o 3b3e7475144cf77c

Göring lost his temper completely and had to be saved by the presiding judge, who ordered

Dimitroff dragged out, while Göring screamed after him: "I am not afraid of you, you

scoundrel. I am not here to be questioned by you . . . You crook, you belong to the gallows!

You'll be sorry yet, if I catch you when you come out of prison!" Not very dignified conduct

for a Minister-Präsident of Prussia and Reichsminister of all Germany!

X

During these entertaining events two communications came to Lanny Budd at his hotel. The

first was painful indeed; a cablegram from his father, saying that the newly elected directors of

Budd Gunmakers had met, and that both Robbie and his brother had been cheated of their

hopes. Seeing the younger on the verge of victory, Lawford had gone over to a Wall Street

group which had unexpectedly appeared on the scene, backed by the insurance company which

held the Budd bonds. The thing which Grandfather Samuel had dreaded and warned against all

his life—Budd's had been taken out of the hands of the family!

"Oh, Lanny, how terrible!" exclaimed Irma. "We should have been there to attend to it."

"I doubt if we could have done anything," he replied. "If Robbie had thought so, he would

surely have cabled us."

"What Uncle Lawford did was an act of treason to the family!"

"He is that kind of man; one of those dark souls who commit crimes. I have often had the

thought that he might shoot Robbie rather than let him get the prize which both have been

craving all their lives."

"What does he get out of the present arrangement?"

"The satisfaction of keeping Robbie out; and, of course, the Wall Street crowd may have paid

him. Anyhow, Robbie has his contract, so they can't fire him."

"I bought all that stock for nothing!" exclaimed the young wife.

"Not for nothing, but for a high price, I fear. You had best cable Uncle Joseph to look into the

matter thoroughly and advise you whether to sell it or hold on. Robbie, no doubt, will be

writing us the details."

The other communication was very different; a letter addressed to Lanny in his own

handwriting, and his heart gave a thump when he saw it, for he had given that envelope to

Hugo Behr. It was postmarked Munich and Lanny tore it open quickly, and saw that Hugo had

cut six letters out of a newspaper and pasted them onto a sheet of paper—a method of

avoiding identification well known to kidnapers and other conspirators. "Jawohl" can be one

word or two. With space after the first two letters, as Hugo had pasted them, it told Lanny that

Freddi Robin was in Dachau and that he was well.

So the American playboy forgot about his father's lost hopes and his own lost heritage. A

heavy load was lifted from his mind, and he sent two cablegrams, one to Mrs. Dingle in Juan—

the arrangement being that the Robins were to open such messages—and the other to Robbie

in Newcastle: "Clarinet music excellent," that being the code. To the latter message the dutiful

son added: "Sincere sympathy don't take it too hard we still love you." Robbie would take this

with a grin.

Irma and Lanny tore Hugo's message into small pieces and sent it on its way to the

capacious sewers of Berlin. They still had hope of some favor to be gained from the head of the

Prussian government. At any moment Leutnant Furtwaengler might show up and announce:

"We have found your Yiddisher friend." Until then, Lanny could only wait; for when you are

cultivating acquaintances in die grosse Welt, you don't say to these persons: "I have made

certain that you are lying to me, and propose that we now proceed to negotiate upon that basis."

No, Lanny couldn't even say: "I have doubts." For right away the Oberleutnant would look

surprised and ask: "What is the basis of them?" Lanny couldn't even say: "I urge you to try

harder"; for important persons must be assumed to have their hands full.

XI

The sum of more than four hundred thousand marks which had been paid for Detaze pictures

had been deposited in Berlin banks. It would be up to Lanny and Zoltan to use those marks in

purchasing art works for their American clients, who would make their payments in New

York; thus the pair would have to ask no favors of the Nazis. Lanny had obtained information

from a list of clients in America, and Zoltan had a list which he had been accumulating over a

period of many years; so there would be no difficulty in doing a sufficient amount of business.

They had agreed to go fifty-fifty on all transactions.

Lanny had suggested taking the show to Munich for-a week, and his friend had approved. Here

was a great art-loving public, and sales were certain; moreover, Beauty got fun out of it, and

Lanny knew of pictures which might be bought there. Jerry Pendleton, who had been waiting in

Berlin to take the unsold Detazes back to France, would see to packing and transporting them to

Munich. The Herr Privatdozent assured them that he enjoyed even more influence in the

Bavarian city, the cradle of National Socialism. He would be paid another fifteen thousand marks