349
I could see that Margaret was real nobility. The workers de–
ferred to her. She was stocky, but graceful. She had a large face,
carved clean from teutonic marble. I attributed her calm to ig–
norance. She didn't know that her potential murderer was in her
bed, sunk deep in the feathers which he'd already soiled with his
GI boots. Her lace pillow slip already bore the grime from Smitty's
neck. Smitty required very little in the way of comfort. The itch
of his long johns had been with him for months and he accepted
it
as a natural condition. In the next day or two we indulged the
luxury of bathing. But until then we were most uncouth.
Margaret came up to me. She wore a long-sleeved polka dot
dress with a billowing skirt that left an unhindered view of her fine
legs. "I'm afraid your officer does not understand," she said to me.
"Our factory has not been closed throughout the war. What am I
to do with my people? You must permit me to have my engineers
take care of the machinery. And you must also forbid your men to
enter the factory. This we cannot .allow."
"Look, Maggie. Let me give you some advice you badly need.
Don't talk of allowing and forbidding. Please. I tell you this for
your own good. The best thing you could do is stay out of sight.
Vanish. In a few days we'll leave and the military government
will
take over and you can talk like that to them. But right now there
isn't any law. And most of us are low on Germans. You're tempting
our boys something awful. It's not to your advantage."
"There is no law? We hear from your radio that the American
soldier will treat us properly. That is what your own radio has said.
Our people have welcomed you. We regarded you as our liberators.
The Russians, yes. They are barbarians. We expect better of the
Americans."
"Maggie, anything you get short of death is just pure gravy."
"Was? Nickt verstehe.
JJ
"Well, if you don't, then it's impossible. You're finished. You'd
better understand. Pretending innocence is just going to get you in
trouble. Take my advice. Look guilty. Act like a criminal. Slink away
when a GI approaches. Fawn on him. Sleep with him. Cower. Above
all, cower. Some of you people are very good at that. You are re–
markable cowerers. Our boys are already appreciative. They say
you're nicer than the English or the French who have never learned
