‘Oh.’

‘Well I wasn’t going to do that. You don’t blame me, do you?’

‘No, I just wondered why you came here.’

‘Well really, it was that. I just wanted a nice home and everything nice. Then I came here.’

Now she looked at him. He knew from the premeditation of her gaze that she was about to appeal to him. ‘I came here, Lully, and I tell you this. I never saw such Jew hate as there is here. New York is crawling with it. It’s every place you go. You know that. I don’t have to tell you that.’

‘Yes, I know.’

‘Well, I said to myself, forget about it. Live your own life. See, in California, even all the time I was with the organization I tried to keep my own point of view. I figured, maybe it looks like everybody is ready to get going on the Jews, but I kept in mind that I only knew that kind of people, and probably most people never gave it a thought, and that we’d never get any place actually. You know? But when I came here I was bowled over. I was wrong. There’s a time coming, Lully, and it’s not far away. Once all these organizations get together and join up into one outfit they’re going to have enough people to swing this country. Now wait a minute, don’t cock your head that way, listen to me. You know as well as me that everybody, pretty near, has no use for the Jews. That’s true, isn’t it? All right. A depression comes along, and you know as well as me that it’s coming. All right. A depression comes, there’s people out on the street, an organization comes along that can get them going and it’s the end of the Hebrews. Wait a minute, before you answer … You saw that fat man.’

‘Yes.’

‘His name is Mel. He’s from California. I don’t know his real name but he calls himself Mel. I happen to know that in Detroit his name is Hennessy.’

‘You know him, then.’

‘I met him once at our house. He came with money to keep the organization going when it started going downhill. I don’t know who’s giving it to him but he’s got money. From the very beginning he had one idea, to get all the organizations together into one outfit. He said that one year after there is one big organization in this country there won’t be a Jew standing up in America. He’s right. I know he’s right. And now he’s here. And that means one thing. They’re getting together. When the war’s over they’re going to be working hand in glove and you’re going to see fireworks. In California I didn’t think it would amount to anything, but after I see what’s going on here I tell you it’s going to happen, and when it does I’m going to be on the right side and so are you. So you’re going to that meeting, you hear?’