LESLIE EPSTEIN
47
Parad yz, the percuss ionist, said, " Maybe we could ask for volun–
teers. "
" In my opinion ," said Nomberg, "we have acted hastil y, spon–
taneously, without enough thought. "
Verbl e, th e Hou sin g Minister, twi sted hi s waxed moustache.
"Wha t about the Jews in the Tsa rn ecka Street jail. T he Judenra t has to
feed these anti -social elements, the same as productive workers . That is
something I n ever could understand."
Urinstein-in hi s to p ha t and silk ti e, his beard and hi s gl asses, he
looked like a statesman, no t a commercial traveler-Urinstein stood up
from hi s chair and leaned with hi s hands on the table.
" It
seems we a re
not abl e to come to a decision, " he told the head of the Civilian
Authority. " We sha ll need time to continue our deba te."
Wohlta t repli ed , " I am willing to turn my back fo r three minutes.
You have three minutes to ma ke up your minds."
Schpitalnik's neck was so relaxed from the snuff he had taken tha t
hi s head kept nodding loosely, as if to a tune. "Three minutes is a short
time. Wha t about four minutes? Or even fifteen or twenty? Everybody
wants to give hi s o pini on ."
Scho u er: " Not I! I have no opinion ! I am not a Judenra t member !
Here's a joke! Once there was a Jew who got on a train a t Crakow-"
"T en minutes thenl After ten minutes Grundtripp will be in–
formed tha t the J ewish Council requires his assistance."
"You see?" said the pi ani st. " He's a reasonabl e man ."
Wohlta t turn ed o n hi s heel and went Lo the window. H e clasped
hi s chubby hands behind hi s back. T he fli es, he no ti ced, were bum–
bling aga inst the g lass. He looked into the dusty, deserted streets. He
imagined himself pulliJig a person through them. A Jewess perhaps.
By the hair. He dwell ed on thi s, on the littl e pull s and jerks he would
give her, and his th roa t swell ed , like an amphibi an 's, under hi s shirt.
Meanwhil e, behind hi s back, like more fli es, the Jews were buzz–
buzzing. T hen tha t sound came to a stop .
"Ahem- ahem-" some person coughed. Wohlta t swung around.
A Jew was standing there, swing ing a timepi ece from his out–
stretched hand. Thi s was Popower, Ministry of Fin ance, an erstwhil e
waiter. He held hi s top h a t aga in st hi s ches t, so tha t hi s skull , with its
bony, fu zzy ridge, was appa rent. " Ha, ha," he laughed to break the
sil ence. "Everybody wants to live."
The timepiece, just like th a t, went into the Volksdeutscher's
pocket.
Mathilda Mega lif freely stepped forward . She had the face of an
