"'Aye aye, sir." He decided not ' to tell Rhoda. Trying to go back to work he found himself unable to comprehend the substance of simple letters. He gave up, and looked out of the window at the Berliners going their ways in bright sunshine. Open trucks full of soldiers in gray were snorting along the street in a long procession. The soldiers looked bored. A small silver blimp came floating across the clear blue sky, towing a sign advertising40 Odol toothpaste. He swallowed his worry as best he could, and attacked his in-basket again. The telephone rang as he was leaving the office for lunch. He heard multilingual jabber41 and then a cultured American voice with a faint accent, 'Commander Henry? Aaron Jastrow. It's very good of you to call." 'Dr. Jastrow, I thought I'd better tell you immediately that I don't know where Byron and your niece are. I had no idea they weren't in Siena with you." "Well, I hesitated to wire you, but I thought you could help locate them. Two weeks ago they went to Warsaw." 'Warsaw!" "Yes, to visit a friend in our embassy there." "I'll get on it right away. Our embassy, you said?" 'Yes. The second secretary, Leslie Slote, is a former pupil of mine, a brilliant fellow. I imagine he and Natalie will get married one day." Pug scrawled43 the name. Jastrow coughed. 'Excuse me. It was a risky44 trip to make, I guess, but they did set out before the pact. She's twenty-seven and has quite a will of her own. Byron volunteered to go with her. That's really why I refuse to worry. He's a very capable young man." Victor Henry, dazed by the news, still found pleasure in this good word for Byron. Over the years he had not heard many. 'Thanks. I'll wire you when I find out something. And if you get any word, let me know." Jastrow coughed again. 'Sorry. I have a touch of bronchitis. I remember the last war SO well) Commander! It really wasn't long ago, was it? All this is giving me a strange, terribly sad feeling. Almost despairing. I hope we'll meet one day. It would give me pleasure to know Byron's father. He worships you." The long table in Borcher's restaurant was a listening post, an information exchange, and a clearing house for little diplomatic deals. Today, the cheery clink of silverware in the crowded restaurant, the smell of roast meats, the loud animated46 talk, were much the same; but at this special table there were changes. Several attaches had put on their uniforms. The Pole-a big cheerful Purple-faced man with great moustaches, who usually outdrank everybody-was gone. The Englishman was missing. TheFrench attache, in heavy gold braid, gloomed in his usual place. The comical Dane, senior among them, white-haired and fat, still wore his white linen47 suit; but he was stiff and quiet. The talk was constrained48. Warsaw Radio claimed the Germans were being thrown back, but nobody could confirm that. On the contrary, the flashes from their capitals echoed Gerfnan boasts: victory everywhere, hundreds of Polish planes smashed on the ground, whole armies surrounded. Pug ate little and left early. Pamela Tudsbury leaned against the iron grillwork in front of the embassy, near the line of sad-looking Jews that stretched around the block. She wore the gray suit of their morning walk on the Bremen. "Well," he said, as they walked side by Side, "SO the little tramp went.She gave b'len a surprised, flattered look. "Didn)t he ever! Here's our car. Directly after the speech we're off. We're flying to Copenhagen at six, and lucky to have the seats. They're like diamonds." She drove the car in nervous zigzags49 through side streets, to get around a long convoy50 of tanks on a main boulevard. "Well, I'm sorry to see you and your dad go," Pug said. "I'll sure miss your fireball style at the wheel. Where to next?" " My guess is back to the USA. The governor's well liked there, and it'll be the number-one spot, actually, with Berlin shut down." "Pamela, don't you have a young man in London, or several, who object to your being so much on the move?" The girl-that was how he thought of her, which showed his own age-looked flushed and sparklingeyed. The driving gestures of her small white hands were swift, sharp, and well controlled. She diffused51 an agreeably light peppery scent52, like carnations53. "Oh, not at the moment, Commander. And the governor does need me since his eyes have got so bad. I like to travel, so I'm happy enough to -bless my soul. Look to your left. Don't be obvious about it." Beside them, halted at the traffic light, Herman goering sat at the wheel of an open red two-seater, looking imperious and enormous. He a tan double-breasted business suit, with the flaring55 lapels that all his clothes displayed(wore) . The broad brim of his Panama hat was snapped down to the side and back, in an out-of-date, somewhat gangsterish American style. The fat man's swollen56 be-ringed fingers drummed the steering57 wheel, and he chewed at his very long upper lip. The light changed. As the red car darted58 forward, the policeman saluted59, and Goering laughed and waved his hand. "How easy it would have been to shoot him," Pamela said.
Pug said "The Nazis puzzle me. Their security precautions are mighty60 loose. Even around Hitler. After all, they've murdered a lot of people." The Germans adore them. The governor got in trouble over one of his broadcasts from a Party Day in Nuremberg. He said anybody could kill Hitler, and the free way he moved around showed how solidly the Germans were for him. Somehow this annoyed them." 'Tamela, I have a son I hope you'll meet when you're Statde." He told her about Warren. The girl listened with a crooked61 smile. "You've already mentioned him. Sounds too tall for me. what's he actually like? Is he like you?" "Not in the least. He's personable, sharp as a tack14, and very attractive to the ladies." 'Indeed. Don't you have another son?" "Yes. I have another son." He hesitated, and then he briefly62 told Pamela what he had not yet told his wife-that Byron was somewhere in Poland in the path of the German invasion, accompanying a Jewish girl in love with another man. Pug said Byron had a caes way of getting out of trouble, but he expected to owe a few more gray hairs to his son before this episode was over. "He sounds like the one I might enjoy meeting." "He's too young for you." "Well, maybe not. I never do hit it quite right. There's the governor." Tudsbury stood on a corner, waving. His handshake was violent. He wore tweed far too heavy for the weather, and a green velour hat. "Hello there, my dear fellow! Come along. Pam, be back at this corner at four and wait, won't you? This won't be one of his three-hour harangues63. The bad man hasn't had much sleep lately." A young German in a business suit met them, clicked his heels at Pug, and took them past SS men, along corridors and up staircases, to the crowded little press balcony of the Kroll Opera House, which the Nazis used for Reichstag meetings. The stylized gold eagle perched on a wreathed swastika behind the podium, with gold rays shooting out to cover the whole wall, had a colossal65 look in photographs, but before one's eyes it was just garish66 and vulgar-a backdrop well suited to an opera house. This air of theatrical68 impermanence, of hastily contrived69 show, was a Nazi trademark70. The new Reichstag, still under construction, was dully massive, to suit Hitler's taste, and the heavy Doric colonnades71 were obviously of stone, but the building made Pug think of a cardboard film setting. Like most Americans, he could not yet take the Nazis, or indeed the Germans, very seriously. He thought they worked with fantastic industry at kidding themselves. Germany was an unstable72 old-new country, with heavy baroque charm in some places, and Pittsburgh-like splotches of heavy industry in others; and with a surface smear73 of huffing, puffing74 political pageantry that strove to instill terror and came out funny. So it struck him. Individually theGermans were remarkably75 like Americans; he thought it curious that both peoples had the eagle for their national emblem76. The Germans were the same sort of businesslike go-getters: direct, roughly humorous, and usually reliable and able. Commander Henry felt more at home with them, in these points, than with the slower British or the devious77 talkative French. But in a mass they seemed to become ugly gullible78 strangers with a truculent streak79; and if one talked politics to an individual German he tended to turn into such a stranger, a sneering80 belligerent81 Mr. Hyde. They were a baffling lot. In a demor4red Europe, Pug knew, t e German horde82 h s of marching men, well drilled and well equipped, could do a lot of damage; and they had slapped together a big air force in a hurry. He could well believe that they were now rolling over the Poles. The deputies were streaming,to their seats. Most of them wore uniforms, confusing in their variety of color and braid, alike mainly in the belts and boots. It was easy to pick out the military men by their professional bearing. The uniformed Party officials looked like any other politicians-jovial, relaxed, mostly grizzled or bald-stuffed into splashy costumes; and they obviously took Teutonic pleasure in the strut83 and the Pomp, however uncomfortable jackboots might be on their flat feet, and gun belts on their bulging84 paunches. But today these professional Nazis, for all their warlike masquerade, looked less jaunty85 than usual. A subdued86 atmosphere pervaded87 the chamber88. Goering appeared. Victor Henry had heard of the fat man's quick costume changes; now he saw one. In a sky-blue heavily medalled uniform with flaring buff lapels, Goering crossed the stage and stood with feet spread apart, hands on belted hips45, talking gravely with a deferential89 knot of generals and Party men. After a while he took his place in the Speaker's chair. Then Hitler simply walked in, holding the manuscript of his speech in a red leather folder90. There was no heavy theatricalism91, as in his Party rally entrances. All the deputies stood and applauded, and the guards came to attention. He sat in a front platform row among the generals and cabinet men, crossing and uncrossing his legs during Goering's brief solemn introduction. Henry thought the Fuhrer spoke92 badly. He was gray with fatigue93. The speech rehashed the iniquity94 of the Versailles Treaty, the mistreatment of Germany by the other powers, his. unending efforts for peace, and the bloody95 belligerence96 of the Poles. It was -almost all in the first person and it was full of strange pessimism97. He spoke of falling in battle and of the men who were to succeed him, Goering and Hess. He shouted that 1918 would not recur98, that this time Germany would triumph or go down fighting. He was extremely hoarse99. He took awhile to work up to the flamboyant100 gestures; but at last he was doing them all. Tudsbury whispered to Henry once, "Damn good handwork today," but Pug thought it was absurd vaudeville101. Nevertheless this time Hitler impressed him. Badly as he was performing, the man was a blast of willpower. all the Germans sat with the round eyes and tense faces of children watching amagician. The proud cynical face of Goering, as he sat perched above and behind Hitler, wore exactly the same rapt, awestruck look. But the Fuhrer himself was a bit rattled102, Pug thought, by the gravity of what he was saying. The speech sounded like the hasty product of a few sleepless103 hours, intensely personal, probably all the truer for being produced under such pressure. This whining104, blustering105 "I-I-I" apologia must be one of the oddest state documents in the history of warfare106. The Fuhrer's face remained a comic one to Pug's American eyes: the long straight thrusting nose, a right triangle of flesh sticking out of a white jowly face, under a falling lock of black hair, over the clown mustache. He wore a field-gray coat today-his 'old soldier's coat," he said in his speech-and it was a decidedly poor fit. But the puffy glaring eyes, the taut107 downcurved mouth, the commanding arm sweeps, were formidable. This queer ups tart13 from the Vienna gutters108 had really done it, Henry thought. He had climbed to the combined thrones, in Tudsbury's phrase, of the Hohenzollems and the Holy Roman Emperors, to try to reverse the outcome of the last war; and now he was giving the word. The little tramp was going! Pug kept thinking of Byron, somewhere in Poland, a speck109 of unimportance in this big show. When they emerged on the street in balmy sunshine, Tudsbury said, "Well, what did you think "I don't think he's quite big enough." Tudsbury stopped in his tracks and peered at him. "Let me tell you, he's big. That's the mistake we've all made over here for much too long." "He has to lick the world," Pug said. What'll he do it with?" "Eighty million armed and ravening110 Germans." "That's just talk. You and the French have him outmanned and outgunned." "The French," Tudsbury said. He added in a pleasanter tone, "There comes Pam. Let us drive you back to the embassy." 'I'll walk." The car stopped under a waving red swastika banner. Tudsbury shook hands, blinking at Henry through glasses like bottle bottoms. "We'll put up a show, Henry, but we may need help. Stopping this fellow will be a job, And you know it must be done." "Tell them that in Washington."Don't you think I will? You tell them, too.2) Henry said through the car window, "Good-bye, Pam. Happy landings." She put out a cold white hand, with a melancholy111 smile. "I hope You'll see your son soon. I have a feeling you Will." The Mercedes drove off. Lighting112 a cigarette, Pug caught on his hand the faint carnation54 scent. A big lean man in a pepper-and-salt suit, with a soft hat on his knees, was sitting in Henry's outer office. Henry did not realize how big he was until he stood up; he was six feet three orso, and he stooped and looked a little ashamed of his height, like many overgrown men. "COnlmander Henry? I'm Palmer Kirby, he said. "If you're busy just throw me out." "Not at all- Welcome. How'd you get here?" "Well, it took some doing. I had to dodge113 around through Belgium and Norway. Some planes are flying, some aren't." Kirby had an awkward manner, and somewhat rustic114 western speech. His pale face was Pitted, as though he had once been a bad acne sufferer. He had a long nose and a large loose mouth; altogether an ugly man, with clever mrinIded eyes and a sad look. The yeoman said, 'Commander, sir, couple of priority messages on your desk." 'Very well. Come in, Dr. Kirby." Pug sized him up with relief as a serious fellow out to get a job done; not the troublesome sort who wanted women, a good time, and an introduction to high-placed Nazis. A dinner and some industrial contacts would take care of Palmer Kirby. WARSAW 9 -z -39BYRON HENRY NATALM JASTROW SCRMDULED LEAVE CRACOW TODAY FOR BUg115 ST AND ROME AM EMEAVORING.CONFMM DEPAR'rURE. Slote. This dispatch, in teletyped strips on a gray department blank, gave Henry an evil qualm. In the afternoon bulletins, Berlin Radio was claiming a victorious116 thrust toward Cracow after a violent air bombardment. The other message, a slip of the charge d'affaires' office stationery117, was an unsigned scrawled sentence: Please see me at once. Kirby said he would be glad to wait. Victor Henry walked down the hall to the richly furnished suite67 of the ambassador where the charge had held the staff meeting. The charge looked at him over his half-moon glasses and waved at an armchair. 'So you were at the Reichstag, eh? I heard part of it. How did it strike you?" 'The man's punch-drunk." The charge looked surprised and thoughtful. 'qbat's an odd reaction. It's true he's had quite a week. Incredible stamina118, though. He undoubtedly119 wrote every word of that harangue64. Rather effective, I thought. What was the mood there?" "Not happy." 'No, they have their misgivings120 this time around, don't they? Strange atmosphere in this city." The charge took off his glasses and leaned back in his large, leather-covered chair, resting the back of his head on interlaced fingers. 'You're wanted in Washington." "Sec Nay121?" Pug blurted122. 'No. State Department, German desk. You're to proceed to Washington by fastest available transportation, civilian123 or military, highest priority, prepared to stay not more than one week in Washington, and then to return to your post here. No other instructions. Nothing in writing. That's it." For twenty-five years Victor Henry had not made a move like this without papers from the Navy Department, orders stencilled124 and mimeographed with a whole sheaf of copiesto be left at stops on the way. Even his vacations had been 'qeaves" ordered by the Navy. The State Department had no jurisdiction125 over him. Still, an attache had a queer shadowy status. His mind moved at once to executing the assignment. "If I have nothing in writing, how do I get air priorities?" "You'll get them. How soon can you go?" Commander Henry stared at the charge, and then tried a smile. The charge smiled back. Henry said, "This is somewhat unusual." "You sent in an intelligence report, I'm given to understand, on the combat readiness of Nazi Germany?" "I did." "That may have something to do with it. In any case, the idea seems to be that you pack a toothbrush and leave." "You mean today? Tonight?" "Yes." Pug stood. "Plight126. What's the late word on England and France?" "Chamberlain's addressing Parliament tonight. My guess is the war Will be on before you get back." "Maybe it'll be over." "in Poland, possibly." The charge smiled, and seemed taken aback when Henry failed to be amused. The commander found Dr. Kirby, long legs sprawled127, reading a German industrial journal and smoking a pipe, which, with blackrimmed glasses, much enhanced his professorial look. 'I'll have to turn you over to Colonel Forrest, our military attache, Dr. Kirby," he said. "Sorry the Navy can't do the courtesies. I'll be leaving tovrn "Right.tt for a week." "Can you give me an idea of what you're after?" Dr. Kirby took from his breast pocket a typewritten sheet. "Well, no problem here," Pug said, scanning it. 'I know most of these people. I imagine Colonel Forrest does, too. Now, Mrs. Henry has a dinner laid on for you, Thursday evening. As a matter of fact"-Henry tapped the sheet-"Dr. Witten will be one of the guests."'Won't your wife prefer to call it off? I'm not really much on dinner parties." "Neither am I, but a German's a different person in his office than he is at a table after a few glasses of wine. Not a setup, you understand, but different. So dinners are useful." Kirby smiled, uncovering large yellow teeth and quite changing his expression to a humorous, coarse, tough look. He flourished the trade journal-"They don't seem to be setups, any way you look at them." "Yes and no. I've just come from the Reichstag-They've sure been a setup for this character Hitler. Well, let me take you across the hall to Colonel Forrest. It may be he and Sally will host the dinner. We'll see." Driving home through the quiet Berlin streets Pug thought less about the summons to Washington than of the immediate42 problem-Rhoda and how to handle her, and whether to disclose that Byron was missing. The trip to the United States might well prove a waste of time; to speculate on the reason for it was silly. He had been on such expeditions before. Somebody high up wanted certain answers in a hurry-answers that perhaps did not exist-and started burning up the wires. Once he had flown three thousand miles during a fleet exercise only to find, on his arrival aboard the 'Blue" flagship in Mindanao, that his services were no longer required, because the battle problem had moved past the gunnery sconng. She was not at home. By the time she got back, he was strapping129 shut his suitcases. "Now what on earth?" she said breezily. Her hair was whirled and curled. They had been invited to an opera party that evening. "Come out in the garden." He told her, when they were well away from the house, about the strange Washington summons. 'Oh, lord. For how long?" 'Not more than a week. If the Clippers keep flying, I should be back by the fifteenth." "When do you go? First thing tomorrow?" "Well, by luck, they've got me on a plane to Rotterdam at eight tonight." 'Tonight!" Vexation distorted Rhoda's face. "You mean we don't even get to go to the opera? Oh, damn. And what about that Kirby fellow? Is that on or off? How can I entertain a person I haven't even met? What an aggravating130 mess!' Pug said the Forrests would be co-hosting the Kirby dinner, and that the opera might not be on. "On? Of course it's on. I saw Frau Witten at the hairdresser's. They're planning a Marvelous supper, but naturally I won't be there. I'm not going to the opera unescorted. Oh, hell. And suppose England and France declare war? How about that, hey? That's going to be just peachy, me stranded131 alone in Berlin in themiddle of a world wart34" I'll get back in any case via Lisbon or Copenhagen. Don't worry. I'd like you to go ahead with the Kirby thing. BuOrd wants the red carpet out for him." They were sitting on a marble bench beside the little fountain, where large goldfish disported132 in the late sunshine. Rhoda looked around at the close-cropped lawn, and said in a calmer tone, "All right. I've been planning cocktails133 out here-Those musicians who played at Peggy's tea are coming. It'll be nice at that. Sorry you'll miss it." 'Bill Forrest said nobody in this world puts on dinners like you." Rhoda laughed. "Oh, well. A week goes by fast. Berlin's interesting now." A pair of black-and-yellow birds darted past them, swooped134 to a nearby tree, and Perched carolling. "Honestly, though, would you believe there's a war on?" "It's just starting." "I know-Well, you'll see Madeline, anyway. And be sure to telephone Warren, that rascal135 never writes. I'm glad Byron's up in the Italian hills. He'll be all right unless he shows up married to that Jewish girl. But he won't. Byron seems much crazier than he is." She put her hand in her husband's. 'Inherits it from his mother, no doubt. Sorry I threw my little fit, dear. You know me.aasping her hand tight, Victor Henry decided not to upset ]Rhoda further with the news of Byron's disappearance136. She could do nothing about it, after all, but fret137 vainly; and he guessed that whatever pickle138 Byron was in, he would get himself out of it. That had been the boy's history. Pug flew off on schedule that evening to Rotterdam-Tempelhof AirPort was transfonned-The shops were dark. All the ticket counters save Lufthansa were shut down. On the field, the usual traffic of European airliners139 had vanished, and squat140 Luftwaffe interceptors stood in grim shadowy rows. But from the air, Berlin still blazed wid, all its electric lights, as in peacetime. He was pleased that Rhoda had decided to dress up and go to Der Rosenkavalier, since Frau Witten had found a tall handsome Luftwaffe colonel to escort her. Byron was changing a tire by the roadside when he was strafed. He and Natalie were out of Cracow and heading for Warsaw in the rust-pitted Fiat141 raid, together with Berel Jastrow, the bridal couple, the bearded little driver, and his inconveniently142 fat wife. Cracow on the morning of the invasion had smoked and flamed here and there, but the picturesque143 city had not been much damaged by the first German bombardment. Byron and Natalie had had a good if hurried look at its splendid churches and castles and its magnificent old square like Saint Marles in Venice, as they drove around in cheery sunshine trying to find a way out. The populace was not in panic. The Germans were more than fifty miles away. Still, crowds moved briskly in the streets, and the railroad station was mobbed. Berel Jastrowsomehow obtained two tickets to Warsaw. Byron and Natalie would not use them, hard as Berel tried to persuade them to, so he shipped off his wife and twelve-year-old daughter. Then he adroitly144 took them to one office after another, through little streets and unused doors and gates, seeking to send them safely away. He seemed to know everybody, and he went at the job with assurance, but he couldn't get Byron and Natalie out. Air traffic was finished. The Rumanian border was reported closed. Trains were still departing at unpredictable times, eastward145 toward Russia and north to Warsaw, with people hanging from windows and clinging to the locomotives. Otherwise there were the roads. The bearded taxi driver Yankel and his wife, poor relatives of Berel, were willing to go anywhere. Berel had managed to get him an official paper, exempting146 the cab from being commandeered; but Yankel had small faith that it would work for long. The wife insisted on driving to her flat first, picking up all the food she had, her bedding, and her kitchenware, and roping them onto the car top. Berel thought the Americans should head for their embassy in Warsaw, three hundred kilometers away, rather than chance a dash to the border in the path of the German army. So this odd party set forth30: seven of them jammed in an ancient rusty147 Fiat, with mattresses148 flapping on the roof, and copper149 pots rhythmically150 banging. They stopped at night in a town where Jastrow knew some Jews. They ate well, slept on the floor, and were off again at dawn. They found the narrow tarred roads filling with people on foot and horse-drawn wagons151 laden152 with children, furniture, squawking geese, and the like. Some peasants drove along donkeys piled with household goods, or a few mooing cows. Marching soldiers now and then forced the car off the road. A troop of cavalry153 trotted154 by on gigantic dappled horses. The dusty riders chatted as they rode, strapping fellows with helmets and sabres glittering in the morning sun. They laughed, flashing white teeth, twirling their moustaches, glancing down with good-humored disdain155 at the straggling refugees. One company of foot soldiers went by singing. The clear weather, the smell of the ripening156 corn, made the travellers feel good, though the as it climbed got too ho ere were no comba in t on sun t-The tants sigh the long black straight road through yellow fields when a lone128 airplane dived from the sky, following the line of the road and making a hard stuttering noise. It flew so low that Byron could see the painted numbers, the black crosses, the swastika, the clumsy fixed157 wheels. The bullets fell on people, horses, and the household goods and children in the carts. Byron felt a burning and stinging in one ear. He was not aware of toppling into the dirt. He heard'a child crying, opened his eyes, and sat up. The blood on his clothes surprised him-big bright red stains; and he felt a warm trickle158 on his face. Natalie kneeled beside him, sponging his head with a sodden159 red handkerchief. He remembered the airplane. Across the road the crying girl clutched a man's leg, looking down at a woman lying in the road. Betweensobs she screamed a few Polish words over and over. The man, a blond barefoot Pole in ragged160 clothes, was patting the child's head. "What's that, what's she saying?" "Are you all right, Byron? How 'do you feel?" "Sort of dizzy. What's that little girl saying?" Natalie looked strange. Her nose seemed pinched and long, her hair was in disorder161, her face was livid and dirty, and her lipstick162 was cracked. She had a little of Byron's blood smeared163 on her forehead. "I don't know. She's hysterical164." Berel stood beside Natalie, stroking his beard. He said in French, "She keeps saying, 'Mama looks so ugly 11 Byron got to his feet, propping165 one hand against the car's hot fender. His knees felt watery166. "I think I'm okay. What does the wound look like?" Natalie said, "I don't know, your hair is so thick. But it's bleeding a lot. We'd better get you to a hospital and have it stitched." The driver, hastily tightening167 the bolts of the jacked-up wheel, smiled at Byron. Sweat rolled off his pallid168 nose and forehead into his beard. His wife and the bridal couple stood in the shade of the car, a look of shock on their faces, gazing at the sky, at the road, and at the crying girl. All down the road, wounded horses were plunging169 and screaming, and fowls170 from overturned carts were scampering171 helter-skelter, chased by children making a great noise. People were bending over the wounded or lifting them into carts, with much excited shouting in Polish. The sun burned down white-hot from a clear sky. Byron walked uncertainly to the crying girl, followed by Natalie and Jastrow. The mother lay on her back. She had caught a bullet straight in the face. The big red hole was an especially bad sight because her fixed eyes were undamaged. Berel spoke to the father, who had a stupid, gentle face and a bushy yellow mustache. The man shrugged172, holding the little girl close. Yankel's wife came and offered a red apple to the child, whose sobbing173 almost at once died away. She took the apple and bit it. The man sat by his dead wife, folding his dusty bare feet, and began to mutter, crossing himself, his shoes dangling174 around his neck. Natalie helped Byron, who was very dizzy, into the car. They drove on; jasirow said there was a good-sized town three miles away, where they could tell the authorities about the wounded on the highway. The bride, who out of her wedding clothes was just a freckled175 girl with thick glasses, started to cry, and cried all the way to the town, repulsing176 her wan-faced husband and burying her face in the huge bosom177 of the driver's wife.
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bellies
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| n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的 | |
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wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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naval
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| adj.海军的，军舰的，船的 | |
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aviator
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| n.飞行家，飞行员 | |
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motes
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| n.尘埃( mote的名词复数 )；斑点 | |
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Nazi
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| n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的 | |
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pact
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| n.合同，条约，公约，协定 | |
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skidding
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| n.曳出，集材v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的现在分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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atrocities
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| n.邪恶，暴行( atrocity的名词复数 )；滔天大罪 | |
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rape
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| n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸 | |
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tart
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| adj.酸的；尖酸的，刻薄的；n.果馅饼；淫妇 | |
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tack
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| n.大头钉；假缝，粗缝 | |
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15
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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16
narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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17
briskness
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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18
plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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19
collapse
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| vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷 | |
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20
hoax
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| v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧 | |
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21
Nazis
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| n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义 | |
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22
muffle
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| v.围裹；抑制；发低沉的声音 | |
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23
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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24
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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25
tycoon
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| n.有钱有势的企业家，大亨 | |
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26
auto
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| n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车 | |
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27
scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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28
intersections
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| n.横断( intersection的名词复数 )；交叉；交叉点；交集 | |
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29
desultory
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| adj.散漫的，无方法的 | |
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30
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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31
vendors
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| n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方 | |
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32
cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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33
maelstrom
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| n.大乱动；大漩涡 | |
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34
wart
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| n.疣，肉赘；瑕疵 | |
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35
touchy
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| adj.易怒的；棘手的 | |
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36
truculent
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| adj.野蛮的，粗野的 | |
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37
ordnance
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| n.大炮，军械 | |
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38
interned
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| v.拘留，关押( intern的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
pessimist
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| n.悲观者；悲观主义者；厌世 | |
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40
advertising
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| n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的 | |
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41
jabber
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| v.快而不清楚地说；n.吱吱喳喳 | |
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42
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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43
scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
risky
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| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
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45
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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46
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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47
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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48
constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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49
zigzags
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| n.锯齿形的线条、小径等( zigzag的名词复数 )v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的第三人称单数 ) | |
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50
convoy
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| vt.护送，护卫，护航；n.护送；护送队 | |
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51
diffused
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| 散布的，普及的，扩散的 | |
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52
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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53
carnations
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| n.麝香石竹，康乃馨( carnation的名词复数 ) | |
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54
carnation
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| n.康乃馨（一种花） | |
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55
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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56
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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57
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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58
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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59
saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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60
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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61
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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62
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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63
harangues
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| n.高谈阔论的长篇演讲( harangue的名词复数 )v.高谈阔论( harangue的第三人称单数 ) | |
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64
harangue
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| n.慷慨冗长的训话，言辞激烈的讲话 | |
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65
colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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66
garish
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| adj.华丽而俗气的，华而不实的 | |
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67
suite
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| n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员 | |
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68
theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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69
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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70
trademark
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| n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标 | |
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71
colonnades
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| n.石柱廊( colonnade的名词复数 ) | |
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72
unstable
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| adj.不稳定的，易变的 | |
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73
smear
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| v.涂抹；诽谤，玷污；n.污点；诽谤，污蔑 | |
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74
puffing
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| v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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75
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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76
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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77
devious
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| adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的 | |
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78
gullible
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| adj.易受骗的；轻信的 | |
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79
streak
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| n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动 | |
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80
sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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81
belligerent
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| adj.好战的，挑起战争的；n.交战国，交战者 | |
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82
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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83
strut
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| v.肿胀，鼓起；大摇大摆地走；炫耀；支撑；撑开；n.高视阔步；支柱，撑杆 | |
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84
bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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85
jaunty
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| adj．愉快的，满足的；adv.心满意足地，洋洋得意地；n.心满意足；洋洋得意 | |
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86
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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87
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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88
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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89
deferential
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| adj. 敬意的，恭敬的 | |
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90
folder
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| n.纸夹，文件夹 | |
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91
theatricalism
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| n.演出法，戏剧风格 | |
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92
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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93
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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94
iniquity
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| n.邪恶；不公正 | |
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95
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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96
belligerence
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| n.交战，好战性，斗争性 | |
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97
pessimism
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| n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者 | |
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98
recur
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| vi.复发，重现，再发生 | |
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99
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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100
flamboyant
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| adj.火焰般的，华丽的，炫耀的 | |
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101
vaudeville
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| n.歌舞杂耍表演 | |
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102
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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103
sleepless
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| adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的 | |
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104
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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105
blustering
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| adj.狂风大作的，狂暴的v.外强中干的威吓( bluster的现在分词 )；咆哮；（风）呼啸；狂吹 | |
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106
warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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107
taut
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| adj.拉紧的，绷紧的，紧张的 | |
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108
gutters
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| （路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地 | |
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109
speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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110
ravening
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| a.贪婪而饥饿的 | |
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111
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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112
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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113
dodge
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| v.闪开，躲开，避开；n.妙计，诡计 | |
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114
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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115
bug
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| n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器 | |
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116
victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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117
stationery
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| n.文具；(配套的)信笺信封 | |
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118
stamina
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| n.体力；精力；耐力 | |
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119
undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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120
misgivings
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| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕；疑虑，担心，恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 )；疑惧 | |
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121
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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122
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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123
civilian
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| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
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124
stencilled
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| v.用模板印（文字或图案）( stencil的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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125
jurisdiction
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| n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权 | |
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126
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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127
sprawled
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| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
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128
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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129
strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式 | |
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130
aggravating
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| adj.恼人的，讨厌的 | |
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131
stranded
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| a.搁浅的，进退两难的 | |
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132
disported
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| v.嬉戏，玩乐，自娱( disport的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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133
cocktails
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| n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物 | |
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134
swooped
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| 俯冲，猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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135
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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136
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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137
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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138
pickle
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| n.腌汁，泡菜；v.腌，泡 | |
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139
airliners
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| n.客机，班机( airliner的名词复数 ) | |
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140
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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141
fiat
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| n.命令，法令，批准；vt.批准，颁布 | |
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142
inconveniently
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| ad.不方便地 | |
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143
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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144
adroitly
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| adv.熟练地，敏捷地 | |
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145
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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146
exempting
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| 使免除[豁免]( exempt的现在分词 ) | |
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147
rusty
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| adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的 | |
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148
mattresses
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| 褥垫，床垫( mattress的名词复数 ) | |
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149
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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150
rhythmically
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| adv.有节奏地 | |
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151
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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152
laden
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| adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的 | |
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153
cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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154
trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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155
disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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156
ripening
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成 | |
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157
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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158
trickle
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| vi.淌，滴，流出，慢慢移动，逐渐消散 | |
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159
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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160
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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161
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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162
lipstick
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| n.口红，唇膏 | |
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163
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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164
hysterical
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| adj.情绪异常激动的，歇斯底里般的 | |
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165
propping
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| 支撑 | |
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166
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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167
tightening
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| 上紧，固定，紧密 | |
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168
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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169
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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170
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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171
scampering
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 ) | |
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172
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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173
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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174
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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175
freckled
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| adj.雀斑；斑点；晒斑；（使）生雀斑v.雀斑，斑点( freckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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176
repulsing
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| v.击退( repulse的现在分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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177
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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