Chapter 66 Chapter 65

A Swiss diplomat, who entered the hospital with the wheelchair-bound Jastrow, brought a letter from the German ambassador to Dean Aldebe.Germany.Letter from Count Chancillon. "I suppose you've heard of it," said the Swiss casually, "of this gentleman's masterpiece, "Jesus of a Jew." Germany.Comte de Chanhillon was a retired general, financier, aristocrat by descent, and a smoker's relative of Chancellor Laval.All this enabled him to live in peace even in the present turbulent years.He read the letter and nodded.The letter asked for the best possible treatment for this "remarkable writer".After Pearl Harbor, most of the staff had left, so the earl assumed the directorship of the American hospital.The few Americans still stranded in Paris went there for medical treatment.But Jastrow was the first patient of the group sent to Baden-Baden.The count was not well acquainted with contemporary literature, and he was not sure if he had ever heard of Jastrow. "A Jew's Jesus"!In the present circumstances, this letter is a bit odd.

"You will notice," continued the Swiss, as if reading the other's mind, "that the occupation authorities consider ethnic origin to be irrelevant." "That's right," the count replied, "prejudice cannot enter the hospital gate." The Swiss twitched when he heard the count express his compassion, and left.Within an hour, the German embassy called to inquire about Jastrow's condition and treatment.In this way, everything will be in order.When Jastrow began to recover after days of pain and pain from a difficult, two-stage surgical procedure, the superintendent placed him in a sunny ward where there was day and night. Nurse care.

Germany.The Count of Chamblon and his wife spoke of this rare consideration for Jastrow from the Germans.His wife is a very assertive American who can make up her mind without thinking about things.The Countess was originally a well-known lady, and her maiden name was Longworth, which was the family that married the Roosevelts. Her brother was the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives.To pass the time during these war-torn years, she took on the job of managing the American library, while also burying herself in Shakespeare studies.Their son and Pierre.Laval's daughter was married, the countess had long been a French citizen, but she was still an unmistakable American in speech and manner, with a layer of extreme snobbish antiqueness from a family of French aristocrats; A living example of Baohuo, it's a pity that there is no Proust's brilliant pen to describe her.

Not surprisingly, the countess told her husband straight to the point that she had read "Jesus of a Jew" and thought it was not a great work, but that the man was indeed famous.He will be returning home soon.American newspapers and magazines will widely report what he has said about his treatment.The Germans took advantage of this opportunity to push back against hostile propaganda about anti-Semitic policies.She was surprised at the reasonableness of the Germans, because she always thought that the Germans were stupid Zubers. Germany.General Chamblon also told her about Jastrow's niece.He had talked to her during visits to patients, and had impressed him with her haggard, sad beauty, her mastery of French, and her keen intellect.The girl could work in the library, he suggested, since it would be some time before Jastrow recovered.The countess immediately pricked up her ears.Libraries are far behind the books left behind by the hasty evacuation of the Americans in 1940, yet to be sorted and cataloged.The Germans might object to the idea; but then again, the American niece of a famous writer who is also the wife of a submarine officer might be fine, even if she's Jewish.The countess discussed the matter with the official overseeing libraries and museums, who readily agreed to let her employ Lady Henry.

So she seized the time to act.When Natalie went to visit Ellen in the hospital, the countess broke into the ward and introduced herself.As soon as she saw Natalie, she liked her looks.She was good-looking enough for a refugee, and she had the alluring charm of an American woman, her brunette beauty probably of Italian or even French ancestry.The old Jew sleeping on the bed looked like a dead man; with gray whiskers, a big nose, and big brown eyes, his expression was melancholy, and his sallow and thin face shone with symptoms of fever. "Your uncle looks very ill," said the countess in the master's room, and she invited Natalie for a cup of "verbena tea," which tasted, or might be, of boiled grass. .

"He nearly died of internal bleeding," said Natalie. "My husband said he couldn't go back to Baden-Baden for a while. We'll move him to a nursing home when he's recovered enough." Mrs. Henry Well, the General tells me you are a graduate of Radcliffe Ladies' College with a postgraduate degree from the Sorbonne. Yes, would you like to do some useful work?" The Countess walked Natalie back to her lodgings.Madame declared that such a ghostly place was not fit for an American to die in it even by accident.She teased Louis, cooing, or more precisely, croaking a few times.She decided to move them to decent accommodation.She led Natalie to an old mansion near the hospital. This building has been converted into a rented apartment, and the residents are all people in the hospital.There, the lady immediately settled the board and lodging problem for her and the baby.When evening came, she had settled mother and child in the new house, went to the police station to complete the formalities, and completed the moving-in formalities with the German administrative officials in the suburb of Neuille.Before leaving, she promised to come back tomorrow morning to take Natalie to the library by subway.She also said she would find someone to look after Louis.

Natalie was flattered by this sudden benefactor, this surly old lady.Her exile to Germany left her in a less intense but persistent state of shock.Hostile German staff, endless conversations in German, menus and signs written in German, German secret police in porches and corridors, and detainees looking sad in a Baden-Baden hotel Citizens—all this made her so preoccupied that she was conscious only of herself and Louis, their daily needs and possible dangers.When the Swiss representative convinced her that several U.S. citizens in special circumstances were in fact living free in German-occupied Paris and assured her that the Swiss authorities would place her as in Baden-Baden After being under protective supervision, this opportunity to go to Paris was to her like a pardon for an imprisoned man.But before the appearance of the countess, she seldom went out for a walk to enjoy the scenery of Paris.She hides in the small room all day, teasing Louis or reading old novels.Twice a day, morning and evening, she hurried back and forth to visit her uncle in the hospital, fearing that the police would trouble her, and she lacked confidence in her credentials.

After working in the library, her life opened a new page.Work is the best pain reliever.She started moving around.The first ID check on the subway really alarmed her, but nothing happened.Originally, she had been almost as familiar in Paris as in New York, and not much had changed now.The suffocating crowd in the subway, many of which were young German soldiers, both intrigued and bored her.But there is no other means of transportation in Paris, unless you ride a bicycle, take a battered horse-drawn carriage or one of those weird looking rickshaw-like taxis pulled by bicycles.The work in the library is very simple, and her speed of doing things and her keen understanding all make the Countess fall in love with her.

This incredible old woman brings all kinds of feelings to Natalie.She speaks intelligently on an academic level, her anecdotes about famous people are biting and amusing, and she is an impressive Shakespeare scholar.However, her political views and social views make it difficult for Natalie to accept.She asserted that there were three reasons for France's defeat: Herbert.Hoover granted the Germans a moratorium on war reparations, the Socialist Popular Front weakened France, and the British treacherously fled at Dunkirk.The French, led astray by the British and their own foolish politicians, finally launched an attack on Germany (Natalie was surprised, had she heard it wrong).Even so, an armored counterattack in Belgium would have been possible if the French had heeded her husband's advice and concentrated their tank forces into armored divisions instead of spreading them out among infantry units. Cut off the German armor rushing to the seashore and win the war in one fell swoop.

She never took the trouble to reconcile her various opinions and judgments, or to say why.She just let them go like firecrackers.Pierre.Laval was a misunderstood savior of France.Shire.De Gaulle was a bumbling liar, and his statement that "France lost a battle, not a war" was irresponsible nonsense.The French Resistance is nothing but a rabble of communists and libertines who do nothing but harm their fellow Frenchmen and provoke German vengeance.As for the situation after the occupation of France, despite all the draconian measures, there were merits.The theater repertoire was healthier now, with classics and decent comedies instead of the slapstick farces and dandy bawdies of old.Concerts are better now without those annoying modern dissonances that no one can understand.

Whatever Natalie says can set off a spouting monologue.Once, when the two of them were sorting through boxes of books left behind by an American film producer, Natalie said that life in Paris seemed uncannily close to normal. "Normal, dear boy? It sucks. Of course the Germans try to make Paris look normal, even cute. Paris is a showcase for the 'New Order,' you know?" she said with biting sarcasm. Say the word.It is for this reason that theaters, operas, and concerts are encouraged and even subsidized.That's why our poor little library is still open.Why, those poor Germans do try to look civilized, but really, they're brutes.Of course, they were much better than the Bolsheviks.In fact, if Hitler had had enough common sense not to attack France but to kill the Soviet Union, which he clearly could have done in 1940, he would be a world hero today, and peace would be Achieved.Now, we must wait for America to save us. " Once, when Natalie went to have lunch with the countess and was walking on a busy boulevard, she saw Huang Xing for the first time.Two well-dressed women walked past them, one talking cheerfully, the other smiling.Both women's clothes had a dazzling yellow star pinned on their left breasts.The countess did not notice this at all.After a while Natalie saw a few more; not many, just one yellow star pinned nonchalantly on her breast.Rabinowitz had told her about the mass hunting of Jews in Paris a year earlier; either most of them had been purged, or they had stopped showing up.The signs that forbid Jews from restaurants or public phone booths are curled and dusty.Every day, she was apprehensively disturbed by the habitual and violent anti-Semitism in such familiar papers as Le Soir de Paris and Le Maison.Because the first pages of these newspapers look the same as usual, and some of the columnists are still a few old people. Occupied Paris does have its own uniquely charming side.Clean and quiet streets, no harsh horns of taxis and traffic jams on the streets, fresh and smoke-free air, children in brightly colored clothes playing in blooming parks that are not crowded with tourists, Parisian fashion girls The women's carriages, all these are like the Paris scenery shown in those old oil paintings.But the leprosy signs of German occupation are everywhere: large placards with the words "Place de la Concorde" and "Soldier's Theater" written in black letters; The long list, the bright red swastika flag fluttering over official buildings and monuments over the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, German menus written in chalk on the outside of restaurants, German military vehicles speeding down empty boulevards, and after-get off work wear German soldiers in gray-green uniforms walked drunkenly on the sidewalks with cameras. At one point, Natalie came across a marching band leading a goose-stepping guard down the Elysée Park Avenue to the Arc de Triomphe, drums thumping, To the blaring military music, the flag fluttering in the wind; just one look at this peculiar sight will give you an idea of ​​what the occupation means. The human soul is saved by being able to live with the situation.Nata could rest easy as long as she worked in the library, or spent the evening with Louis, or wandered along the Seine after lunch, looking at the bookstalls.Once a week, she reports to the Swiss legation.One day when Luis was ill and she had to stay at home, a tall, well-dressed young Swiss diplomat visited her home to see if she was all right.That's enough for peace of mind.Paris seemed less scary than Marseille, and people looked less frightened.The food is better, and the police are more civilized. Three weeks later, Ellen was moved to a nursing home, where she was given a room with a window overlooking the garden.He was also weak, lethargic, and could barely speak.He seems to have deserved this favor.But Natalie felt nauseous in her heart.The fact that a patient was being sent to Paris seemed to her nothing out of the ordinary.Because the doctor in Baden-Baden said that the American hospital had first-class medical staff, and her uncle was better there than in Frankfurt.Paris itself is more agreeable than Baden-Baden.Still, a shadow of horror hung over her, like a child's horror at the mystery of a room that has been locked for ages.It is a terror of the unknown.Her uncle's favor and her own freedom in this German-occupied city troubled her, and she saw it as a mystery rather than their particular good fortune.When the mystery was finally revealed in the American Library, she felt less surprise than the horror of opening a locked dark room. The countess called from an outside office: "Natalie, we have a visitor. An old friend of yours." She was in the back room, crouching among the books and filling out the bibliography.She brushed the hair that fell over her face with her hands, and hurried into the office.Standing in the office was Werner.Baker, who snapped to attention, bowed, narrowing his eyes in a friendly smile. "Minister of the German Embassy," said the countess, "why didn't you tell me that you knew Werner?" She had not worn evening dress since leaving Siena.In Siena, although she was then under temporary Italian house arrest, she wore a faded gown on several evenings out.Today, she has only a few travel clothes in her suitcase to wear around.That night, in Natalie's deeply shocked state of mind, it seemed a grotesque mockery of reality to put on the gorgeous Cinderella costume that the countess had procured for her, like showing her femininity before being hanged. Beauty's eerie last chance.The suit fitted me well; the Countess's cousin was exactly of her figure.Natalie felt an indescribable feeling as she pulled the smooth, mother-of-pearl stockings up her legs, down to the garters on her thighs.Where would even a wealthy Parisian woman get such silk stockings today?What would it have been like to go out with Byron in such an attire instead of facing a chilling nightmare like this in the halcyon days? In order to match the fashionable gray silk dress, she really took great pains in putting on makeup and powder.But all she has is the bare minimum of make-up, chapped with age: a jar of rouge, a lip balm, a thrush tip, and some mascara.Louis stared at his mother, who was putting on makeup, with wide, curious eyes, as if she were setting herself on fire.While she was still putting on paint, the gray-haired babysitter poked her head in and said, "Ma'am, here comes your gentleman, he's downstairs in the car—oh, madam, you're gorgeous!" There was no choice but to accept Baker's chilling invitation.Even if there were other ways, she didn't have the guts to try it.That day, as he left the library, the Countess commented humorously: "Hey, German Minister, and The Marriage of Figaro! It's really good." Natalie blurted out: "But how can he do this? Except me Besides being an enemy, he also knew that I was Jewish." The Countess pursed her thin, wrinkled lips—they had never talked about the subject before—and replied grinningly: "My dear, the Germans do as they please, they are conquerors. The question is, what are you wearing?" As for Natalie's relationship with Baker, she didn't ask.Not a single harsh word.She was just blithely setting out to dress a female companion for an evening in Parisian high society.The countess's cousin, a dark young woman, was puzzled when she saw the countess suddenly appear at her apartment with the American girl.She didn't say much, and she couldn't see if she was happy, but she just meekly took out the gorgeous dress the Countess wanted.The countess commented on every piece of clothing, and she even insisted on a bottle of fine perfume.Whether the Countess did this out of goodwill or to please the German Minister, Natalie really couldn't tell.That's what she did, and she did it crisply. Louis watched sadly as his mother left without a kiss.She felt that her lips were sticky and greasy, and she was afraid of soiling her son and herself.Downstairs she had put on a fuchsia velvet cloak with a hood, and then she had, after all, a taste of the excitement a woman feels when she is fully attired.She was indeed beautiful, he was a man, and she was under the protection of the Swiss authorities.It was the scariest thing that had happened to her in these endless days of distress for months, but she was someone who had been through it, and she was mentally ready for a desperate self-defense. Under the blue streetlights, in the light of a full moon, a Mercedes was parked there.While whispering a few words of praise, he stepped out and opened the car door for her.It was a warm evening, and there was a sweet fragrance from the blossoming bushes in the fenced garden in front of the old house. As he started the car, Natalie said, "With all due respect, how can you go out with a Jewish woman?" His serious face smiled in the dim red light of the instrument panel. "The ambassador knows that you are in Paris with your uncle, and of course the German secret police know. They all know that I am asking you to the opera tonight. No one else dares to ask who you are. Are you a little worried?" "very worried." "Is there anything I can do to reassure you? Is it that you don't want to go? The last thing I want to do is force you to have an unpleasant evening. I thought you'd like it. I asked you to hang out As a gesture of goodwill, or at least a desire for reconciliation." If possible, Natalie thought, she needed to find out what this man was up to.So she said, "Well, I've got dressed. Thank you for your kindness." "Do you really like Mozart?" "Of course. I haven't heard The Marriage of Figaro in years." "I'm so glad I just happened to pick this great show." "How long have you known about our arrival in Paris?" "Mrs. Henry, I know you are in Lourdes." On the dark, empty road, he drove slowly. "You know, Winston. Churchill generously paid homage to Rommel as the campaign in Africa was underway. 'Across the chasm of war,' he said, 'I salute a great general.' Your uncle was a An eminent scholar, Mrs. Henry, but he is not a man of business. The flight from Siena to Marseilles must have been your idea. Your flight puts me in a very difficult position. But, 'The Divide, 'I salute you. You have courage." Baker held the steering wheel with his left hand, and he held out his stubby right hand to Natalie.Natalie had to shake hands with him.The hand was wet and cold. "How do you know we're in Lourdes?" She wiped her hands on the cloak automatically, hoping he didn't notice. "Because someone managed to get you released. The French informed us right away, of course..." "What? Someone managed? We don't know of anything like this." "Really?" He turned his head in surprise. "I've never heard of it." "Interesting." He nodded a few times. "Well, someone in Washington tried to see if arrangements could be made for you to cross the border quietly into Spain. I am relieved to have you here. I am concerned that something has happened to you." Natalie was taken aback.Who is trying to get them released?And what effect has this had on their present predicament? "That's how you know where we are." "Oh, I'll find out sooner or later. At the embassy, ​​we've been keeping a close eye on your gang. There's all sorts of people, right? Diplomats, journalists, Quakers, women, children, etc. Wait! By the way, the doctor at the Victoria Sanitarium told me today that your uncle is much better." Natalie was silent.After a moment, Baker went on: "Do you think the Countess de Chamblon is an interesting woman? Very cultured, isn't she?" "Interesting people, of course." "Yes, that's a fitting word for her." The chatter ends here.Natalie was dazzled from the darkness into the brightly lit theater foyer.The time machine sent her back to Paris in 1937.The present scene with her and Leslie.The evenings that Sloter went to the theater together were the same, only now there were scattered soldiers in German uniforms.This is the essence of Paris in her memory, with majestic lounges, marble columns, luxurious staircases, and colorful statues.Long-haired students in raincoats and their girlfriends in short skirts squeezed among the working people towards the entrance of low-priced seats; couples of middle-class relaxed couples walked towards the main hall; Such a high-class person with gorgeous clothes passing through the crowd like that.Lively atmosphere, typical French intonation, faces - perhaps a little thinner or paler than usual - mostly French, and the few that stand out are downright French people.Women in particular, always those Parisian women of grandeur, with their coiffed hair and light clothes, who show themselves and please when they look back, turn their bare arms or laugh lightly. the art of others.Some of them were accompanied by French men in evening gowns, and some were with German officers.Among the waiting crowd, German soldiers also brought French girls. They were all dressed up, radiant, and lively like kittens. Perhaps because Natalie was in a high-pitched state—the adrenaline pumped by the presence of Dr. Baker—it was not just the bright lights that dazzled her when she burst into the theater foyer, but It was a thought that disturbed her conscience.She wondered: who were the "collaborators" who were jeered and abused by the Allied press and on the de Gaulle broadcast?It turns out that these people are.is not that right?They are French.They are the people.They beat.In order to win the last war, they once shed blood in rivers.They paid their taxes for twenty years, did what their politicians asked them to do, built the Maginot Line, and went to war under respected generals.Now the Germans occupy Paris.Ok!I don't care!Good luck if the Americans can come to our rescue.During this period, they continued to live the French way of life under the Germans.And since there are so many miseries and so few joys, it is all the more reason to enjoy them to the fullest.At this moment Natalie felt that she understood a little bit.The Countess of Chamblon.As Baker made her way through the crowd to her seat, she felt a little different from 1937.In those days, every time an opera was performed, there were always many Jewish faces in the audience.And today, a Jewish face is nowhere to be seen. The first notes of the prelude passed over her nerves like a breeze over the strings of a harp, and set off a shuddering tremor.Her tremors were exacerbated by the extreme tension she was in.She tried to concentrate on the music, but after a few bars a bit of Baker's revelation flashed back to her.Who was it that made the futile and ill-effecting temptations while they were at Lourdes?While she was brooding and worrying, the curtain rose, and a magnificent set appeared on the stage, comparable to any set in the Shengping years.Figaro and Suzanne, both singers of the first class, immediately enter into their epic and enduring comic situations.As good as this "The Marriage of Figaro" is, Natalie doesn't get much of it.In her heart, she was feeling uneasy about the predicament in front of her. Baker had pre-booked a smaller lounge with a small table for intermission.The waiter nodded and greeted them with a friendly smile. "Good night, madam, good night, Mr. Minister." He quickly took away the "Reserved Table" sign, and then presented champagne and sugar cookies. "By the way," said Baker, after a pastry and a sip of wine, and some insightful comments on the singers, "I recently re-read your uncle's radio script. He was indeed prescient, you know A bit? What he wrote a year ago is what is widely discussed in the Confederate camp today. Vice President Henry Wallace gave a speech recently, and he probably plagiarized it from your uncle's radio transcript. Come on. Top thinkers like Bernard and Russell are saying that too. Strange." "I haven't had much contact with the Allied camp recently." "That's right. Well, I have clips of those reports. When Dr. Jastrow is better, he should look at these things. I've been dying to publish his manuscript. Seriously, the so-called must add There's no reason at all to talk about embellishments. These manuscripts are good articles. They're handed down, and they show a wonderful intellectual progression." Baker paused as the waiter poured out his drink.Natalie licked the wine with her lips. "Do you think he'd like to broadcast the scripts now? Maybe on Radio Paris? Seriously, he owes me that debt." "How can such a thing be discussed when he is as weak as he is now." "But his doctor told me today that he is expected to recover in two to three weeks. Is he comfortable in the Victorian nursing home?" "He is being looked after in every way." "That's good. I'm going to insist on doing it. Frankfurter Hospital is a very nice hospital, but I know he's happier here--yeah, the first bell rang and you barely touched it." How about your wine? Is the wine bad?" Natalie drank the wine in one gulp and said, "The wine is very good." After that, the beautiful music like a torrent sounded like a train running in the distance to Natalie.When singers dance.As she appeared in all kinds of ridiculous disguises and teased each other in tangled misunderstandings, all kinds of terrible possibilities emerged in her mind one after another.Once again, the worst possibility is becoming a reality.The move to send a patient to a Parisian hospital was no accident.Dr. Baker, who had intended to get them here, bided his time, and took advantage of Ellen's unfortunate illness to carry out his purpose, as a more barbaric approach might have made him incomprehensible to the Swiss.So what now?Ellen could still find an excuse to refuse the broadcast, and even if he agreed, wouldn't doing so seal his fate, and possibly hers?Obviously he could have denied the broadcast as soon as he got back to America, and Dr. Baker was too wise to fail to take that possibility into account.So once the Germans got their hands on those recordings, they would do everything possible to keep Ellen, and probably not let her go.Would the "protection" offered by the Swiss still work in this situation, given the precarious position they now find themselves in? However, what would happen if Ellen flatly rejected Werner Baker's request?At Follonica he had already used that delaying tactic. They were in a trap from which they could not get out; or so it seemed to her.Sitting inside the Paris Opera House, dressed in someone else's attire, her face smeared with makeup, her sensitive stomach tormented by the glass of wine she'd just swallowed, next to a polite, intelligent The man in question, a Yale graduate, spoke and behaved like a well-bred European, and what he did boil down to threatening her and her children with a loomingly dire future.It was all the most terrifying feeling imaginable.And it's not some ridiculous nightmare that disappears when she wakes up; it's a living reality. "It was so moving," said Dr. Baker, as the curtain fell to applause and the singers stepped forward to take their bows. "How about going to dinner now?" "I have to go home and babysit, Dr. Baker." "You'll be home early, I promise." He took her to a crowded, dimly lit restaurant nearby.Natalie had heard of the place before: it was too expensive for students to visit, and reservations had to be made a day in advance.Here, Germans in military uniform are either bald or gray-haired generals.The French are mostly potbellied and bald.She recognized two politicians and a famous actor.Some of the women were gray-haired and plump, but most of them were elegant young Parisians, alluringly dressed and charming. Even the smell of food made her gag.Baker persuaded her to try the salmon from the Loire; the restaurant is currently the only place in Paris where you can eat salmon from the Loire.She declined, but instead ordered an omelet, which came and she ate little, while Baker ate his salmon serenely and voraciously.All around them, the Germans and wealthy French powerful men and their female companions ate duck, whole fish killed live, and roast meat, and drank fine wine;It was an unbelievable sight.The rationing system in Paris was strict.The newspapers were full of features and biting satires on food shortages.In the nursing home, Ellen was given a daily ration of dulce de leche.This custard jelly, which can be made with only one egg, is considered a delicacy.But given enough power or money, at least in this little-known oasis, Paris is still Paris. Under Beck's urging, Natalie drank a little white wine.What this man was doing, she thought, was the most despicable thing.She was softened by the sumptuous hospitality, while he coaxed his demands and applied naked pressure at dinner.Even before the food was served, he began to play tricks on her again.当他们第一次在卢尔德出现时，他说，设在巴黎的德国秘密警察总部已经打算把他们作为持伪造证件从意大利逃脱的犹太难民立即逮捕。幸而奥托。阿贝茨大使是个有教养的、高尚的人。多亏阿贝茨博士帮忙，他们才得到达巴登一巴登。阿贝茨博士怀着极大的热情审阅了杰斯特罗博士的广播稿。在阿贝茨博士看来，要使这场战争取得积极的成果，唯一的途径是让英美两个盟国看到德国正为它们而战。为保卫西方文明抗击野蛮的斯拉夫帝国主义而战。对阿贝茨大使来说，凡有助于促进与西方取得谅解的任何事情都是非常重要的。 这是糖衣。药丸在他们进餐时出现了。贝克咂着嘴吃鲑鱼时若无其事地把这颗药丸塞给了她。他让她知道，德国秘密警察要逮捕他们的压力从未停止过。秘密警察急于审讯他们关于他们从锡耶纳到马赛去的经过。警察毕竟要尽到自己的责任。阿贝茨博士迄今为止一直在庇护着杰斯特罗博士，贝克说，不然的话，秘密警察会毫不延迟地把他们抓走。一旦发生了这种情况，以后的事情贝克就不能负责了，尽管他对此会感到无比痛苦的。在这种情况下，瑞士提供的外交上的保护措施会象稻草篱笆一样阻挡不住熊熊烈火。瑞士当局已有他们违法逃离意大利的全部记录。在娜塔丽和杰斯特罗博士两人确凿的犯罪记录面前，瑞士当局是无能为力的。Otto.阿贝茨博士是他们的庇护者，也是他们的希望。 “好吧，”贝克博士把车子停在她家门口，关掉马达时说，“我相信今晚过得还是不错吧。” “承蒙盛情款待，又看戏，又吃饭，非常感谢。” “我很高兴。我说，亨利夫人，尽管你经历了曲折多变的途径，看起来你现在比以往任何时候都来得可爱。” God!难道他还要勾引她吗？她匆忙而冷淡地说：“我身上的衣服没一件不是借来的。”。 “伯爵夫人？” “是，伯爵夫人。” “我也是这样想的。阿贝茨博士正在等候我向他报告今晚我们的情况。我能告诉他什么呢？” “告诉他我很欣赏《费加罗的婚礼》。” “那他一定非常高兴，”贝克闭起眼睛笑着说，“但他最感兴趣的是你对广播所持的态度。” “那要由我叔叔决定。” “自己并不立即拒绝这个建议？” 娜塔丽满腹怨恨，她想，如果他要求于她的仅仅是和她睡觉——尽管想到这里不由周身起鸡皮疙瘩——事情可要简单得多。 “我没有多大的选择余地，是吗？” 他点了点头，阴影遮没的脸上出现了笑容。“亨利夫人，如果你懂得这一点，我们今晚就不算白白度过了。我真想看一看你那个讨人喜欢的孩子，但我猜想他已经睡了。” “哦，已经睡了几个小时了。” 贝克一言不发，只对她笑，过了好久，他才下了汽车为她打开车门。 房间里漆黑一片。 “妈妈？”完全清醒的喊声。 娜塔丽扭亮了电灯。起坐室里路易斯的小床旁，坐在椅子上的老太太在打瞌睡，身上盖着一条毯子。路易斯正在坐起身来，尽管泪痕满面，他现在眨着眼睛，破涕为笑了。灯光惊醒了老太太。她因为睡着了而表示歉意，然后打着呵欠蹒跚地走出去了。这时，娜塔丽赶快用一块破毛巾把脂粉全抹掉，并用肥皂把脸洗擦干净。她走到路易斯身边，拥抱他，吻他。他依偎在她怀里。 “路易斯，你该睡了。” “是，妈妈。”自从到了科西嘉以后，他一直用法语叫她妈妈。 当他舒适地蜷缩在毯子下面的时候，她用意第绪语唱起摇篮曲来。自从到了马赛以后，这首摇篮曲就成为他在临睡前非听不可的歌曲。 宝宝睡在摇篮上，底下有头白山羊。 小小山羊干什么，宝宝长大也于它。 Raisins and almonds, go to sleep, baby. 路易斯半醒半睡地跟着一起唱，孩子噫呀学语，把意第绪语唱得走了样。 Raisins and almonds, go to sleep, baby. 第二天，伯爵夫人一看娜塔丽的脸，就知道昨天晚上出去看歌剧并不完全是一件乐事。娜塔丽把两包衣物放在办公桌旁的时候，伯爵夫人就问她昨天晚上过得怎样。 “不错。你的表妹真是慷慨。” 说完这句话，娜塔丽立即走到自己的小办公室里去弄目录卡了。过了一会儿，德。尚布伦伯爵夫人走了进来，掩上了门。“怎么了？”她带着浓重的鼻音问，这种语调和一个法国贵妇完全不相称。 娜塔丽无言对答，只是把惊魂未定的眼光瞪着她。娜塔丽不知道她周围还有什么样的陷阱，因此不敢贸然举步。她可以信任这个通敌的女人么？这个问题，以及其他一些同样难以解答的问题，使她彻夜未眠。伯爵夫人在一张小小的图书馆凳子上坐了下来。“快，我们俩都是美国人。说吧。” 娜塔丽把这件事的来龙去脉全告诉了德。尚布伦伯爵夫人。这需要很长一段时间。由于过度紧张，她两次哑了嗓子，不得不喝一些玻璃瓶里的水。伯爵夫人一言不发，眼睛象鸟眼一样发亮。娜塔丽说完之后，她说，“你最好马上回到巴登一巴登去。” “回到德国？那有什么好处？” “能为你提供最有效的保护的是代办。塔克是个激烈拥护'新政'的人，但他是精明强干的硬汉子。你在这里没有律师。瑞士人只能装装样子。塔克是会跟他们斗的。他可以威胁对被拘留在美国的德国公民进行报复。你们现在的处境是万一出了什么事情，再提抗议就来不及了。旅途劳顿，你叔叔受得了吗？” “如果他必须走的话，他是愿意走的。” “告诉瑞士人，你们要回到你们那伙人那里去。你的叔叔很想念他那些记者同行。德国人没有权力硬把你们留在这里。采取迅速行动。请他们立即和塔克取得联系，并安排你们返回巴登一巴登，否则就让我来办。” “把你自己卷进去太危险了，伯爵夫人。” 伯爵夫人翻动两片薄嘴唇，露出坚强不屈的笑容，随即站了起来。“我们去找伯爵谈谈。” 娜塔丽一起过去。这不失为一条计策；除此以外她也是山穷水尽了。伯爵夫人到了医院便进去了，娜塔丽继续往前走，独自去疗养院。埃伦元气未复，对有关贝克的事情他无从作出强烈的反应。他只是摇头，并低声说，“这是报应。”至于回到巴登一巴登去的建议，他说他让娜塔丽全权决定。他们必须做对她自己和路易斯最有利的任何事情。如果决定走的话，他觉得他的身体是吃得消的。 当娜塔丽和伯爵夫人在医院里再度碰头时，伯爵已经和瑞士公使谈过。公使答应和塔克取得联系，并安排他们回巴登一巴登。他估计不会有什么困难。 看起来也不至于有任何困难。瑞士公使馆第二天给图书馆里的娜塔丽打来电话，告诉她一切都已准备就绪。德国人已批准他们回去，火车票已经到手。不过不能直接打电话给在巴登一巴登的塔克，电话必须通过柏林的交换台转过去。但他们估计能在杰斯特罗离开巴黎以前通知他。同一天下午，瑞士人又来了电话：出现了意外困难。阿贝茨大使本人对这位著名的作者很感兴趣。他已派出他的私人医生去为杰斯特罗进行检查，以便确定病人现在是否适于旅行。 娜塔丽一听到这个消息，就知道没有希望了。的确是这样。第二天瑞士公使馆通知说，那位德国医生宣称杰斯特罗过度虚弱，一个月内不能旅行。阿贝茨大使因此认为他不能承担让他离开巴黎的责任。