Read Online Earth and High Heaven by Gwethalyn Graham - Free Book Online Page B

only married two months before Tony went overseas.”
    â€œEven when he left, Madeleine didn’t really know what Tony was all about. How could she, after spending most of her life in a convent? I don’t know what’s happening to those boys like Tony in the Air Force, and neither do you or Madeleine or anyone else. They’re going to be something new in the way of a Post-war problem. Not that you’d have that to contend with in René, at any rate,” he added rather acidly.
    â€œDon’t let’s get started on René again.”
    â€œHow in hell can I help it with my only son in the Air Force, making the world safe for René to sit at home playing politics?” he demanded angrily. “Not that René ever says anything about it,” he went on sarcastically. “He doesn’t even bother to make excuses for himself. He just blandly ignores the whole war except when he’s talking all around the subject and then he’s so bloody smart when it comes to avoiding issues that you can’t even push him into it — apart from the fact that he thinks Tony should have stayed home and played nursemaid to Madeleine, of course, instead of going overseas. It doesn’t seem to have dawned on René yet that Tony isn’t a French Canadian.”
    â€œThat’s not fair, Charles,” she said calmly.
    He started to say something else and then let it go. “No, I know it’s not fair,” he remarked at last, and got up. “Come on, Eric, I guess it’s time we gave your mother some moral support.”
    As they reached the door leading into the upstairs hall Erica said, “By the way, he’s downstairs.”
    â€œWho is?” he asked without interest.
    â€œRené.”
    She knew her father and found herself wishing violently that Marc had come with someone else, or at least that they had not got started on René again at this particular time. Her father had always disliked René. She said as casually as she could, “He brought a friend of his, a young lawyer named Reiser ...”
    â€œSounds like a Jew.”
    She said quickly, “But he’s the most charming person, Charles, I know you’ll like him.”
    â€œI don’t usually care much for Jewish lawyers,” he said coolly. “What firm is he in?”
    â€œSomething and Aaronson.”
    â€œThen he definitely is a Jew. I didn’t know René was so broad-minded. What on earth did he bring him for?”
    With steadily rising anxiety she said, “I told you, Charles — because he’s thoroughly nice and René wanted him to meet us.”
    â€œWhat are you making all this fuss about?” he asked, eying her curiously.
    â€œI’m not making a fuss!”
    He went on, “Anyhow, I’ll bet you anything that it wasn’t René’s idea.”
    She stopped with her hand on the Post at the top of the stairs and asked, “What do you mean by that?”
    â€œI mean that since we’ve known René for more than a year and he’s never shown much interest in introducing us to his friends before, when he finally turns up with some shyster lawyer, it’s more likely to be the shyster lawyer’s idea than René’s.”
    The half-sick feeling that she had had when Marc had said so matter-of-factly, “They don’t take Jews,” came back, only this time it was worse, because instead of some anonymous, ill-educated concierge, it was her father who was saying in effect, “We don’t take Jews,” and because she was already beginning to be frightened. Marc was still downstairs; he would expect to be introduced to her father, and if there was anything wrong with Charles’ manner, anything at all, Marc would be certain to notice it.
    Her father was on the second step down. She raced out and caught his arm and said, slowly and clearly, “Charles, I’ve met Marc Reiser and