to New York from England as from France, they decided upon this plan. But first they must
run down to Juan, because Irma couldn't cross the ocean without having at least a glimpse of
her little daughter. Also it would be "nice" for Johannes to see Hansi and Bess. In general it
was "nice" for people to dart here and there like humming-birds, sipping the honey of delight
from whatever flower caught the eye. So next morning the four Robins were again loaded into
the back seat, and in the evening they rolled through the gates of Bienvenu amid a chorus of
delighted cries in English, German, and Yiddish; cries mostly in the treble clef, but with an
undertone in the bass, because of the one sheep which had strayed and might already have
been devoured by the wolves.
VI
Once again the young couple had a debauch of parental emotions; Irma hugged little Frances
against all rules, talked baby-talk which interfered with the maturing of her speech, gave her
foods which were unwholesome, let her stay up too late—in short disarranged all schedules and
spread demoralization. She even talked about taking the whole entourage to Long Island—it
would give such pleasure to the grandmother. Lanny argued against it—the child had
everything that a three-year-old could really appreciate, and now was enjoying the
companionship of a young Robin. Lanny and Irma were planning only a short stay, and why
incur all the added expense, at a time when everything was so uncertain? Lanny was always
trying to economize with the Barnes fortune—overlooking the fact that the only fun in having a
fortune is if you don't economize. Just now he had the idea that they might have to buy Freddi
out of Germany; and who could guess the price?
All right, Irma would stay another day, and then tear herself loose. She would lay many
injunctions upon Bub Smith, the dependable bodyguard, and extract promises from Miss
Severne to cable her at the smallest symptom of malaise. "Do you realize how many millions
this tiny being represents?" Irma didn't say those crude words, but it was the clear implication
of every command, and of the circumstances surrounding Frances Barnes Budd. "The twenty-
three-million-dollar baby" was her newspaper name. The twenty-three-million-dollar baby had set
out on a yachting cruise, and the twenty-three-million-dollar baby had unexpectedly returned to
Bienvenu. All the expenses of maintaining the twenty-three-million-dollar baby might have
been collected in admission fees from tourists who would have flocked to see her if
arrangements had been made.
The men of the family had a conference in Lanny's studio. Johannes hadn't been willing to
tell the ladies what had happened to him in Germany, but he told Hansi and Lanny how he
had been taken to the S.A. barracks in Bremerhaven and there subjected to a long series of
indignities, obviously intended to break his spirit. They had given him strong purgatives, and
amused themselves by forcing him to paddle other prisoners in the same plight, and to be
paddled by them in turn, until all of them were a mess of one another's filth. While they did
this they had to shout:
long trench, and were lined up to be shot and dumped into it—so they were told. It was only a
mock execution, but they had died psychologically, and Johannes had by then become so sick with
horror and pain that he had welcomed the end. He said now that he would never be the same
man again; he would go on living because of his family and friends, but the game of making
money would never hold the same zest. He said that, but then, being a clear-sighted man, he
added: "It's a habit, and I suppose I'll go on reacting in the old way; but I can't imagine I'll ever
be happy."
They talked about the problem of the missing one, and what was to be done. Lanny had
promised not to name Hugo Behr, and he didn't, but said that he had a confidential agent at
work, and had given him the Juan address. Hansi was to open all mail that might come from
Germany, and if it contained anything significant, he was to cable it. Johannes said that Hansi
and Bess would have to give up the pleasure of playing music at Red meetings, or doing anything
to advertise their anti-Nazi views. They were still Göring's prisoners; and that was, no doubt, the
way Göring intended it to be.
Hansi was "broke" because he and Bess had been spending all their money on refugees. That,
too, would have to stop. Since it would do no good to sit around and mourn, Hansi decided to
cable his New York agent to arrange a concert tour of the United States in the fall. Meantime,
Irma would open an account for him at her bank in Cannes. "But remember," she said, "no
more Reds and no Red talk!" Irma laying down the law!
All problems thus settled, one bright morning Irma and Lanny, with Papa in the back seat,
set out amid more cries in English, German, and Yiddish—this time not so happy. They arrived
