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melodies, his feet had marched with those thundering chords, he had been absolutely certain

that this was the finest music of the present day. But now he thought: "Kurt has committed

himself to these political fanatics, and all his thinking is adjusted to their formulas. He is

trying to pump himself up and sound impressive, but really it's old stuff. He has got to the

stage where he is repeating himself."

But Lanny mustn't give the least hint of that. He was an intriguer, a double-dealer, using art

and art criticism as camouflage for his kind of ideology, his set of formulas. He had to say: "Kurt,

that's extraordinary; that finale represents the highest point you have ever attained; the adagio

weeps with all the woe of the world." How silly these phrases of musical rapture sounded; saying

them made a mockery of friendship, took all the charm out of hospitality, even spoiled the taste

of the food which the gute verständige Mutter, Frau Meissner, prepared for her guests.

But it worked. Kurt's heart was warmed to his old friend, and he decided that political

differences must not be allowed to blind one to what was fine in an opponent. Later on, Lanny

went for a walk in the forest, leaving Irma to have a heart-to-heart talk with Kurt, and tackle a

job which would have been difficult for Lanny. For, strangely enough, Irma was play-acting only

in part. She said things to this German musician which she hadn't said to anybody else, and

hadn't thought she would ever say; so she assured him, and of course it touched him. She

explained that Lanny was honest, and had dealt with her fairly, telling her his political

convictions before he had let her become interested in him. But she had been ignorant of the

world, and hadn't realized what it would mean to be a Socialist, or one sympathetic to their

ideas. It meant meeting the most dreadful people, and having them interfere in your affairs, and

your being drawn into theirs. Not merely the sincere ones, but the tricksters and adventurers

who had learned to parrot the phrases! Lanny could never tell the difference—indeed, how could

anybody tell? It was like going out into the world with your skin off, and any insect that came

along could take a bite out of you.

"And not only Socialists," said the young wife, "but Communists, all sorts of trouble-makers.

You know Uncle Jesse, how bitter he is, and what terrible speeches he makes."

"We had millions like him in Germany," replied Kurt. "Thank God that danger is no more."

"I've been pleading and arguing with Lanny for more than four years. At one time I was ready

to give up in despair; but now I really begin to believe I am making some headway. You know how

Lanny is, he believes what people tell him; but of late he seems to be realizing the true nature

of some of the people he's been helping. That's why I wanted to ask you to talk to him. He has

such a deep affection for you, and you may be able to explain what is going on in Germany,

and help him to see things in their true light."

"I've tried many times," said Kurt; "but I never seemed to get anywhere."

"Try once more. Lanny is impressionable, and seeing your movement going to work has given a

jolt to his ideas. What he wants more than anything is to see the problem of unemployment

solved. Do you think the Führer will really be able to do it?"

"I have talked with him, and I know that he has practical plans and is actually getting them

under way."

"Explain that to Lanny, so that while he's here with Marcel's pictures he'll watch and

understand. It may seem strange to you that I'm letting him sell pictures when I have so much

money of my own; but I've made up my mind that he ought to have something to do, and not

have the humiliation of living on his wife's money."

"You're absolutely right," declared the musician, much impressed by the sound judgment of

this young woman, whom he had imagined to be a social butterfly. "Lanny is lucky to have a

wife who understands his weaknesses so well. Make him stick at some one thing, Irma, and

keep him from chasing every will-o'-the-wisp that crosses his path."

IX

So these two boyhood friends got together and renewed their confidences. Life had played

strange tricks upon them, beyond any foreseeing. Back in the peaceful Saxon village of

Hellerau where they had met just twenty years ago, dancing Gluck's Orpheus, suppose that

somebody had told them about the World War, less than a year off, and five years later Kurt

in Paris as a German secret agent, passing ten thousand francs at a time to Uncle Jesse to be

used in stirring up revolt among the French workers! Or suppose they had been told about a

pitiful artist manqué, earning his bread and sausage by painting picture postcards, sleeping at

night among the bums and derelicts of Vienna— and destined twenty years later to become the

master of all Germany! What would they have said to that?

But here was Adolf Hitler, the one and only Führer of the Fatherland, sole possessor of a

solution to the social problem and at the same time of the power to put it into effect. Kurt

explained what Adi was doing and intended to do, and Lanny listened with deep attention. "It

sounds too good to be true," was the younger man's comment.

The Komponist replied: "You will see it, and then you will believe." To himself he said: "Poor

Lanny! He's good, but he's a weakling. Like all the rest of the world, he's impressed by

success."Having been Beauty's lover for eight years, Kurt knew the American language, and

thought: "He is getting ready to climb onto the bandwagon."

So, when the young couple drove away to Berlin, they left everything at Stubendorf the way

they wanted it. Kurt was again their friend, and ready to accept whatever good news might

come concerning them. They could ask him for advice, and for introductions, if needed; they

could invite him to Berlin to see the Detaze show, and exploit his musical reputation for their

own purposes. Lanny didn't let this trouble his conscience; it was for Freddi Robin, not for

himself. Freddi, too, was a musician, a child of Bach and Beethoven and Brahms just as much

as Kurt. Many compositions those two Germans had played together, and the clarinetist had

given the Komponist many practical hints about writing for that instrument.

When Lanny had mentioned to Kurt that Freddi had been missing since the month of May,

Kurt had said: "Oh, poor fellow!"

—but that was all. He hadn't said: "We must look into it, Lanny, because mistakes are often

made, and a harmless, gentle idealist must not be made to pay the penalties for other people's

offenses." Yes, Kurt should have said that, but he wouldn't, because he had become a full-

fledged Nazi, despising both Marxists and Jews, and unwilling to move a finger to help even

the best of them. But Lanny was going to help Freddi—and take the liberty of making Kurt

take part in the enterprise.

X

On the day that Irma and Lanny arrived at the Hotel Adlon, another guest, an elderly

American, was severely beaten by a group of Brownshirts because he failed to notice that a

parade was passing and to give the Nazi salute. When he went to the Polizeiwache to complain

about it, the police offered to show him how to give the Nazi salute. Episodes such as this,

frequently repeated, had had the effect of causing the trickle of tourists to stop; and this was

fortunate for an art expert and his wife, because it made them important, and caused space to be