interest in Professor Blech?â
âHe wants to talk to him, I imagine. Heâs not well off. He makes his living by his journalism, and that depends on knowing whatâs g-going on. Apparently Professor Blech is the chap to tell you about the Zionist view on the Palestine problem, so â¦â
âHe is an enemy of my people, Masham. I say, this car makes a remarkable amount of smoke.â
âThatâs the trouble with these sleeve-valve enginesâtheyâre famous for it. But as a matter of fact I think there must be something a bit rummy with the transmission. I noticed it c-coming in, but I thought it was only that I wasnât used to the fluid flywheel. Now it seems to be g-getting worse.â
Soon it became clear that something was indeed wrong with the Daimler. The soggy suspension, combined with the fluid flywheel, always gave an illusion of smoothness, almost of floating on a mildly swelling ocean; but as they climbed the steep road on to the chalk escarpment south of High Wycombe they trailed behind them exhaust smoke blue as a thunder cloud. The car slowed and slowed until it could barely have overtaken a bicycle, and the needle of the fuel gauge dropped visibly. At last the scaly pattern of roofs that snaked along the valley fell out of sight and they moved into the uplands, only to wallow more noticeably as they picked up speed. The morning was bright and warm, the road almost empty. In the rear compartment Professor and Mrs Blech sat in opposite corners of the back seat, Mrs Blech with her eyes closed as if already desperately trying to master the car sickness which the Daimler almost instantly induced in certain passengers. Professor Blech completely ignored her distress, leaning forward and speaking with great volubility and many small gestures to Sir Charles, who sat sideways on the front seat, twisting stiffly round to listen. In the driving compartment the Prince had returned to the subject of Palestine, speaking now with a low dispassionate voice which contrasted strongly with the boyish dash with which he had referred to his two disastrous innings at Lordâs.
âBut didnât we g-give our word to the Jews?â said Vincent. âThe Balfour Declaration and all that?â
âYou gave more than one word, Masham. You have promises to keep to us Arabs also. You are soon going to have to break at least one promise. Why should it be the one you gave us?â
âThere must be some cuh ⦠cuh ⦠cuh â¦â
âCompromise? You mean you think it fairer to break both promises, rather than keep one and break one? I tell you bluntly, Masham, how it appears to the Arabs. Herr Hitler is chasing his Jews out of Germany. You do not want them here. If they have a country of their own you can keep your consciences clean by telling them to go there. You are a deeply anti-Semitic people.â
âOh, I donât â¦â
âRemember I have lived here now almost ten years. There were a few Jews at Harrow. Not only the boys but also many of the masters openly despised them. Some of them despised me also. I have heard myself called a nigger by a grocerâs sonâbehind my back, but he intended me to hearâyet believe me such behaviour was made easier to bear because I could see that it was superficial compared with the dislike of the Jews.â
âIâm afraid we had a bit of that at Eton, too. I think it was only rather stupid boys â¦â
âSir Oswald Mosley is not stupid.â
âYes, but ⦠really he only says those things because his party must have somebody to attack. In privateâheâs been to Snailwood several times, you knowâin private he plays all that down. Itâs only when heâs ranting on a platform.â
âIt is still part of his policy that the Jews must have a national home. Is that part of Sir Charles Archerâs policy also?â
âI believe so. Last year he
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