then you come and stay with us while she is there,” I said. “Edward, I understand perfectly.”
“It will be for you to suggest it,” he said. “I could hardly do so. And frankly, Violetta, the idea of leaving her here…”
“I understand,” I said. “I’ll suggest it.”
“And I’ll speak to Kurt on the quiet. He will see that it is the best thing. I couldn’t leave her here after what I saw last night.”
I told Dorabella what I proposed to do. She was amused.
“Poor Edward,” she said. “He really is smitten.”
“She’s a beautiful girl.”
“Do you think he wants to marry her?”
“I should think it very likely. He is very much in love.”
“How gorgeous! One wouldn’t expect it of old Edward.”
“Most people do things sometimes which one would not expect them to.”
“Old wiseacre!” she muttered affectionately.
She was in a good mood. Last night had been horrifying but it had brought her closer to Dermot Tregarland. I guessed she was thinking of a double wedding. Herself and Dermot; Edward and Gretchen. I knew her so well I could often read her thoughts.
I lost no time in suggesting to Gretchen that she should come to stay with us. She opened her eyes wide in astonishment.
I said: “It would be good for you to get away for a while, and you’d be interested to see England.”
Her pleasure showed in her face; then I saw the apprehension and I knew that she was thinking that though she might escape unpleasantness, there would be the perpetual anxiety for her family.
I felt a great affection for her in that moment. I think she cared for Edward, and the idea of going with him back to his country away from the ominous shadow which had fallen on her life seemed wonderful to her. If only they could all go…
But that was not possible.
Poor Gretchen! She was undecided.
It would be her family who would make up her mind for her; and they did.
Kurt was overcome with gratitude; so were Helmut and the parents; and it was decided that when we left we would take her with us for a holiday.
It was our last day. We were to leave the following morning. Kurt would drive us to the station and in due course the long journey to the coast would begin. We seemed almost like different people from those who had arrived here. I felt I should never be the same again. Whenever I saw anything beautiful I should look for the canker lurking beneath.
I went to say goodbye to the grandparents of whom we had seen very little during our stay, as they kept mainly to their own rooms.
Grossvater was reading the Scriptures and smiled at me rather vaguely. I told him that I should be leaving soon and he smiled on me benignly and gave me his blessing.
Then I went to Grossmutter who was seated in her rocking chair, her knitting in her hand. She was less vague and gave me a warm smile.
“It is good of you to come,” she said. I was amazed that she could speak English; and during my stay here I had improved on my school German to some extent so that conversation was possible.
“Grossvater and I, we are the old ones. We stay here in our rooms…like two pieces of furniture which are no longer much use.”
I protested at this.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “Two pieces of furniture without use but which must not be thrown away.” She laid a hand on my arm. “They tell me that Gretchen is going back with you.”
“Yes, we thought it a good idea.”
“What you saw down there…” She put her face closer to mine. “It told you much…?”
“It was a shock.”
She nodded. “You now know…”
“It was so unexpected…so pointless.”
She shook her head. “It has always been,” she said somberly. “I was told it would be different here…and it was so…for a long time. You see, I do not belong to this country. I am a Brandt only by marriage. When I was eight years old I came here from Russia.”
“So you are Russian by birth?”
She nodded. “There it was the same. They called it the pogrom. We
“It will be for you to suggest it,” he said. “I could hardly do so. And frankly, Violetta, the idea of leaving her here…”
“I understand,” I said. “I’ll suggest it.”
“And I’ll speak to Kurt on the quiet. He will see that it is the best thing. I couldn’t leave her here after what I saw last night.”
I told Dorabella what I proposed to do. She was amused.
“Poor Edward,” she said. “He really is smitten.”
“She’s a beautiful girl.”
“Do you think he wants to marry her?”
“I should think it very likely. He is very much in love.”
“How gorgeous! One wouldn’t expect it of old Edward.”
“Most people do things sometimes which one would not expect them to.”
“Old wiseacre!” she muttered affectionately.
She was in a good mood. Last night had been horrifying but it had brought her closer to Dermot Tregarland. I guessed she was thinking of a double wedding. Herself and Dermot; Edward and Gretchen. I knew her so well I could often read her thoughts.
I lost no time in suggesting to Gretchen that she should come to stay with us. She opened her eyes wide in astonishment.
I said: “It would be good for you to get away for a while, and you’d be interested to see England.”
Her pleasure showed in her face; then I saw the apprehension and I knew that she was thinking that though she might escape unpleasantness, there would be the perpetual anxiety for her family.
I felt a great affection for her in that moment. I think she cared for Edward, and the idea of going with him back to his country away from the ominous shadow which had fallen on her life seemed wonderful to her. If only they could all go…
But that was not possible.
Poor Gretchen! She was undecided.
It would be her family who would make up her mind for her; and they did.
Kurt was overcome with gratitude; so were Helmut and the parents; and it was decided that when we left we would take her with us for a holiday.
It was our last day. We were to leave the following morning. Kurt would drive us to the station and in due course the long journey to the coast would begin. We seemed almost like different people from those who had arrived here. I felt I should never be the same again. Whenever I saw anything beautiful I should look for the canker lurking beneath.
I went to say goodbye to the grandparents of whom we had seen very little during our stay, as they kept mainly to their own rooms.
Grossvater was reading the Scriptures and smiled at me rather vaguely. I told him that I should be leaving soon and he smiled on me benignly and gave me his blessing.
Then I went to Grossmutter who was seated in her rocking chair, her knitting in her hand. She was less vague and gave me a warm smile.
“It is good of you to come,” she said. I was amazed that she could speak English; and during my stay here I had improved on my school German to some extent so that conversation was possible.
“Grossvater and I, we are the old ones. We stay here in our rooms…like two pieces of furniture which are no longer much use.”
I protested at this.
“Oh, yes,” she said. “Two pieces of furniture without use but which must not be thrown away.” She laid a hand on my arm. “They tell me that Gretchen is going back with you.”
“Yes, we thought it a good idea.”
“What you saw down there…” She put her face closer to mine. “It told you much…?”
“It was a shock.”
She nodded. “You now know…”
“It was so unexpected…so pointless.”
She shook her head. “It has always been,” she said somberly. “I was told it would be different here…and it was so…for a long time. You see, I do not belong to this country. I am a Brandt only by marriage. When I was eight years old I came here from Russia.”
“So you are Russian by birth?”
She nodded. “There it was the same. They called it the pogrom. We
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