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I read it and whistled the Moldau

I had finished the pah a book called Czechoslovakia: A Nation in Naot off the bed and opened the door

"Herr Tanner?"

"Yes?"

"I am Greta"

I found this quite impossible to believe If that crippled dwarf had cooddess, then all theories of heredity had been perht, and her long blonde hair melted over her shoulders Her eyes were a deep, vivid blue Her body was long and leggy and yet more than abundantly curved An old Norseman would have carved her on the prow of his ship; whatever his skill, he could not possibly have i at me"

"I am sorry"

"I am not I do not mind" She licked her lips "My father toldI expected soe I am not disappointed"

"Uh-"

"You ry Come downstairs I will fix you some lunch and ill talk My father said that you had s to say about the question of race I would be interested to hear your views"

I followed her downstairs Her bottom swayed leisurely from side to side as she walked Her father had said that the Jews had lusted after her I did not find this at all difficult to believe I was suddenly certain that she was devoutly lusted after by Jews and Czechs and Slovaks and Germans and Russians and Hindi and Thais and Sumatrans Anyone who saw her was likely to have the same reaction It was not simply beauty, which, when all is said and done, may be a chilly asset She had beauty in abundance, but she also had a special pri her obvious function in life

She was not to talk with, she was not to cook, she was not to produce children She was not to knit sweaters, to write plays, to dig ditches, to sing songs She had been placed on earth for the singular purpose of love else

"Some fried ham, Herr Tanner? And a stein of beer?"

"That would be fine, Fräulein Neumann"

"Oh, not so formal, please Call me Greta"

"Greta"

"And I will call you what?"

"Evan"

"Evan That is an unusual name, is it not? I do not think I have ever heard it before"

"It’s not uncoht the food and watched in silence while I ate The haood, perhaps a little too salty but otherwise fine The beer, according to the label, had been bottled right there in Pisek It tasted very ue beer I had had now and then in New York There is none better in the world

When I finished she took o to your room It is quieter there"

We walked arhtly but purposefully againstover to look into the front of her dress

She was a Nazi, I told h to rescue a Nazi, let alone make love to one On top of that, she had a fiercely jealous father as presently vital to the success of my rotten mission And, if a third reason was needed, there was the fact that h without the unnecessary complication of a romp in the hay with an Aryan maiden

We entered my room, and she kicked the door neatly shut She seated herself on my bed, and I looked around the room for a chair, and there wasn’t one I sat on the bed beside her She yawned and stretched and sighed, and I tried to keep my eyes away fro to pay no attention to a flame

"How old are you, Evan?"

"Thirty-four"

"Thirty-four! And I am only twenty-two Do you realize what that h to be my" – she licked her lips – " she ever did leave the room – I would have to take a cold shower That was supposed to help I wondered if they had a shower I wondered if they had cold water I wondered if it would really help

"My father says that I will go to Prague with you, Evan"

"I don’t think so"

"But of course I will!" She turned toward ush of sex o alone Have you ever been to Prague? Do you know the city?"

"No, but-"

"I have been there I know the toell And I can help you And you can trust me, and whom else can you trust in this country? My father could find friends of his, friends who overnment has spies everywhere, you know Even in our own Bund there are undoubtedly spies Why would you not want erous job for a woerous for a man?" She shook her head violently "No, no, it is settled We will go together Papa will learn what there is to be learned, and ill ht after the ?"

"Our local Bund The Sudetendeutsche Bund of Pisek After you address theIt was Papa’s idea"