Пользователь - o 3b3e7475144cf77c

"I bid you farewell, Herr Budd, and hope to have the pleasure of seeing you when you again

visit Berlin."

"The same to you, Herr Oberleutnant. I am grateful for your many courtesies through this

somewhat trying affair."

"Not at all, Herr Budd. Allow me to say that your handling of the matter has been most

exemplary, and Seine Exzellenz wishes me to assure you of his sincere appreciation."

So they buttered each other, and clicked heels and bowed and scraped over the telephone;

when Lanny hung up, he turned to his wife and said: "Chuck your things into the bags and

we'll get going!"

He hastened to call the home of Rahel's parents, and she herself answered. "Good news," he

said. "Papa is to be released at once and I am going to get him at the prison. Is Mama far from

you?"

"A ten-minute drive."

"Call a taxi, take the baby and your bags, pick up Mama, and come to the Hotel Adlon as

quickly as you can. Irma will be waiting for you. We are leaving at once. Is that all clear?"

"Yes; but what—" He hung up quickly, for he knew she was going to ask about Freddi, and he

didn't care to impart this news. Let Mama have the painful duty!

III

Lanny drove to the great red brick building on the Alexanderplatz. Many who entered there

had not come out as quickly as they had hoped; but he with his magical American passport

would take a chance. He discovered that the well-known German Ordnung was in operation;

the officer at the desk had received full instructions. "Einen Moment, Herr Budd," he said,

politely. "Bitte, setzen Sie sich."

He gave an order, and in a few minutes Johannes was brought in. Apparently he had been told

what was going to happen; he had got a shave, and appeared interested in life again. The odds

and ends of property which he had had upon his person were restored to him; he signed a

receipt, bade a courteous Lebewohl to his jailers, and walked briskly out to the car.

Lanny had the painful duty of knocking this newborn happiness flat. "Painful news, my

friend. Freddi has been missing for two weeks, and we have no idea what has become of him."

The poor father sat in the car with tears streaming down his cheeks while Lanny told about the

last meeting with Freddi, the arrangements which had been made, and the dead silence which

had fallen. Lanny couldn't bear to look at him—and had a good excuse, having to drive through

busy traffic.

He explained his decisions, and the heartbroken father replied: "You did what was best. I

shall never be able to tell you how grateful I am."

"I'm only guessing," Lanny continued; "but I think the chances are that Göring has Freddi

and intends to keep him until the scandal will no longer be news. Our only chance is to comply

strictly with the terms of the understanding. It seems to me the part of wisdom for us to tell no

more than we have to, even to the family. The less they know, the less trouble they will have in

keeping secrets."

"You are right," agreed the other.

"I think we should say we feel certain that Freddi is a hostage, and that, since he is some day

to be released, he is not apt to be mistreated. That will make it easier for them all to get over the

shock."

"I will tell them that I have had an intimation to that effect," said Johannes. "Anything to get

Rahel quieted down. Otherwise she might insist upon staying. We must take her at all hazards,

for she can do nothing here."

When they got to the hotel they found that Mama had already imparted the news, Irma had

confirmed it, and the young wife had had her first spell of weeping. It wasn't so bad, for she

had made up her mind for some days that the worst must have happened. Her father-in-law's

kind "intimation" helped a little; also Lanny's promise to keep up the search. The determination

of the others to get her and her child out of Naziland was not to be resisted.

It wasn't exactly a fashionable autoload which departed from under the marquee of the

Adlon Hotel. The magnificent uniformed personage who opened the car doors was used to seeing

independent young Americans driving themselves, but rarely had he seen three dark-eyed Jews

and a child crowded into the back seat of a Mercedes limousine about to depart for foreign

lands. Both Lanny and Irma were determined to finish this job, and not let their periled friends

out of sight until they were safe. In the breast pocket of Lanny's tan linen suit were stowed not

merely the passports of himself and wife, but a packet of documents which had been delivered by

messenger from the headquarters of Minister-Präsident Göring, including four passports and

four exit permits, each with a photograph of the person concerned. Lanny realized that the

government had had possession of all the papers in the Robin yacht and palace. He

remembered Göring's promise of a "kick in the tail," but hoped it was just the barrack-room

exuberance of a Hauptmann of the German Air Force.

The family were not too badly crowded in that rear seat. The three adults had each lost

weight during the past weeks; and as for luggage, they had the suitcases they had carried away

after Johannes's arrest; that was all they owned in the world. As for Little Johannes, it was no

trouble taking turns holding him in their laps; each would have been glad to hold him the

entire time, until they had got him to some place where the cry of Juda verrecke was unknown.

IV

Irma and Lanny meant to go as they had come, straight through. Lanny would buy food

ready prepared and they would eat it in the car while driving; they would take no chance of

entering a restaurant, and having some Brownshirt peddling Nazi literature stop in front of

them and exhibit a copy of Der Stürmer with an obscene cartoon showing a Jew as a hog with

a bulbous nose; if they declined to purchase it, likely as not the ruffian would spit into their

food and walk away jeering. Such things had happened in Berlin, and much worse; for until a

few days ago these peddlers of literature had gone armed with the regulation automatic revolver

and hard rubber club, and in one cafe where Jewish merchants had been accustomed to eat, a

crowd of the S.A. men had fallen upon them and forced them to run the gantlet, kicking and

clubbing them insensible.

Drive carefully, but fast, and stop only when necessary! The roads were good and the route

familiar, and meantime, safe from prying ears, they had much to talk about. The Robins were

informed that they owned some money which the Nazis had not been able to keep track of—those

sums which Johannes had spent in entertaining Irma Barnes. They would be repaid in

installments, as the family needed it, and the money was not to be considered a loan or a gift,

but board and passenger fares long overdue. Irma said this with the decisiveness which she was

acquiring; she had learned that her money gave her power to settle the destinies of other

people, and she found it pleasant exercising this power—always for their own good, of course.

There was the estate of Bienvenu with nobody in it but Hansi and Bess and Baby Frances

with her attendants. Mama and Rahel and her little one were to settle down in the Lodge and

learn to count their blessings. Johannes would probably wish to go to New York with Irma and

Lanny, for they had some business to transact with Robbie, and Johannes might be of help.

Lanny gave him Robbie's letter to read, and the spirits of this born trader began to show faint