The Gossamer Cord by Philippa Carr Read Free Book Online Page A

Kurt was his friend and his race would make no difference to that.
    That morning we learned what was happening in Germany.
    We had worked for several hours and cleaned most of the debris; we had taken away the broken chairs, set up all the upturned tables, washed a great deal of the stains from the walls which had been made by the tankards of beer which had been thrown against them; and in the dim light the room did not look much different from what it had before the debacle had begun.
    We were all tired and sat down together. Gloom hung over us as thick as the forest mist.
    It was no use ignoring it, and I am sure we found a slight relief in talking of it.
    Kurt said: “It had to happen sooner or later. I am only sorry that it was during your visit. I am ashamed that you should have seen it. It is a blight on our nation. But you must not go away and think: ‘This is the Germans.’ It fills many of us with sorrow. It is an ulcerous growth…a cancer. It fills us with shame and, yes, fear. From one day to the next we do not know what our fate will be.”
    “It is monstrous,” cried Dermot. “How can people let it happen? These thugs—they are nothing more—come with their songs and slogans…and dare do that! And they get away with it. I think one of the most shameful aspects of the case is that it was allowed to happen and nothing was done about it.”
    “It has been so for some time,” said Hans. “These people are members of the Hitler Youth of the Nazi Party. When Adolf Hitler became Chancellor in 1933 he put Baldur von Schirach in charge of the youth of the country. German boys of ten were registered for what they call Racial Purity and known as the Deutsche Jungvolk. They are investigated to make sure they have no ‘alien’ blood, and if not, they are eligible at the age of thirteen to join the Hitler Youth Movement, the Hitler Jugend. At the age of eighteen they graduate from this and become members of the Nazi Party.”
    “Whose aim it is to go round the country breaking up people’s homes!” cried Dermot indignantly.
    “They are what are called Aryans, it seems.”
    “It’s monstrous,” said Edward. “This can’t go on.”
    “It has been going on for some time,” said Kurt, “and it grows worse.”
    “Do you mean to say,” cried Edward, “that you live in fear that this sort of thing may happen at any minute?”
    “I have lived with that fear for some time now.”
    “And the people stand by and allow it!”
    “They can do nothing else. The Führer has done so much for the country. We were in a dreadful state. Our currency was worthless…our people in desperation. We are not a race to sit down quietly and accept such a fate. We do something about it. We were defeated in the war and for that we had to suffer poverty and humiliation. Then this man came. He did much good. It is unfortunate for us that he hates our race. I sometimes believe that he wants to exterminate us completely.”
    “That’s impossible,” said Dermot. “And this can’t go on. It’s ridiculous. And all these people who were there did nothing to stop it!”
    “They were wise. No one can stand against the Nazis. They are in control.”
    “It seems incredible that people could be allowed to behave so.”
    “It is difficult for you to understand. But this is Germany.”
    “Do you mean,” said Edward, “that tonight they may come along and do the same thing again?”
    “I do not think they will do that. We are not important enough. We are only small people. They will go somewhere else. They have warned us…that is all. They want us to go away. But we have lived here all our lives…our forefathers were here before us. That means nothing to them. They do not like our race.”
    Every one of us wished we knew how to comfort them. But there was no comfort we could offer.
    We were all subdued. I had no desire to go out again. The fairy-tale villages had lost their charm for me. They had a beautiful exterior behind