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PARTISAN REVIEW
he exploited to the extent of making himself unpopular with his mili–
tary superiors by treating Russians and Poles like human beings. My
Cousin Lucie was not yet married at that time and helped with
the business. One afternoon a week she did voluntary war work, em–
broidering swastikas. But this is not the place to recite the political
sins of my relations.
On the whole, then, there was no lack of money or food or
reasonable safety, and my aunt's only sorrow was the absence of
her tree. My Uncle Franz, that good, kind man, had for almost fifty
years rendered invaluable service by purchasing oranges and lemons
in tropical and sub-tropical countries and selling them at an ap–
propriate profit. During the war he extended his business to less
valuable fruits and to vegetables. After the war, however, the prin–
cipal objects of
his
interest became popular once more under the
name of citrus fruits and caused sharp competition in business circles.
Here Uncle Franz succeeded once more in playing a decisive role
by introducing the populace to a taste for vitamins and himself to
a sizable fortune. He was almost seventy by that time, however, and
wanted to retire and leave the business to his son-in-law. It was
then that the event took place which made us smile at the time but
which we now recognize as the cause of the whole affair.
My Aunt MilIa began again with her Christmas tree. That was
harmless in itself; even the tenacity with which she insisted that
everything should be "as it used to be" only caused us to smile. At
first there was really no reason to take the matter too seriously. To be
sure, the war had caused much havoc which it was our duty to put
right, but why-so we asked ourselves-deprive a channing old lady
of this small joy?
Everyone knows how hard it was at that time to get butter and
bacon. And even for my Uncle Franz, who had the best connections,
it was impossible in the year 1945 to procure marzipan figures and
chocolate rings. It was not until 1946 that everything could be made
ready. Fortunately a complete set of gnomes and anvils as well as
an angel had been preserved.
I still clearly remember the day on which we were invited. It
was in January '47 and it was cold outside. But at my uncle's it was
warm and there was no lack of delicacies. When the lights were
turned out and the candles lighted, when the gnomes began to ham-
