She exclaimed with naive delight over the wonders of the Hotel Adlon, and had to have Irma
assure her that her home-made dress was adequate for such a grand occasion. Heinrich talked
N.S.D.A.P. politics, and incidentally fished around to find out what had happened in the case
of Johannes Robin, about which there was no end of curiosity in party circles, he reported.
Lanny could only say that he had orders not to talk. A little later he asked: "Have you seen Frau
Reichsminister Goebbels since our meeting?"
Yes, Heinrich had been invited to tea at her home; so Lanny didn't have to ask who had
manifested the curiosity in party circles. Presently Heinrich said that Magda had wished to
know whether Mr. and Mrs. Budd would care to be invited to one of her receptions. Irma
hastened to say that she would be pleased, and Heinrich undertook to communicate this
attitude. So it is that one advances in
and manners, one can go from drawing-room to drawing-room, filling one's stomach with choice
food and drink and one's ears with choice gossip.
Hugo Behr, the
reporting this, said: "I think I ought to warn you, Lanny. Hugo and I are still friends, but there
are differences of opinion developing between us." Lanny asked questions and learned that some
among the Nazis were impatient because the Führer was not carrying out the radical economic
planks upon which he had founded the party. He seemed to be growing conservative, allying
himself with Goring's friends, the great industrialists, and forgetting the promises he had
made to the common man. Heinrich said it was easy to find fault, but it was the duty of good
party members to realize what heavy burdens had been heaped upon the Führer's shoulders, and
to trust him and give him time. He had to reorganize the government, and the new men he put
in power had to learn their jobs before they could start on any fundamental changes. However,
there were people who were naturally impatient, and perhaps jealous, unwilling to give the
Führer the trust he deserved; if they could have their way, the party would be destroyed by
factional strife before it got fairly started.
Heinrich talked at length, and with great seriousness, as always, and his devoted little wife
listened as if it were the Führer himself speaking. From the discourse Lanny gathered that the
dissension was really serious; the right wing had won all along the line, and the left was in
confusion. Gregor Strasser, who had taken such a dressing down from Hitler in Lanny's
presence, had resigned his high party posts and retired to the country in disgust. Ernst Rohm,
Chief of Staff of the S.A. and one of Hitler's oldest friends, was active in protest and reported to
be in touch with Schleicher, the "labor general," whom Hitler had ousted from the
chancellorship. A most dangerous situation, and Hugo was making a tragic mistake in letting
himself be drawn into it.
"But you know how it is," Heinrich explained. "Hugo was a Social-Democrat, and when the
Marxist poison has once got into your veins it's hard to get it out."
Lanny said yes, he could understand; he had been in that camp a while himself; but there
was no use expecting everything to be changed in a few months. "You have two elements in your
party, Nationalism and Socialism, and I suppose it isn't always easy to preserve the balance
between them."
"It will be easy if only they trust the Führer. He knows that our Socialism must be German
and fitted to the understanding of the German people. He will give it to them as rapidly as they
can adjust themselves to it."
After their guests had left, Lanny said to his wife: "If we want to collect the dirt, Hugo's the
boy to give it to us."
VIII
Mama had agreed with Lanny and Irma that there was nothing to be gained by telling the
family in Paris about Freddi's disappearance. They could hardly fail to talk about it, and so
imperil the fate of Johannes. It might even be that Hansi or Bess would insist on coming into
Germany—and the least hint of that threw poor Mama into another panic. So Lanny wrote
vague letters to his mother: "Everything is being arranged. The less publicity the better. Tell
our friends to go to Juan and rest; living is cheap there, and I feel sure that times are going to
be hard financially." Little hints like that!
Beauty herself didn't go to Juan. Her next letter was written on stationery of the Chateau de
Balincourt. "Do you remember Lady Caillard? She is the widow of Sir Vincent Caillard, who was
one of Sir Basil's closest associates in Vickers. She is an ardent spiritualist, and has published a
pamphlet of messages received from her husband in the spirit world. She is immensely impressed
by Madame, and wants to borrow her for as long as Sir Basil will spare her. He invited me out
here, and we have had several seances. One thing that came up worries me. Tecumseh said: 'There
