanny was not too much surprised by this. "We have to assume that some malicious person
destroyed the paper, Johannes."
"Yes, but there will be a record of it in the office of the Exchange Control Authority."
"I have been told on the best possible authority that no such record exists. I am afraid we
shall have to assume that some mistake has been made, and that you had no valid permit."
Johannes's eyes darted for the fraction of a second toward the S.S. officer. Then he said, as
humbly as any moneylender in a medieval dungeon: "Yes, Lanny, of course. It must be so."
"That makes a very serious offense, and the punishment, I fear, would be more than your
health could stand. The only alternative is for you to part with your money. All of it."
Lanny was prepared for some anguish, some kind of Shylock scene. "Justice! the law! my
ducats, and my daughter!" But Johannes sank back in his chair and resumed his dull tone. "I
have been expecting that, Lanny. It is all right."
The man's aspect and manner revealed even more than his words. Lanny knew how he loved his
money; how hard he had worked for it, how many plans he had for the use of it. But here he
was kissing it good-by, as casually as if he had been a darling of fortune whose interest was
dancing, playing the piano, and listening to parlor Pinks discussing the expropriation of the
expropriators!
What had happened to him to produce such a change? Had he been worked over with rubber
hose, which leaves few marks? Had he seen his fellow Jews being compelled to lash one
another's faces with whips? Had he lain awake all night listening to the screams of men with
camphor injected in their urinary ducts? Something of the sort must have happened.
IX
The visitor had to leave no uncertainty in his friend's mind. He had to be as implacable as
Minister-Prasident Goring himself. He said: "It means everything you have, Johannes—both
here and abroad."
"I understand."
"They have had a man in your office and have all the records."
"I had become aware of that."
"I have gone into the situation carefully, and I'm afraid you will have to give up."
"If they will really let me go, and my family, they may have everything."
"I have the word of Minister-Prasident Goring, and I believe that he means what he says. He
has explained in the clearest language that he has no interest in you or yours, and will be glad
to be rid of you."
"I am sure that Minister-Prasident Goring is a man of honor, and I accept his promise."
"He wants your money to use for the upbuilding of National Socialism. From his point of
view that is, of course, a worthy purpose."
"The money would be of no use to me in this place."
"Exactly, Johannes. We can go abroad and you and Robbie can start business, again. Irma
will back you."
"Thank you, Lanny. I'll get along, I am sure."
"I have had to agree, and you have to agree, not to say a word about the case to anybody.
We'll just get out and forget it."
"God knows I don't want to talk about it, Lanny. What good would that do me?"
"All right, then. Papers will be brought for you to sign."
"I will sign them."
"Some papers must go to New York, you know. It should take a week or two. Irma and I will
wait here, and take you and the others out with us."
"I will never be able to express my gratitude, Lanny."
"Don't waste any energy on that. All we want is to have the family with us on the Riviera. We
can have a good time without so much money. Are you being treated reasonably well?"
"I have no complaint."
"Is there anything I could send you—assuming I can get permission?"
"I have everything I need—everything unless perhaps some red ink."
Johannes said this without the flicker of an eyelash; and Lanny answered, without change of
tone or expression: "I will see if it is possible to get some."
Johannes could sit there in the presence of a Schutzstaffel officer and two privates, and with
all this pressure of terror and grief upon him—in the midst of having to make the most fateful
