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space the woman opened her eyes.

"Oh, what is the matter?" she asked; and then, seeing the empty chair: "Where is the old

gentleman?"

"He went away."

"He should not have done that. Something went wrong; I feel so bad."

"I am sorry, Madame. He was frightened."

"Did he hear something bad?"

"Very bad indeed."

"Somebody is dead?"

Lanny thought that was an easy way out. "Yes," he said. "He was not prepared for it and did

not want to show his feelings."

"It is terribly bad for me. Tecumseh will be angry."

"I think he will understand, Madame."

"It made me so weak; and my head aches."

"I am sorry. I will call for a little wine, if you like."

"Please do."

Lanny ordered some wine and biscuits. She would not eat, but she sipped the wine, and after

a while he helped her downstairs and into a taxi. He was interested to note that even under

these rather sensational circumstances the woman did not press him with questions. It was her

own feelings that she was concerned about. People should not treat her that way; they should

be more considerate.

He helped her on board the yacht, and Baby Johannes's nursemaid, who had become her

friend, helped her into bed. Beauty and the others were out seeing the sights of Dieppe, so

Lanny went to his own cabin to write up his notes a second time before his memories grew

cold.

A really striking experience! He couldn't judge about all the details—for example, the

hundred and sixty-nine sacks of gall—but Zaharoff's behavior was proof of the general accuracy

of the revelations. The young observer was clinging to his theory that these details had come out

of the subconscious mind of Zacharias Basileos ZaharofF, formerly Sahar, who had given several

names, several birthplaces and birthdates, according to his convenience at the moment. But

what a subconscious mind for a man to carry about with him! Were those the things he

thought about when he woke up in the small hours of the morning and couldn't get to sleep

again? How much money would it take to compensate a man for having such memories and

such feelings?

IX

Lanny could not forget that his own father was a manufacturer and salesman of munitions,

and that he had bribed and deceived and had documents stolen in order to promote various

deals. Did Robbie have a subconscious mind like that? Certainly he showed few signs of it. His

cheeks were rosy, he was sleeping well (so he reported), and he seemed to have his zest for life.

But was that all bluff? Was he holding himself up by his bootstraps? Lanny remembered how

quickly and how angrily Robbie would leap to the defense of the munitions industry

whenever he heard it attacked. That wasn't the sign of a mind perfectly at ease

Lanny had learned his father's formulas in earliest childhood. Budd Gunmakers Corporation

was one of the bulwarks of American national security, and what it did was a great patriotic

service. To say that it worked for profit was the vilest demagogy, because it put the profits back

into the business—that had been the family tradition for nearly a hundred years. To blame them

for selling munitions to other countries in times of peace was mere nonsense, for you couldn't

make munitions without skilled labor and you couldn't have such labor unless you gave it

work to do and paid it wages to live. The government wouldn't order any large supplies in

times of peace, but it expected to have a completely equipped plant running and ready to

serve it in case of need. What could you do but follow the example of all other merchants and

sell your goods whenever and wherever you could find customers?

There was a basic difference between Zacharias Basileos Zaharoff and Robbie Budd. Robbie

really considered himself a patriot, and no doubt that is an excellent thing for a subconscious

mind. On the other hand, Lanny had heard the old Greek say that he was a citizen of every

country where he owned property. Did he want to enable each of his countries to fight his other

countries? No, for Lanny had heard him, early in the year 1914, expressing his dread of war, in

language which had surprised and puzzled a very young idealist. Robbie had joked about his

attitude, saying that the old spider, the old wolf, the old devil wanted to sell munitions but

didn't want them used.

But they had been used, and Zaharoff had had to live and see them used—and evidently that

had been bad for his subconscious mind! Zaharoff had attended the Armistice Day

ceremonies and laid a wreath on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. He had thought about that

soldier, and now Lanny knew what he had thought! Had he guessed that the national hero of

France might be a Jew? Or was it that the national hero really had been a Jew? Was Zaharoff

himself a Jew, or part Jew? Lanny didn't know, and wasn't especially interested. There were

few people in Europe who didn't have Jewish blood, even those who despised the outcast

race. For two thousand years the Jews had been scattered over the old Continent like

thistledown in the wind; and the most carefully tended family trees don't always show what

pollen has fallen upon them.

X

Lanny thought: What is the old man going to make of this? He can hardly believe that I

planted it on him; that I knew about his uncle Antoniades! No, he will know that the thing

must be genuine, and when he cools off he will realize that he wasn't quite

a gentleman. Maybe he'll want to beg Tecumseh's pardon and have another try for the

duquesa.

Lanny decided that this would be interesting; so he sat down and wrote a note to be mailed

in Dieppe:

My dear Sir Basil:

I am truly sorry that the seance turned out to be so disturbing. I want to assure you that I am

not telling anyone about it. I have seen many inaccuracies appear at sittings, and I have no

interest in spreading them. You may count upon me in this.

Also he wrote a note to Rick, as follows:

I wish you would see if you can find someone to do a job of research for me; that is, go

through the records of Old Bailey prison during the 1870's and see if there is an entry of a

prisoner by the name of Sahar, or Zahar, or Zaharoff. I enclose check for ten pounds to start it

off, and if you will let me know the cost from time to time, I'll send more. Please say nothing

about this, except to the dependable person you employ.

It wasn't going to be so easy to keep quiet about that afternoon's events. Beauty's curiosity had

been aroused, and Irma's also. Fortunately Lanny had time to get over his own excitement,

and to let Madame get over her bad feelings. He told his family that he had tried an

experiment with someone who was interested, but the tests had not been conclusive, there

were certain matters which had to be looked up, and then a second test might be made; he

would tell them all about it later on. This was far from satisfactory, but he stuck to it, and

pretty soon there were other seances, and other matters to talk about. Every now and then

Beauty or Irma would say: "By the way, whatever became of that Dieppe affair?" Lanny would

answer: "It hasn't been settled yet."

From Zaharoff he received no reply.

XI

The trim white Bessie Budd steamed away—or, to be exact, was propelled by crude oil, burning

in a Diesel engine. At Bremerhaven the owner and his younger son were waiting, both proud

and happy—the latter especially so, because he was a father and his fatherhood was new and

shiny. How Freddi adored that gentle, sweet wife, and how he shivered with delight while gazing

upon the mite of life which they had created! Nearly three months had passed since he had

seen them both, and a newborn infant changes a lot in that time. The other Robins, including

Bess and the nursemaid, stood by when Freddi came aboard, sharing his happiness, of which he

made quite a show, not being an Anglo-Saxon.

They all had a right to share, because this lovely infant was a prize exhibit of their dairy farm,

so carefully supervised. Both father and grandfather had to certify themselves free of all diseases

before they came on board, and there were to be no contaminating kisses, no demoralizing

pettings, pokings, or ticklings. Wash your hands before you permit an infant to clutch your

finger, for you can observe that the first thing he does is to convey your collected germs to his

mouth.

Freddi had worked tremendously hard all year, and had got himself the coveted title of

doctor. He was a handsome fellow, not quite so tall as his brother, but having the same large

dark eyes and serious expression. He lacked Hansi's drive—he was never going to be a famous

man, only an earnest student and teacher, a devoted husband and father. Not so Red as Hansi

and Bess, but nearer to Lanny's shade; he still had hopes of the German Social-Democrats, in

spite of the timidity and lack of competence they were displaying. Freddi had said that he was

studying bourgeois economics in order to be able to teach the workers what was wrong with it.

Already he and a couple of his young friends had set up a night school along the lines of

Lanny's project in the Midi. A non-party affair, both the Socialists and the Communists took

potshots at it, greatly to Freddi's disappointment. The workers were being lined up for class

war, and there was no room for stragglers between the trenches.

Johannes had bad news for them. Business conditions in Germany were such that it was

impossible for him to set out across the Atlantic. He wanted them to go without him, and

the rest of the Robin family were willing to do this because of the promises they had made. But

the Budds knew that the purpose for which the yacht existed was to get Papa away from

business cares, and they knew that the Robins would have a hard time enjoying themselves

without him. Beauty talked it over with Lanny and his wife, and they agreed not to accept

such a sacrifice. Irma would be sorry to miss seeing her mother, but, after all, it was easier to

transport one stout queen mother across the ocean than to put a whole establishment ashore on

Long Island. Irma said she really didn't have much pleasure in any sort of social life when

she had to keep within four-hour time limits and have Miss Severne look grim if she came in

hot and tired from any sort of exercise. Irma's smart young friends would all laugh at her and

make jokes about cows. So it was better to stay on the yacht, where no explanations or

apologies had to be made and where Rahel backed you up by her good example. "Jewish

women seem to be much more maternal," said Irma. "Or is it because she is German?"

XII

It was decided that the Bessie Budd would loaf about in the North Sea and its adjoining

waters so as to come back quickly and take its owner aboard whenever he was free. There

would be regattas during the summer, and concerts and theaters in near-by cities and towns; art

galleries to be visited—yes, one could think of worse ways of spending two or three months

than on a luxury yacht based on Bremerhaven. The ship's library included Heine's

Nordseebilder, also musical settings of some of these poems. Rahel would sing, Freddi would

tootle, Hansi would scrape and scratch, Lanny and his sister would rumble and thump,