74 THE OPPERMANNS pany, Zionist, member of the Makkabi Sports Association, had a black outlook on German affairs. What was the matter with people like Moritz Ehrenreich? A few rowdies wanted to throw a Jew out of a subway train. Well, what of it? They were arrested and would get the punishment they deserved. Herr Markus Wolfsohn had not had any unpleasant experi- ences himself. He stood on an excellent footing with his col- leagues, was popular in Lehmann's Cafe, in the Savings Soci- ety "Old Pickled Herrings." He was, which was perhaps even more important, popular with Krause the superintendent. It was a bit of luck, getting that comfortable three-roomed Hat in the apartment unit in Friedrich Karl Strasse at Tempelhof. Eighty-two marks. It was a gift, my dear sir, a positive, absolute gift. The unit had been erected with the aid of a subsidy from the municipality. The rents were less than the ordinary rate of interest charged on the cost of building. A gift, my dear sir. Oppermann's Furni- ture Stores had been able to procure dwellings at this cheap rate for twenty of. their employees. He owed his to chief clerk Brieger ; in other words, to his own business efficiency. Unfortunately, rent agreements were only concluded for a period not exceeding three years, and twenty months were al- ready gone. But Herr Wolfsohn was thick with Krause the superintendent. He knew how to manage hirn. Herr Krause was fond of telling jokes, which were very old and always the same. It was not easy to maintain an attitude of suspense when Iistening to them, not to laugh too soon, not too late. Markus Wolfsohn could do it, though. He licked sorne whipped cream out of his moustache and called for his bill. His good humour increased as he took out his purse. It wasn't only because öf the seven commissions. It was because the entire balance for the month of November was first class. Herr Wolfsohn was paid, during a month, after all due de-

BOOK ONE: YESTERDAY 75 ductions, two hundred and ninety-eight marks. In addition to that, commissions and percentages averaged fifty marks. He gave Frau Wolfsohn three hundred marks to cover the entire household expenses of the family of four. After deducting the price of his commutation ticket on the subway, therefore, he had left, for noonday coffee and pocket-money, about forty marks. Herr Wolfsohn was in the habit of going, once a week, to the "Old Fritz" restaurant to play skat with the "Old Pickled Herrings." He was a good player, and his winnings, in spite of the fact that twenty percent of them had to be paid over to the Society, often enabled hirn to increase his monthly income by six or seven marks. This November he had had marvellous luck. At the monthly audit of accounts he would be able to hold out fully eight to ten marks from Frau Wolf- sohn. While he waited for his bill, he meditated gloatingly over possible ways in which the secret surplus he had kept back might be spent. He could, for instance, buy a few ties, which he had had his eye on for a long time. He could ask Fräulein Erlbach of the bookkeeping department to go out with hirn. He might again back a foreign horse in Meineke's cigar shop, Back a horse. Of course, man, that was it. Eight or even twel ve marks is a fine sum to have, but the morsel becomes really juicy when it grows into eighty or one hundred marks. Mar- kus Wolfsohn goes the whole hog, they knew that in his busi- ness, and so did the "Old Pickled Herrings." He would pop in at Meineke's straight away, now, before he went back to business, and back that horse. Herr Meineke greeted his old client with pleasure. "Y ou're quite astranger, Herr Wolfsohn. Well, what is the hunch to- day?" he went on. "Marchesina is pretty well thought of," he declared. "But as you know, my dear Herr Wolfsohn, I never express an opinion myself." No, Marchesina was no go so far as Herr Wolfsohn was concerned. There was a horse running