Chapter 18 Chapter Seventeen

Natalie came out of the shower, flushed and shivering with cold water, and stood in front of the antique full-length mirror with a gold-rimmed wooden frame, and dried herself vigorously with a towel; , Seeing my flat stomach, I couldn't help but feel relieved.After all, Louise's birth left only a few lavender spots on her body.Even a pair of breasts are not too ugly, not too ugly.Not enough rations in wartime is good!She looked about twenty years old. She was naked, and she couldn't help but bring back a flash of memories of her honeymoon in Lisbon.Sometimes she could hardly recall what Byron looked like, except in the few old photographs she still had in hand.Now she could picture his crooked mouth when he used to smirk, feel her fingers caressing his thick auburn hair, feel the touch of his hard hands.To live like this is to die, how boring!Love is thrown away in vain; youth is wasted!She bends her knees slightly, a soft gesture common in Milo's Venus statues and Rabinowitz's female nudes.A sudden thought of Rabinovitz woke her up. "Vainous woman!" She couldn't help but say out loud, not knowing how to dress up to welcome the distinguished guests who came to dinner.The phone rang.She wrapped the wet towel around her body and went to answer the phone.

"Hi, Mrs. Henry. I'm Dr. Baker. The bank meeting is over, so I'm still in Florence for the seven o'clock train to Rome. I can have a drink with you and Professor Jastrow." Tea?" "Tea? We're expecting you for supper." "You're very kind. But it's troublesome to have a meal in wartime. And tea—" "Dr. Baker, we've got veal." "Veal! What a marvel!" "The Archbishop gave it to Ellen for her birthday. We'll save it for you. Come on." "I'm flattered. And I'm hungry too! Haha! The morning train is faster anyway. Veal! I appreciate it!"

Looking out from the French windows in the living room of Jastrow's house, the black and white cathedral stood high above Siena's ancient city walls and towering vermilion roofs in the slanting sunlight, forming a beautiful scene.But Italy is full of beautiful scenery, what is really lacking is Scotch whiskey.Natalie impressed Dr. Baker with a bottle of Hague-Hague Scotch, glasses, soda water, and ice.Jastrow explained that the whiskey was Bernard.Berenson sent it to him "out of a sense of gratitude that he heard yet another American voice".She held the doll out for a while.Dr. Baker teased Louis, his eyes blurred and his face flushed. "Oh, how I miss my kids," he said.

Jastrow downed his drink, feeling amused and sarcastic.Philosopher George.Santayana also dined with him and Berenson.Jastrow made a sarcasm about the blunders the two of them made during the dinner.He made fun of Santayana for downing an entire bottle, of Berenson talking to himself for keeping the room to himself, of admiring the gestures of his small, shapely hands.He uses these jokes viciously to make people laugh.Dr. Baker laughed out loud, and Natalie couldn't help but giggle a few times. Unknowingly, she had a little affection for this visitor.She couldn't really like him at all, she couldn't really trust him, but it pleased her that he praised her dolls, and the family was all right now on him.He has a square face and thick long golden hair. He is not ugly, and he even has a not-so-bright sense of humor.She asked him how much we had eaten veal lately.He said, "I can't say, Mrs. Henry. I had a veal dinner in Rome a fortnight ago, but I think the calf must have been saddled and bred."

The meal was clearly enjoyed by all.The housekeeper was delighted to see that there was more veal available for cooking, and seasoned it with Marsala wine, she made an excellent tenderloin.The archbishop also sent Ellen a bottle of champagne as a birthday present, and with these two bottles of wine, everyone drank to their heart's content.Natalie drank more than she wanted to, mainly in case Ellen drank her share.He was isolated from the world for a while, and maybe his nerves were in a state of depression, so he started drinking and was about to become an alcoholic.Once he drank too much alcohol, his mood would be unstable and his speech would be unrestrained.At the end of the meal, when everyone was eating raspberry pie and ice cream, there was a sudden fragrance. "My good professor, is it coffee?" Baker asked.

Jastrow kept clapping the fingertips of both hands, and said with a smile: "The Swiss chargé d'affaires often brings small gifts to Berenson. My generous friend shares half a pound with me." "It's only now starting to understand why Berenson decided not to go," Baker said. "Well, material things aren't everything, Villa Werner E. Tati has its faults. The place is in terrible disrepair. Bob Bey used to be very unhappy about it. But he says now here is his only home. As he puts it, he's going to 'drop anchor to weather this storm.'" With a sly, half-sane smile on his face, he added, "Bob Bey thinks everything will end. It's all going to get better, which means you're going to lose. Of course, he's a specialist in Italian painting, not in war."

"Looks like what's going on in Singapore, Burma, the Atlantic, and North Africa. Dr. Floyd would call that wishful thinking," Baker replied, pursing his lips. "However, no matter which side wins, such a distinguished man need not worry." "An eminent Jew?" Natalie was easygoing in being able to say that with a clear air. "Mrs. Henry, victory will soften the rigid wartime policy." Baker's tone was calm. "It's my deepest personal hope." The housekeeper proudly brought in the coffee.They watched as the cups were filled with steaming hot coffee, as if a magician poured it from an empty jug.

"Ah," Baker exclaimed as soon as he took a sip. "It's a worthwhile trip to Siena." "Of course, there's nothing wrong with Santayana, he's neither Jewish nor American," Jastrow said to himself, sipping his coffee. "He's a weirdo, Werner, a truly exotic man. He's been at Harvard for twenty years at a time, writing books and speaking perfect English, but he's kept his Spanish citizenship," he explained. But what was the reason, but I don't understand. Either he was drinking too much, or I was drinking too much. He was a complete heathen, with a touch of a Spanish archduke, and he didn't like Jews very much. You can hear this in his veiled sarcasm about Berenson's extravagant pomp. Santayana wrote his memoirs from a small room in a monastery in Rome. He said a scholar lived near a large In a small room in the library, that is the greatest happiness in life."

"A true philosopher," Baker said. "Speaking of which, I can also live like this." Jastrow stretched out his hand and waved at the four walls. "I was fifty-four years old when I bought this place with book club money for A Jew's Jesus. It was a passing indulgence. I can throw it away happily now without any Regret." "You're a philosopher too," Baker said. "But when I mention asking my niece to bring the doll back to the country, so that I, like Berenson, will cast anchor to weather this storm, it always makes her angry." Jastrow sneaked a little drunk she.

"I'm enjoying my coffee," Natalie snapped. "Why do you have to do this?" Baker said. "Because a philosopher doesn't bother about concentration camps," Nata said, and Jastrow gave her an annoyed look. "Is that a faux pas? It's going to take me a long time to tell Ellen to face reality. Somebody has to do it." "Not necessarily all Germans are keen on building concentration camps." Beck's voice was kind and sad, and his chubby face was flushed. "Dr. Baker, what about the stories from Eastern Europe? Isn't it said that soldiers in your country have been massacring Jews?"

Jastrow stood up and said at the top of his voice, "Let's have some more brandy and coffee in the sitting room." It was too obvious that neither of them could hold a half-word from the other.Seated in a corner of the sofa in the living room, Baker carefully lit a cigar and said in a calm and soft voice, "Mrs. Henry, I think your question is more than provocative. I have my own general answers to generally provocative questions, and I can also openly offer an opinion on your uncle's safety if he decides to stay here." "Really?" She sat nervously on the edge of the sofa, facing Baker.Jastrow stood at the window with a glass of brandy in his hand, looking at her resentfully. "How much do you really know about what happened to the Jews?" "In Italy? Nothing happened." "Where else?" "Foreign Affairs is useless in the occupied territories, Mrs. Henry. The combat areas are controlled by the military. Drastic measures are also necessary on the ground, and life is difficult for both the occupier and the occupied. " "Needless to say, life was harder for the Jewish people," Natalie said. "I don't deny that. There's anti-Semitism all over Eastern Europe, Mrs. Henry. I'm not proud of our own atrocities, but the Jewish people must be rounded up for their own safety! I can assure you of that." Guaranteed. Otherwise, they would be robbed and mass murdered in Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, etc. When the German army arrived, the local hooligans were surprised to see that the German army did not let them immediately participate in the robbery and murder of Jews .It can be said that they are looking forward to an 'opportunity to kill'." Jastrow interjected, "And what about your troop's atrocities?" "Professor, the quality of our police force has never been the highest, and it is hardly a representative of advanced civilization." Baker replied with a look of displeasure, "There are some behaviors that have been overhanded. The Jews have had a terrible winter. .And there have been a few epidemics. Seriously, our soldiers have had a hard time in the snow outside Moscow and Leningrad. War is a terrible thing.” He turned to Na Tully, raising her voice, said, "But, Mrs. Henry, you asked me if the German army was killing Jews, and I said it was all a lie. My brother was an officer. He spent a lot of time in Romania and Poland. He told I vouch that the army not only forbids the atrocities, but often intervenes to protect the Jews from the local population. As far as I know, this is absolutely true." Ellen."I was born and raised in Eastern Europe. I believe in you," Jastrow said. "Don't make me vague. Our regime is responsible for a lot of bad things." Werner.Baker spread his fleshy hands, smoked a cigar, and drank a sip of brandy. "I can assure you that a decent German will not forget this even if we are victorious. This is a fine brandy, Professor. Is it from your friend Berenson again?" "No," Jastrow put his glass under his nose with a happy look. "French brandy is my favorite. Back in 1938 I had the foresight to hoard several cases of this stuff." "By the way, my brother told me some amazing things. It's strange that you can visit these miserable ghettos. Just imagine! Sometimes beautiful Polish ladies hang out with our officers. Ghetto, hang out with jews for a night. There are even weird little nightclubs there. Helmert has been there several times. He wants to see how things are going for himself. He wants us to improve the supply situation. He is in the quartermaster department Well, at Rhodes he's done a little bit. But the whole thing looks bad, very bad." "Has your brother visited the camp?" Natalie asked very politely. "Let's change the subject," Jastrow said. "Mrs. Henry, those are secret prisons for political prisoners." Baker shrugged helplessly. "But it's in those places that the most horrific atrocities are committed." Despite Natalie's growing anger, she was touched by the deliberate patience with which he remained.She should never have brought up the subject, but why should Ellen bring up the ridiculous and irritating idea of ​​staying in Italy? "Mrs. Henry, dictatorships use terror to maintain order. That's always been politics. What compels the German people to submit to a dictatorship is an age-old complex question, but the outside world—including the United States— Not innocent either. I've never even seen the walls of a concentration camp. Have you ever visited an American prison?" "This is rather nondescript." 'Oh, just comparing our ignorance of the criminal justice system between you and me.I dare say America's prisons are terrible.I expected our concentration camps to be far worse.But—"He wiped his forehead with his hand and cleared his throat." We've been talking about your uncle's safety, that is, if he's going to stay in Italy. " "Stop talking!" Jastrow frowned fiercely at his niece. "Natalie, we invited Werner here to treat him to a nice meal. It's none of his business. Bernard Berenson is a very shrewd, worldly man, but he's also—" "Fuck his Berenson!" Natalie yelled, pointing a finger at Baker, as if accusing her. "What if Germany occupied Italy? Isn't that very likely? Or what if Mussolini decided to send all the Jews to the Polish ghetto? Or what if some big fascist suddenly decided to live in this villa I mean, it's inconceivable, childish to even think about taking such a risk—" "I'm the only one taking that risk," Ellen said.Jastrow yelled, slamming his glass down on the table until he spilled it, "I'm getting tired of this, to be honest. Werner's our guest. You mother and son Didn't he live only because he saved it? Anyway, I never said I didn't want to go." Jastrow pushed open a glass window with a bang.A gust of cold air rushed into the room, and a faint blue moonlight shone on the oriental-style carpet.Standing with his back against the window, he picked up his glass again with one trembling hand. "Natalie, one of the key differences between you and me is that you are not Jewish at all. You know nothing about our Jewish culture and history, and you are not interested. You are quietly marrying a Christian Christian. I'm a Jew through and through. I'm a Polish Jew!" He said with a proud glare. "I am a scholar of the Talmud! I can resume my research tomorrow if I please. The key to my entire work lies in my identity. My nerve endings are antennae, and I am sensitive to anti-Semitism. I and George Santayana could tell within five minutes in a room that he, too, was anti-Semitic. You don't have to warn me about the risks of being a Jew!" he said to Dr. Baker. : "You don't have a single anti-Semitic bone in you.You work for a detestable regime, and whether you should work for them is another question, and a very important one--a question you and I should discuss some other day--but--" "Professor, to me, this question is still a fundamental moral question that is difficult to get the best of both worlds." "I think so too. What your government has done to the Jews is inexcusable. It's a pity, however, how deep this goes! There's anti-Semitism in Akinas' Summary It is stipulated, which softens your Nuremberg Laws by comparison. The Church has not yet repudiated these regulations! We are always strangers and outsiders in Christian Europe, and when troubles arise, we are always the first to suffer. Deepest. It happened to us in the time of the Crusades, it happened to us in the plague years, it happened to us all in the years of war and revolution. America is an oasis of modern liberals, naturally Well resourced and protected by the ocean. We're smart and we work hard so we do well in America. But Natalie, if you think we're not treated like outsiders in America as we are in Germany, That's naive, it's you, not me! If the war took a turn for the worse and America lost, it would be worse than Nazi Germany. Louis would be no safer in America than he is here, maybe less, because Italians at least still like children, not too vicious. These are simple truths you can't understand because you have so little Jewish blood in you." "Nonsense! Total bullshit!" Natalie shot back. "Nazi Germany is a monstrosity of history. It is neither Christian, nor Western, nor even European. Compare it with the United States, and assume that the United States has lost the war , what drunken gibberish. As for my Jewish blood—” "What? What's wrong with Hitler? Why are the Germans trying to dominate the world, and why are they worse than the British who really dominated the world two centuries ago? Or worse than us Americans who are trying to dominate the world now? You see this What is this war for? For democracy? For freedom? Playing the piano! Who is going to rule the world next time, who will set the currency value, who will control the market, who will control the raw materials, and who will exploit the future Civilize the vast and cheap labor force in the mainland!" Jastrow was really motivated this time, and his mouth was unobstructed after drinking; he was not ambiguous at all, but like an enraged professor lecturing in class, with a crisp tone sharp. "Look, I figured we'd win. I'm glad I'm a humanist who doesn't feel bound by rules and regulations. Over-the-top nationalism like Hitler's or Stalin's often kills free thought, art, and speech. But Natalie, I have lived to such a long time, I really still don’t know what is under the autocratic rule, relying on a few rigid laws and regulations, implementing terrorist methods to force everyone to silence, just asking everyone to do their duty, human nature I am more satisfied, or in the plight and chaos of a free regime, human nature is more satisfied. The Byzantine Empire lasted for more than a thousand years. I don’t know if the United States can maintain it for two hundred years. I have lived in a fascist country for more than ten years. Compared with the chasing of money and turmoil in the country, my life is much more peaceful. Natalie, I am really worried about coming to America in 1918. I am worried that those who are held by the common pursuit of money interests A mass of renegade elements suddenly broke up again. I foresee the terror caused by the failure, the deserted skyscrapers and the overgrown roads, even the Civil War will be eclipsed! A region against region, race Race, brother by brother, mass murder of Jews will happen." Werner.Baker made a gesture, and gave Natalie a wink, as if to say, don't make the old man mad again.In a comforting tone, he said sweetly: "Professor, I was greatly surprised by your insightful insights into the United States. To be honest, I was also deeply shocked when I was in Washington. There are a few special friends People in the upper echelon whispered to me that they fully agreed with the Führer's position on the Jews, without even thinking that I might disagree with it." "Alas, upper-class anti-Semitism is an epidemic, Werner. Socialites have always had a distaste for the gifted and accomplished outsider. Who made Britain's policy of denying refugee boats access to port? It wasn't the gang who made it out of their noses." Old-fashioned anti-Semites? Those high-level anti-Semites who run our State Department have blocked the doors of North and South America to refugees. Why am I still here? It’s just because people secretly messed with my papers.” Natalie tried to say in a calm voice, "Ellen, you're dragging your feet." "Forget it, my dear, let it be." He sank into an armchair. "It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my great fault. But it can't be helped now. The question is what to do next? I know all too well the bored, smack-in-the-wall gang at the Fine Hotel." The press people in the wine are eager to get out of Siena, and I know you want to take Luis back. But I think there may be a peace this year, at least I welcome it." "Welcome!" The faces of Natalie and Baker almost showed the same degree of surprise. "Welcome to make peace with Hitler?" "My dear, the best way out for the survival of mankind is to end this war. The sooner the better. The social fabric of human civilization has long since been destroyed by the industrial and scientific revolutions, the collapse of religion, and two mechanized world wars It won't take another blow. I almost welcome the fall of Singapore, it's poignant to say—" "Singapore did not fall—" "Oh, that's a matter of days," Baker interjected. "Or the question of the hour is unknown. The British are finished in Asia." "Let's face it," Jastrow said. "The Japanese are natives of Asia, and the Europeans are outsiders. The Russian front is at loggerheads. The Atlantic front is at loggerheads. Peace is for the world and for the world. America, and of course the Jews, is the best thing that can happen. Better than a five-year jihad of retaliatory annihilation of poor countries. I think if we mobilize all our industrial potential, it is better to fight They have to beat them, but what's the point? They have shown their ability. Hegemony can be shared. Britain and France have learned to do this after centuries of bloody struggle. In the end, they will have to share the world with the Russians. War The longer it goes on, the worse it will be for the Jews in the Nazi rear, my dear, if we do break Germany, we will just end up with a Soviet Europe. Is that so natural? Why shouldn't we hope that this Is the bloody rampage to be over as soon as possible? If it is over, wouldn't it be absurd for me to uproot my entire life's nest? But then again, you won't go without me following you, then I'll just go. I've never said anything. But I'm not some old fool who can't make up his mind and only wants to stay, and I won't let you talk to me like that again, Natalie." She ignored him. "Mrs. Henry, I think your uncle's vision of the war was so thorough and thought-provoking that he gave this absurd carnage a theme, a purpose and a hope," Werner said.Baker said excitedly. "Really? Make peace with Hitler? Who can trust what Hitler said? Who can trust the documents Hitler signed?" "The problem is not unsolvable," replied Baker calmly. "Exactly. There were other Germans. There were even other Nazis," Jastrow said. "The skin of a tyrant is not made of steel. History tells us so." "Professor, apart from my brother, I haven't had such a heart-to-heart conversation for a long time." Werner said.Baker's eyes shone strangely at Jastrow, and his voice trembled. "I will pretend that I have never heard such a thing. But you are a good teacher whom I have trusted with all my heart, and I will tell you that my brother and I have discussed the morality of slaying tyrants more than once, right up to dawn." "It's time for me to feed the baby." Natalie stood up, Werner.Baker also jumped up. "Mrs. Henry, let me thank you for treating me to such a good meal as I haven't had in months." "Oh, I'm afraid we owe it to you to save our lives. I don't know that. So if I—" She broke off without even looking at her uncle, and hurried out of the room.Jastrow stood by the open window.His thin hair was blowing in the wind, and his face was heavily shadowed by the moonlight. "Professor, I am greatly shocked by your discussion of the war, which is as brilliant as Thucydides," said Dr. Baker. "Oh, Werner, that's just an angry thing to say. Poor Natalie. Even mother animals worry about their babies. It's been a rough day with her." "Dr. Jastrow, when you go back to your country, I would advise you to write a short book that makes use of these insights. Write a book like The Last Horse Race, where you mourn the signing of the Treaty of Versailles." A marvelous little elegy for Europe." "Oh, so you read this," Jastrow sounded flattered. "It's just a little thing to play with the pen!" "However, your foresight on the war is amazing! It is remarkable that a man like you, a humanist, a Jew, can speak of Japan, of the German Revolution, in such a reasonable way! He even proposes 'Share the hegemony ' Such a brilliant statement that it might be preferable to five years of mutual bloodshed! What a stirring statement. It restores faith in the possible existence of brotherhood among human beings. It is to the Jewish spirit What a meaningful tribute!" "Your prize, but I'm not writing anything about this goddamn war. I'm going to write Martin Luther. Come on! Let's have a drink before bed!" "Okay. Let me call and ask my car to pick it up." Baker called, and Jastrow poured two shots into the banjo, more than usual.They drank and drank at the open window and chatted about the view and the quiet beauty of Siena. "I understand why you don't want to leave this place, you have a little private paradise here," Baker said. "Yeah, I've had a good time here." Jastrow's mood improved greatly. "Brandy has helped me capture elusive themes and ideas." "Professor, would you consider going to Rome and talking to journalists from neutral countries? Only from neutral countries. Whether Goebbels' propagandists or Al Qaeda's hired clerks, none of them." "What's the use?" "Your ideas about the war will get people's attention. They're original, they're grand, they're wise. These words can have a huge impact. To tell you the truth"—the diplomat's voice trailed off—"Germany Those who are kind will be encouraged to hear it." Jastrow stroked his beard, and his face was deeply wrinkled with a smile. "Not necessarily. I'm just a writer at least." "No way. You're newsworthy. Berenson and Santayana are the only ones who have lived so long under the Italian dictatorship. I urge you to think about it." "How did this happen? As soon as I return to China, I will be shown to the public." A car drove into the driveway, which was the big bank car used by diplomats when they came. "Well, are you leaving now?" said Jastrow. "It's a pity, but I'd like you to see my study." Baker leaned out the window and spoke briefly to the driver.Jastrow took him upstairs to the study, and they walked around the study, glasses in hand.Baker said, "Oh my God, you don't have a better collection of Christian books than you do anywhere?" "Oh, how can we talk about it! It's so-so and pitiful. But—" Jastrow glanced along the bookshelf—his face looked deeply sad, "I'll tell you the truth, Werner Well, I never had a family life. No children. If there was one thing I loved, it was these books. Of course, Santayana is right, the public library is the best. It's a somewhat affectionate--and it sounds a little sentimental--what it's like to be alive. These books speak to me. They're all written by friends and colleagues of mine, though some of them date from as early as fifteen hundred years ago. It was reduced to ashes before. I didn't regret leaving this villa, but I left these books sadly, knowing in my heart that maybe the end of these books has come." "Dr. Jastrow, when you're gone, can I crate the book for you and take it to Switzerland or Sweden? The war will end. You'll have it back then." Those old sad eyes shone with joy. "My friend, can you do it? Can you do it?" "I'll go back to Rome and inquire carefully, and I'll call you again." "Oh, I will never forget you in my life! In fact, I already owe you a lot." "You're welcome! You promoted me to a Ph. Let the people who are suffering and suffering share their prophetic insights. I am trying to persuade you." "I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, Werner," Jastrow said mischievously, "good luck."