o 3b3e7475144cf77c

such a sacrifice. Irma would be sorry to miss seeing her mother, but, after all, it was easier to

transport one stout queen mother across the ocean than to put a whole establishment ashore on

Long Island. Irma said she really didn't have much pleasure in any sort of social life when

she had to keep within four-hour time limits and have Miss Severne look grim if she came in

hot and tired from any sort of exercise. Irma's smart young friends would all laugh at her and

make jokes about cows. So it was better to stay on the yacht, where no explanations or

apologies had to be made and where Rahel backed you up by her good example. "Jewish

women seem to be much more maternal," said Irma. "Or is it because she is German?"

XII

It was decided that the Bessie Budd would loaf about in the North Sea and its adjoining

waters so as to come back quickly and take its owner aboard whenever he was free. There

would be regattas during the summer, and concerts and theaters in near-by cities and towns; art

galleries to be visited—yes, one could think of worse ways of spending two or three months

than on a luxury yacht based on Bremerhaven. The ship's library included Heine's

Nordseebilder, also musical settings of some of these poems. Rahel would sing, Freddi would

tootle, Hansi would scrape and scratch, Lanny and his sister would rumble and thump,

Marceline would caper and prance, and Irma and Beauty and Johannes would raid the

orchestra for a fourth hand at bridge.

The Bessie Budd steamed, or was propelled, to Copenhagen, where the party inspected the

royal palace and attended a performance at the royal theater—the latter being comfortably

within the young mothers' time limit. Lanny studied the sculptures in the Thorvald sen

museum. Many interesting works of man to be seen, but not many of nature in these low, flat

islands and inlets, once the haunt of fishermen and pirates. Having loaded themselves up with

culture, they returned Johannes to Bremerhaven, and then set out behind the Frisian islands,

visiting Norderney, where a hundred years previously an unhappy Jewish poet had written

immortal verses. Sei mir gegrusst, du eiviges Meer!

Back to port, where the owner of the yacht joined them again, bringing with him a large

packet of mail. Included was a letter from Rick to Lanny, as follows:

With regard to your request concerning the Old Bailey, these records are not available, so I had

a search made of the criminal reports in the Times. Under the date of January 13, 1873, appears

an entry numbered 61: "Zacharoff, Zacharia Basilius, agent pledging goods intrusted to him for

sale." In the Times of January 17 appears a column headed "Criminal Court," beginning as

follows: "Zacharia Basilius Zacharoff, 22, was indicted for that he, being an agent intrusted by one

Manuel Hiphentides of Constantinople, merchant, for the purpose of sale with possession,

among other goods, 25 cases of gum and 169 sacks of gall of the value together of £ 1000, did

unlawfully and without any authority from his principal, for his own use make a deposit of the

said goods as and by way of pledge."

Rick's letter gave a summary of the entire account, including the statement: "Subsequently,

by advice of his counsel, the prisoner withdrew his plea of 'Not Guilty' and entered a plea of

'Guilty.'" Rick added: "This is interesting, and I am wondering what use you intend making

of it. Let me add: Why don't your spirits give you things like this? If they would do so, I would

begin to take them seriously!"

BOOK TWO

A Cloud That's Dragonish

6

Deutschland Erwache!

I

THE autumn storms begin early on the North Sea, and judging from his text the poet Heine

had stayed to witness them. The storm rages and whips the waves, and the waves, foaming with

fury and leaping, tower up, and the white water mountains surge with life, and the little ship

mounts upon them, hasty-diligent, and suddenly plunges down into black wide-gaping abysses

of flood. О sea! Mother of beauty, arise from the foam! Grandmothers of love, spare mine!

But when you are running a floating dairy farm you cannot take chances of your stock's

becoming seasick; you must put them on dry land before the equinoctial season and learn

about storms from the pages of a book. Hansi and Bess had a concert tour, Freddi was going to

apply the economic knowledge he had gained, and Lanny wanted to examine some pictures

which might come on the market. Lanny, his wife, his mother, and her husband were urged to

confer distinction and charm upon an oversized Berlin palace. "What else did I buy it for?"

argued the proprietor.

To Lanny the young wife said privately: "Do you think it is a good thing for us to be

associating with Jews all the time?"

The husband smiled. "You can meet anybody you want in that house. I assure you they will

come."

"Maybe so; but won't they think there must be something wrong with us?"

"I assure you, my dear, they all know exactly what you are worth."