BOOK ONE: YESTERDAY 47 to talk to, Y es, Franccis agreed, in most schools nowadays the Jewish boys did not have an easy time. But he had been able, so far, to keep his own establishment free from political in- fluence. Now, to be sure, he was to be given a senior master from Tilsit, regarding whom he felt a certain uneasiness. He stopped at a look frorn Frau Francois, who could, however, hardly have heard what he was saying. Jaques Lavendel, meanwhile, was further expounding his theories to his sister-in-law Liselotte and his wife Klara. Klara, like all the Oppermanns, was stout and thick-set. Her large head with its light brown hair and massive brow gave an im- pression of calmness; she might be stubborn but was not stupid. When she had decided to marry the Eastern Jew, Jaques Lavendel, everyone advised against it. But she had made up her mind. The very traits that appeared unmannerly to others: the frankness with wh ich he bluntly expressed the conclusions at which his commonsense had arrived, his kindly shrewdness-all these things attracted her. She was silent by nature but she had decided opinions and, whenever it came to an issue, she stood by her convictions. She was listening now, in silent, smiling agreement, to what Jaques was explaining to her and her sister-in-Iaw Liselotte. It was to the effect that the growth of all dangerous movements had been watched for years, often for decades, without the logical inferences ever having been drawn from them. What history had taught him was Amazement. A tremendous amazement that each time those in jeopardy had been so slow in thinking about their safety. Why, in the devil's name, had so rnany French aristo- crats been so asinine as to be caught in the Revolution, whereas any schoolboy nowadays knows that the writings of Rousseau and Voltaire, decades earlier, had indicated precisely what would happen. Martin Opperrnann watched the two wornen who were listening attentively and with amusement to Jaques Lavendel.

THE OPPERMANNS Liselotte's large face, with its almond-shaped grey eyes, seemed very fair beside the broad, heavy head af her sister-in-law. She sat there, alert and radiant, her neck white and very youthful as it rose out of the shallow opening of her black dress, She smiled swiftly at rum, showing her big teeth, then turned again to [aques Lavendel, Martin was a little jealous of his brother-in-law, He felt Liselotte's approval of jaques as a kind of mild reproach against hirnself. He was weIl aware of the ability of these Eastern jews, of their boundless energy ~ Real qualities, no doubt. But didn't Jaques's hoarse voice, his per- sistence, repel her? The hoarseness had originatecl during the war, when a glancing hüllet. had wounded Jaques in the throat. That was too bad, naturally, but it did not make the man the more attractive, At least not to hirn. It was, of course, better that Liselotte got on well with Jaques than that she felt repulsion for him, Could anyone imagine a more successful marriage than theirs? Perhaps it was because he took such pains ta keep bis bnsiness away from bis private life. In Cornelius Strasse he never mentioned Gertraudien Strasse. Why, indeed, should Liselotte care whether he sold a chair for thirty-six or forty-three marks? All thc same, it was a pity that she did. not care, She had received the information about the merging of the two Oppermann branches into the. German Furnit.ure Company with pleasant coolness. Just the same, it was too bad. His brother Edgar, too, had received the information pretty coolly. Gustav would take it harder than Edgar, Jaques, and Liselotte. It was a blessing he had so many other interests to divert him, Gustav was really a charming fellow. He had surely only invited the two chief clerks to give hirn, Martin, pleasure. Gustav did everything easily. He was a happy man. Martin did not begrudge hirn his happiness. He also rejoiced deeply in Edgar's' happiness and farne. Things did not come so easily to everyone.. All right, let it be he, Martin, who had the