slugged and robbed by one of the inmates of an
had money. But far more likely was the chance that a Jew and Socialist had fallen into the
clutches of the Brown Terror. Their problem was, did Goring know about it, and if so was it a
breach of faith, or merely a precaution against a breach of faith on their part? Would Goring
be content to keep his hostage until the bargain was completed? Or was Freddi to remain in
durance for a long time?
The more Lanny thought about it, the more complications he discovered. Could it be that
there was a war going on between the two powerful Nazi chiefs? Had Goebbels becomes furious
because Goring had taken the prisoner? Had he grabbed Freddi in order to thwart Goring and
keep him from carrying out his bargain? If so, what was Lanny supposed to do? What part
could a mere man play in a battle of giants—except to get his head cracked by a flying rock or
uprooted tree? Lanny couldn't go to Goebbels and ask, because that would be breaking his
pledge to Goring.
No, if he went to anybody it must be to Goring. But was he privileged to do this? Had it been
a part of the bargain that the Minister-Prasident of Prussia and holder of six or eight other
important posts was to lay aside his multifarious duties and keep track of the misfortunes of a
family of Jewish
for him to say: "Mr. Budd, I know nothing about the matter and have no desire to." Was Lanny
to reply: "I do not believe you, Exzellenz!"?
It seemed clear that all Lanny could accomplish was to center the attention of the Gestapo upon
the Robin family. If they set out to look for Freddi they would have to inquire among his friends.
They might ask Lanny for a list of these friends; and what could Lanny say? "I do not trust you,
condemn all these friends to concentration camps. The wife of Johannes was hiding with one
of her former servants. The Gestapo would get a list of these and hunt them out—Jews, most of
them, and doubtless possessing secrets of Johannes and his associates. Who could guess what they
might reveal, or what anybody might invent under the new scientific forms of torture?
II
Lanny and his wife attended the very grand inauguration ceremonies of the Minister-Prasident
of Prussia. They were met by Ober-leutnant Furtwaengler and introduced to Ministerialdirektor
Doktor X and General Ritter von Y. They were surrounded by Nazis in magnificent uniforms
covered with medals and orders, behaving themselves with dignity and even with charm. Very
difficult indeed to believe that they were the most dangerous miscreants in the world! Irma in
her heart couldn't believe it, and when she and Lanny were driving afterward they had a bit of
an argument, as married couples have been known to do.
Irma was a daughter of civilization. When she suspected a crime she went to the police. But
now, it appeared, the police were the criminals! Irma had listened to Lanny's Red and Pink
friends denouncing the police of all lands, and it had annoyed her more than she had cared to
say; there were still traces of that annoyance in her soul, and Lanny had to exclaim: "My God,
didn't Goring tell me with his own lips that he would find a hundred of Johannes's relatives
and friends and torture them?"
"Yes, darling," replied the wife, with that bland manner which could be so exasperating. "But
couldn't it have been that he was trying to frighten you?"
"Jesus!" he exploded. "For years I've been trying to tell the world what the Nazis are, and now it
appears that I haven't convinced even my own wife!" He saw that he had offended her, and
right away was sorry.
He had been through all this with his mother, starting a full decade ago. Beauty had never
been able to believe that Mussolini was as bad as her son had portrayed him; she had never
been able to think of an Italian refugee as other than some sort of misdoer. Beauty's own
friends had come out of Italy, reporting everything improved, the streets clean, the trains running
on time. Finally, she had gone and seen for herself; had she seen anybody beaten, or any signs of
terror? Of course not!
And now, here was the same thing in Germany. Wherever you drove you saw perfect order.
The people were clean and appeared well fed; they were polite and friendly—in short, it was a
charming country, a pleasure to visit, and how was anybody to credit these horror tales? Irma
was in a continual struggle between what she wanted to believe and what was being forced
upon her reluctant mind. Casting about for something to do for poor Freddi, she had a bright
idea. "Mightn't it be possible for me to go and talk to Goring?"
"To appeal to his better nature, you mean?"
"Well, I thought I might be able to tell him things about the Robins."
