The Gossamer Cord by Philippa Carr Read Free Book Online

them. They will break up the room and go away.”
    “Kurt…Helmut…your father…they are there.”
    Gretchen still clung to Edward’s arm.
    Dermot said: “I’m going out there. You ladies stay here.”
    “I’ll come with you,” said Edward.
    I could not understand then what it meant. I just listened in horror. I could hear them singing one of the songs which I was beginning to know by heart.
    Then suddenly there was quiet.
    Edward was out there, I thought. In danger, perhaps. What I had seen of those young men had led me to believe they were intent on destruction.
    Because Edward was there I had to know what was happening. I opened the door cautiously. It was a strange sight which met my eyes. The room was in chaos. There were upturned tables and broken glass everywhere. The young men were all standing very still at attention; they were singing, their hands raised as though in a salute.
    The customers remained seated, nervously fingering their glasses; they were mute, dazed. Not one of them, I was aware, had attempted to stop the upheaval which had been started by Else’s young man and his half dozen friends. They had allowed these thugs to break up the place. The singing stopped. Else’s young man came forward to where Helmut was standing in the midst of the ravages of the room. He stood before him and then deliberately spat into his face and said: “Jew.”
    When he turned away, Helmut’s hands were clenched. Kurt caught hold of him. I thought at first Helmut was going to strike the young man.
    The young man was looking straight at me. He stared for a moment. Then he clicked his heels and bowed. He turned away, collected his followers and they filed out of the schloss. I heard the sound of the starting up of car engines and then they drove away.
    All the customers were slinking away in relief and, I fancied, with an expression of guilt. We stood in the room then, assessing the damage. There was broken glass everywhere. Several tables had been overturned and some chairs were in pieces. But it was not the damage which was responsible for the oppressive gloom. It was what it indicated. There was so much I had to learn, but I knew this was not an isolated disaster. It was an evil portent.
    I heard Frau Brandt whisper in agonized tones: “What are we going to do? What will become of us all?”
    I think that was what was in all their minds.
    It was late when Dermot went back to his hotel in the town. He said he would come back tomorrow early and help with the clearing up. He could not understand why the Brandts did not call in the police. It was a pure case of unprovoked vandalism.
    They did not want to speak of it that night. They were too shocked to do so. Frau Brandt’s attitude told me more than anyone else’s. I sensed in it a certain resignation, an acceptance of something that was inevitable.
    It was late when Dorabella and I retired to our bedroom. We were both subdued.
    She said that Dermot had been marvelous. He had looked after her so carefully. But I did not want to talk of Dermot. My thoughts were with the Brandts.
    We did not sleep much that night. I doubt anyone in the schloss did.
    The few guests who were staying had breakfast in the public dining room as Edward, Dorabella, and I did.
    Afterwards we went into the damaged room where Kurt and the rest of the family were attempting to restore some order. Edward rolled up his sleeves and worked energetically.
    Dorabella and I did what we could. The main difficulty was the broken glass which seemed to have embedded itself in everything.
    During the morning Dermot arrived to help. He was very angry. He said it was shameful. He had talked to the people at his hotel and they had said it was happening all over Germany. The Führer wanted a pure race in Germany and that did not include Jews.
    It had never occurred to me that the Brandts were Jewish. There had never been any reason to mention it. Edward said he may have heard it and thought no more about it.