“The city looked very pretty as we rode from the train station. It seemed like there were so many bridges and rivers.”

“The Rijn river flows through the city and branches into two forks in the middle —the Oude Rijn and the Nieuwe Rijn. There are several canals, too.” She looked at Miriam. “Your father mentioned writing to your mother —is she still in Germany?”

“Yes. It was very hard to leave her and the rest of our family behind. Abba hopes Mother will join us once we’re settled. She would have hated the refugee camp. She grew up in a home very much like yours.”

“Oh, it isn’t my home. I work as Eloise Huizenga’s companion.” Ans led Miriam in a wide circle through a portion of the old city, showing her the parks and canals along the way.

“I wish Avi was here to see all this!” Miriam said. “I wish he could know freedom like this!” She glanced shyly at Ans and said, “Avi is my boyfriend. Abba and I are hoping that he’ll be able to join us here soon.”

“Then I’ll hope so, too.”

Dinner that evening felt oddly subdued. Miriam and her father seemed overwhelmed by all the food and formality. Ans could well imagine what a shock it must be to go from a bleak refugee camp to so much luxury. Professor Huizenga seemed worried and preoccupied. “Tomorrow we’ll tour the university,” he told Mr. Jacobs, “and I’ll show you the classrooms and your office. Eloise and Ans will show your daughter some apartments to consider.”

Eloise spoke very little throughout the meal, and when she did, her usual cheerfulness had a brittle quality to it. Ans acted as an interpreter between Miriam, who knew only a little Dutch, and Eloise, who couldn’t or wouldn’t speak German.

“You play the violin, Miriam?” Eloise asked. “How wonderful!”

“Music was a huge part of my life in Cologne. I had hoped to study at the conservatory like my mother and uncle and cousins did, but Jews were no longer allowed.”

“Well, we’ll see what we can arrange for you here. If not in Leiden, we can certainly find a place for you to study in Amsterdam. It’s easy to travel there by train.”

“Thank you. I’m so grateful.”

Ans knew that Eloise would pour herself into the task with the same frenzied energy she’d used when finding an apartment, and Ans felt weary at the thought of keeping up with her. Eloise seemed incapable of relaxing and ran on two speeds —frenetic activity or exhausted sleep.

When the meal ended, they moved into the front room for coffee. Eloise sat down for only a moment before springing up and crossing to the boxy radio in the corner. “Let’s turn on the BBC and see if there’s a concert tonight.”