PARTISAN REVIEW
instead of with the rest of the animal and human world. In the same
way, one part of the half-Jew is suspicious and hostile to the other
part. It is no accident that we speak of the half-Jew and never of
the half-Gentile, which means that it is an unstable mixture.
If
it
were a natural and casual combination, the terms half-Jew and half–
Gentile would be interchangeable."
"Where does the anti-semitism come in?"
"Obviously both parts of the half-Jew are anti-semitic, but each
one in a different way."
"Very
strange," commented Intelligence, as though it were
unbelievable, and certainly unprovable, rather than just odd.
Nevertheless, Intelligence seemed to be satisfied, for he indicated
that the interrogation was over by a shrug and a covetous glance at
his
hat and coat which had been lying on a sofa near
him.
"Thank you," he said, "for your helpfulness."
However, I could not see in what way I had been helpful. And
I began to wonder again, as my original fear of the stranger returned,
why he had sought me out in the first place.
"There is one question I would like to ask you," I said to
him.
"Why did you come to me for information about Miss Caruso?"
I guess I did not want to hear his reason, even
if
he had been
disposed to reveal it.
It
made me more comfortable simply to assume
that his presence in my apartment was a pure accident, one of those
innumerable stabs in the dark made by Intelligence in its effort to
throw light on the case. In situations like this one must always re–
member, I reassured myself, that Intelligence begins its investigations
in complete ignorance, and that it does not .arrive at any real knowl–
edge until it has made a sufficient number of mistakes.
Without waiting, therefore, for his answer, I went on to ask
another question.
"Have you seen Miss Johnson?"
"No. Who is she?"
I noted uneasily that he did not say "not yet," just plain "no."
"Miss Johnson lives on the second floor. She knows more than
anyone else about Miss Caruso, more gossip anyway. You should
also
see Tom the superintendent. He hates her."
"Why does he hate her?"
"It would sound silly to you, but I might as well tell you the
