LITMIR.BIZ

      Korinna now remembered she had found it disturbing enough to mark it down in her small notebook.

      And, that day after school, she had read her notes to her Jungmädel leaders. She had tried to gloss over this little bit of information about her history teacher, not thinking that it was very important in retrospect. But her leaders had seemed particularly interested in what Fräulein Meiser had said during class that morning.

      Now, Korinna wondered if she had had something to do with Fräulein Meiser’s disappearance from school. Surely what her teacher had said in class wasn’t enough to send her away. Or was it?

      Korinna tried to concentrate on the lesson, but Herr Richt had a voice that crept along like a slug in her mother’s garden.

      Finally, when the history lesson was over, Korinna followed Eva out of the room for break. “Eva,” she called.

      Eva stopped and turned.

      “Do you know why Fräulein Meiser isn’t going to teach anymore?”

      Eva shook her head. “Someone probably reported her as being un-German,” she said bitterly.

      Korinna pulled a loose thread on her sweater. “She wouldn’t be arrested just for saying something that sounded disloyal, would she?”

      “Who knows these days? One can never be too careful. Poor Fräulein Meiser.” She shook her head and started walking down the hall.

      Korinna hurried and walked along beside Eva. “I know you feel bad about what we saw yesterday. You know, with Herr Haase. But you should watch what you say. Rita thinks you’re sounding un-German.”

      Eva stopped walking and turned to Korinna. Her lips trembled, and tears threatened to tip over her lower lashes. “You know,” Eva said slowly, “I can’t help the way I feel about things. I want a strong and rich Fatherland just like my comrades. But sometimes I honestly wonder if it’s worth it.”

      “Eva!” Korinna lowered her voice, quickly looking around, but no one was paying them any attention. “You mustn’t say things like that! If anyone heard you talking like that you’d be turned in to our Jungmädel leaders.”

      “You’re the only one who heard me, Korinna. Are you going to turn me in?”

      Korinna stared at her friend, her comrade, her fellow Jungmädel member. But part of being a loyal German was turning in traitors.

      “I’m going back to class,” Korinna said abruptly. She turned and walked away from Eva, but she could feel Eva’s eyes staring after her.

       Chapter Three

      When Korinna got home after school, she didn’t call out to her mother, whom she heard talking to Aunt Hendrikia in the other room. First she wanted to find her kitten.

      Quietly, she took off her boots and hung up her coat in the small front hall. Her father wasn’t home yet. She could tell because his big boots weren’t in their usual place under the small square mirror hanging on the wall.

      Korinna slipped past the front room where her mother and aunt sat talking and stepped silently up the narrow stairs to her bedroom. In her room, she deposited her book bag neatly on the floor next to her Schrank. She picked up a ribbon off the floor. How did that get there? she wondered.

      She bent down and looked under her bed for her kitten. She also looked behind her chair and under her small desk.

      Still stepping softly, Korinna moved next door into her parents’ room. Again she looked under the bed and in various other possible hideaways she thought a kitten might fit into.

      “Here kitty, kitty,” she called softly. “Here kitty, kitty.” Nothing. No scratching, no answering meow.

      With a sigh, Korinna resigned herself to the fact that her kitten must be downstairs in the kitchen or in the front room with her mother. She returned to her room and lay down on her soft feather bed and closed her eyes for just a minute. The subdued murmuring floating up from downstairs soothed her.

      “Korinna!”

      Korinna’s eyes flew open. The afternoon glow had vanished from her room, leaving an eerie shroud of darkness in its place.

      “Korinna,” her mother said again. “Are you ill?” She walked over and placed a hand on her daughter’s forehead. “Why didn’t you come in and see Auntie? Now she’s left.”

      Korinna sat up. “Sorry, Mother. I was going to come down, but I must have fallen asleep. Is Aunt Hendrikia angry?”

      “I think her feelings were hurt more than anything.”

      “Is that why she left so early? I thought she was staying for dinner.”

      “She did, Korinna. She’s eaten and gone,” Frau Rehme said, tucking a loose strand of Korinna’s reddish gold hair behind her ear.

      Korinna gasped. “What time is it?”

      “Nearly five.”

      “Why didn’t you wake me to eat?” Korinna asked.

      “I let you sleep because I thought you might be ill.”

      “I was just tired. Today was a long day,” Korinna said. Her stomach rumbled. “Is there any food left?” she asked hopefully.

      Frau Rehme smiled. “There’s a plate fixed for you downstairs. Go now while it’s still hot.”

      Korinna hugged her mother and trotted downstairs to the kitchen. The bright, warm kitchen smelled of the sweet scent of sugar buns and cake—two extra special treats reserved for days when they had guests, especially now that the price of sugar and shortening was so high and nearly impossible to

Скачать книгу