110 THE OPPERMANNS bond which has been keeping the Jews of the world together for thousands of years. Uncle Jaques teased Ruth because she so passionately maintained that political unity was the one and only thing that could assure Jewry of a continued existence. The evening was already far advanced, and Berthold had still had no chance of broaching the subject he had so much at heart. He was sure he would never get to the point now. It was a wasted evening. He decided to leave soon. Ruth Oppermann was, just then, relating an experience which had befallen an East-Jewish child. Little Jacob Feibel- mann went to a school attended principally by Nationalist children. The majority of his classmates were members of a Nationalist society. The boys were equipped with rubber truncheons. Weil, one day one of them announced that his truncheon had been stolen. The teacher, indignant that there should be thieves in his class, ordered all the schooI-bags searched. The truncheon was found in little Feibelmann's knapsack. It had obviously been put there surreptitiously. There was wild excitement: Sly boots was the thief. The boy had to leave school. He had been deranged ever since, Ruth went on, he was continually crying, no one could do anything with hirn. When Ruth had finished, Berthold suddenly spoke. He abruptly began to relate his own case. He told them about that lecture on Arminius the German wh ich had really been forced upon hirn, of Dr. Vogelsang's interruption, of the latter's de- mand that he should apologize. He could not prevent his broad, boyish face from taking on a strained, worried look as he told his story. However, he managed to remain calm, manly. In fact he even, now and then, achieved that light and casual air to which he aspired. It would have been a serious setback for hirn if the others had received his story with the same sort of casual air, with the damned indifference of adult, experienced people. But they

BOOK ONE: YESTERDAY 111 did not da so. Berthold was almost worried that they took it too seriously. U ncle Jaques put his head on one side, drew his lids far over his blue eyes, and reflected. "When the Romans were in Judea," he said at last, "they exacted very high tribute from the Jews. They asked the Talmudic Rabbis: 'Should a man give a correct valuation of his goods or not?' The Rabbis an- swered: 'Woe to him that doth and woe to him that doth not.' Whatever you da, my lad, he'll try to put the rope round your neck." He paused for a moment and then continued: "I would say neither yes nor no. I would simply say, 'This is what I meant. But if anyone feels insulted, then I am sorry and I wish I had not said it.' Rector Franccis is a reasonable fellow." Heinrich was sitting on a high ehest-he was fond of sitting in unusual places-swinging his legs to and fro. "Reetor Francois," he said, "is a good old fellow. But the boys will think it a case of backsliding. Long Lummox, I mean a certain Werner Rittersteg, said at a committee meeting of the foot- ball club that 'Berthold ought to be expelled because he has not apologized.' For the time being, I gave hirn a good punch. Two days later he said that 'If Berthold did apologize he would be pretending.' A man's word is a man's word, it would go against honour." "Honour, honour," repeated Uncle Jaques, shaking his head. He said no more, but Berthold had never before heard a more bitter indictment of this conception of honour. "Moreover, I don't believe," Heinrich went on, studying the tips of his toes intently, "that Vogelsang, the swine, will con- tent himself with a half-and-half explanation. The thing can't be done away with except by a full and definite apology." He stopped the rapid swinging of his legs and jumped off the ehest. Ii Go ahead,' he turned to Berthold. "Get it over. You can't go against the whole school. Y ou've shown enough civic courage. What you said about the old Indian was undoubtedly