60
PARTISAN REVIEW
Rabbi Lunt: "They say tha t in Pa rad ise the sky is go ld and the
roadways are lapis lazu li. In o ther words, no t darkness, J ews: li ght. "
Lunt swallowed the capsul e. So did Baggelman , and, a half-moment
later, Miss Megalif did, too.
Popower stood up a t hi s place. "Everybody wants to live! That's
obvious!" Then he put a pill on hi s tongue and drank it down with a
sip of wine.
"A toast of thanks to the Minister of Security!" excla imed Philo–
soH, raising hi s glass. The Mini sters of Culture and Entertainment, of
Public Health, of Wa ter and Power. likew ise lifted their gobl ets and
swallowed their pill s.
Thus, in turn, all those in the room fo ll owed suit. T he Minister of
Justice was las t.
"If
onl y there had been a break through a t the Ki ev
front," he said, ro lling the pill in hi s cheek until , by accident almost, it
went down .
" I don 't feel any different. I feel just th e same," sa id Rabbi Wolf–
Kitzes.
" Ha! Ha ! So do I ! No ! Wait ! Now I am li ght-headed!"
" Minister Verble," sa id Gutfreind, " I am definitely li ght-headed,
too ."
" Yes! Yes! It's as if I drank a bottle of wine!"
Then there was a calm. Everybody was sitting around the long
table, w.ith his or her head propped on an elbow, like a person who is
feeling bored . The sil ence continu ed . Phil osoff closed hi s eyes. So did
Popower. Baggelman , of Industry and Labo r, let hi s head fall onto hi s
folded arms. About two minutes had gone by altogether. Fin all y
Verbl e, the former rag-p icker, weakly sa id, "Would the Minister of
Justice tell us again about Sarah Bernha rdt? About th e
cafe-creme?"
Margoli es' chin was on his fi sts. He could not speak a bove a
whisper. "Gl adl y. It was a t the Scotch Ho tel. Bia lys tok. 1900. The curl s
o f my hair, all on one side. She mo ti oned for me. Forward
1
glided. A
pot of hot milk, a pot of hot coffee, the saucer and cup. Now the cup is
before her. Now with both hands I grip the sil ver handl es: skillfull y I
pour out an equal measure of coffee and milk. A three sta r ho tel. A
cigarette in a holder."
The voice of the waiter tra il ed away. Everyone's head had fall en
down , either onto hi s arms or the back of hi s hands, or directly onto the
tabl e. Another moment went by. Kl een lifted hi s head up. " It's no t
working," he sa id; but then , seein g how dark it was, he changed hi s
mind.
And that, Ladies and Gentlemen , is how the Judenra t in our town
finall y came to a decision .
