Castle to Castle (35 page)

"But he committed suicide, Doctor! the swine! the coward! Stupnagel! I knew him like a book! . . . I could have had him hanged a dozen times! do you hear? . . . do you believe me? . . . Stupnagel! a dozen times! . . . and everybody in the Castle too! that's right! . . . a dozen times! And everybody in Siegmaringen! a dozen times! traitors? Yes, traitors, every last one of them! I know them all. And Pétain! you believe me, don't you, Doctor?"

"Certainly, Major! Certainly! I'm sure you are excellently informed . . . but calm yourself, Major! calm yourself! . . . think of your heart!"

Mostly I was thinking that if his rage brought on a stroke when I was there it wouldn't look very good for me . . .

"And how about the railroad station? . . . You've been there? . . ."

I wanted to put him onto a different subject . . .

"Yes, I've seen the station . . . I don't think you realize, Doctor . . . in those little riots . . . trumped up! the whole thing was trumped up! . . . bullets tend to go astray . . . take care of yourself, Doctor . . . don't go roaming around the streets so much . . ."

"Thank you, Major!"

I didn't want him to tell me any more . . . Brinon or he or the Devil's grandmother . . . people always regret their confidences . . . especially in rough times . . . confidences are for drawing rooms, for quiet conversational, digestive, somnolescent times . . . but here, with maniacs all over the place and the air full of Armadas . . . it was playing with thunder . . . no time for analyses! oh no! the slightest spark . . . the slightest milligram . . . you wouldn't know what would hit you!

Raumnitz, as I've told you, had been a doughty athlete . . . none of your powdered pansy gentry! oh no! an Olympic athlete! Olympic swimming champion of Germany . . . there, all naked on his bed, I could see what was left of the Olympics . . . muscles reduced and flabby . . . the frame still presentable . . . very presentable . . . the face too . . . those Dürer features . . . features etched by Dürer . . . hard face, not at all unpleasant . . . I've told you . . . he must have been handsome . . . Boche eyes and expression . . . same look as his mastiffs . . . not bad eyes, but fixed . . . haughty you might say . . . you seldom see a face with something in it, most faces are mass produced . . .

"Are you going to the
Fidelis
, Doctor?"

"Oh yes, Major! Oh, certainly!"

The
Fidelis
didn't send me . . . I had my reasons . . . I'll explain . . .

"I'd like you to read a letter . . ."

"Later . . . later if you don't mind, Major . . . I won't be a minute . . ."

"You'll be back?"

"Oh, certainly . . . I hope so at least . . ."

"Watch out for Brinon! don't believe Laval! . . . don't believe Pétain! don't believe Rochas!°. . . don't believe Marion!"

"I don't have to believe them, Major . . . I don't worry my head about them . . . or you either . . . or myself . . ."

"All the same, read this letter!"

He really wants me to . . . I look at the signature first . . . Boisnieres . . . I know this Boisnieres, his job is guarding the nursing mothers at the
Fidelis
. . . the nursery . . . to prevent goings-on . . . misbehavior . . . between the mothers and the shamuses at the
Fidelis
. . . at least three hundred cops . . . four dormitories, two whole floors of the
Fidelis
. . . cops from every province of France, nothing whatever to do! escapees from every Prefecture . . . Boisnières, known as Neuneuil, is the "nursery guard" . . . confidential police . . . "don't let anyone in" . . . Neuneuil and his cards! . . . yes, he's got a card file: three thousand names! the apple of his eye . . . the Fifis took the other eye when he was fighting the underground! gives you an idea how confidential he was! . . . I didn't want to read his letter, I didn't haye time . . . I knew Boisnières-Neuneuil . . . I knew he was denouncing something again . . . or somebody . . . maybe me? . . . I know him! a pest! . . . one-eyed, scabies and boils, and a very eager beaver . . .

"Denouncing somebody again?"

"Yes, Doctor . . . yes . . . me!"

"To whom?"

"To Chancellor Hitler."

"Say, that's an idea!"

"Says he saw me going out in my car! Yes, me! To fish for trout instead of keeping tabs on the French . . . I deny nothing, Doctor! It's a fact! I'm guilty! Neuneuil is right! But don't you want to read his letter?"

"You've told me everything, Major . . . the essential . . ."

"No, not the essential! . . . your compatriot Neuneuil has discovered something worse, much worse . . . he says . . . his idea! . . . that I'm sabotaging the
Luftwaffe!
. . . that I waste five gallons of
'benzin'
on my fishing expeditions . . . and it's true! . . . absolutely true . . . I don't deny it! your compatriot Neuneuil is perfectly right!"

"Oh, he's exaggerating, Major . . ."

"He's right to exaggerate!"

This is no time to contradict him . . . dialectics my ass! birds of a feather! the whole lot of them! and their damned
Luftwaffe!
. . . for all the good it does them! I wasn't going to tell him that!

"Wait, Doctor . . . wait! I've sent for him!"

Making me read the letter . . . and not letting me go . . . he wanted to show me Neuneuil!

"Please, Doctor! . . . Excuse me! . . . sit down!"

He puts on his pants . . . his boots . . . his jacket . . .

He goes to the door, he opens . . . he goes out to the bannister and leans over . . . he shouts . . .

"
Hier!
. . . Monsieur Boisnières! Isn't Monsieur Boisnières there?"

"Yes yes, Major! Here I am! I'm coming!"

He comes all right, there he is . . .

"Come in! . . . You are Boisnières, known as Neuneuil?"

"Yes, Major!"

"Then look me in the eye! Straight in the eye! . . . did you write this letter?"

"Yes, Major!"

"You admit it?" '

"Yes, Major!"

"Whom did you mail it to?"

"You have the address, Major!"

Oh, not the least bit intimidated . . .

"I was only doing my duty, Major!"

"Well, Monsieur Boisnières, I'm going to do my duty! . . . alias Neuneuil! . . . look me straight in the eye! that's it . . . straight in the eye!"

Pow! . . . Pow!
. . . two good hefty clouts that lift Neuneuil off his feet! . . . his bandage goes flying . . . torn off!

"Well, Monsieur Boisnierès alias Neuneuil, that's my opinion! . . . moreover, I could have you punished a lot worse! . . . and you know it! . . . and I'm not . . . I could have punished you once and for all! miserable scum! . . . ah, so I waste gas? . . . ah, so I sabotage the
Luftwaffe
? . . . I won't waste a little bullet to shut you up, Monsieur Neuneuil! or a knotted rope! . . . you're not worth the rope! go! get the hell out of here! and don't let me see your face again! Never! If I ever see you here again, I'll have you drowned! You can go and visit the trout! Get out! Get out! On the double! To Berlin! Take your letter . . . Neuneuil! . . . don't lose it, Neuneuil! . . . You can read it to the Führer in person! to Berlin! on the double! Monsieur Neuneuil!
los! los!
and don't let me ever see your face again! never! . . .
los! los!
. . ."

He was really steamed up . . .

Neuneuil straightened his bandage . . .

"If I ever see you here again, you'll be shot! and drowned! . . . I'm telling you! There are plenty of grounds!"

That chewing-out had shaken Neuneuil . . . he was staggering . . . he put his bandage back on, but he made a bad job of it . . .

"Very well, Major! I have only to comply!"

He goes out, he closes the door behind him . . .

"Doctor, you've seen that man? . . . he has been in our employ for twenty-two years . . . a traitor for twenty-two years! . . . he betrays us! . . . he betrays you! . . . he denounces everybody to everybody! . . . he has betrayed England! Holland! Switzerland! Russia . . . he's worse than Father Gapon! worse than Laval, worse than Pétain! He denounces everything! everybody! I've saved his life twenty times, Doctor! Twenty times I've had orders to liquidate him . . . Neuneuil! I could have him shot on the spot! . . . He wrote to the English! . . . wanted them to kidnap Laval! . . . yes! . . . those are the people you listen to, Doctor! All traitors, Jews! plots in the Castle! . . . do you realize that?"

"I'm listening, Major! I'm all ears! . . . why yes, you're perfectly right . . ."

You can imagine, he could have told me I was a Mongol, I wasn't going to contradict him . . .

"Well, Doctor, just one thing . . . between you and me . . ."

He starts telling me the one thing . . . he stops . . . he starts up again . . . ah, here it comes . . .

"Maybe you know it, maybe you don't . . . I've had Ménétrel arrested . . . I could have them all arrested! . . . no! . . . the whole Castle! . . . but all the same . . . I ought to . . . they deserve it! . . . all of them, Doctor! and you too! . . . and Luchaire!° and your Jew Brinon! and all the rest of the Jews in the Castle! this Castle is a ghetto! . . . do you know that?"

"Certainly, Major. Of course I know it!"

"You don't seem to give a damn! But the Jews will get you!"

"You too, Major . , . they'll get you too!"

We were almost laughing . . . Such a whimsical future!

"Then would you please . . . would you kindly give me another injection? That charming man has fatigued me . . ."

"So I noticed, Major . . . so I noticed . . ."

"But don't murder me, Doctor! . . . not yet!"

We start laughing! . . . we're doubled up!

"Major, I wish to inform you that I don't murder anybody . . . neither here nor anywhere else! I've never let a single patient die! . . . however, in view of the circumstances . . . the conditions . . . as long as we're having this little talk . . . I should like to point out that these 2 c.c.s of camphorated oil that I'm going to inject were not procured from your
Hof
Richter
Apotek
. . . oh no! . . . Richter always tells me he hasn't got any! . . . you know everything, you must know that I get this camphorated oil from Switzerland! and that I pay a fortune for it! . . . I get it through a 'runner'! My own money! Not Adolf Hitler's! not the Reich's! . . . you who know everything . . . you know my room is full of gold . . . you'd love to seize it! like Leclerc's Senegalese! but you never will! because you know perfectly well that if you did there'd be no more camphorated oil for you! . . ."

"You mean I should be grateful to you, Doctor? Is that it?"

"You certainly should be, Major!"

"Very well, Doctor, you have all my gratitude!
stimmt!
but in that case I've got a little something to ask of you! It means a lot to me! you who like certificates so much . . . I want you to attest the behavior of this Boisnières! . . . that you witnessed it, that I should have shot him! and didn't! that he positively defied me! Did he or didn't he? . . ."

"Yes, yes, Major! it's a fact . . . but lie down . . . and strip again! your pants . . . just your pants . . ."

I give him another shot . . . in the buttock . . . and I pick up my equipment . . . ampuls . . . cotton . . . syringe . . . we hear voices outside . . . arguing . . . down below. . . on our landing again . . . always on our landing . . . they're starting up again . . .

"Where can my wife be?"

"Just don't move, Major! your injection! . . . stay right where you are . . . at least five minutes . . . I'll go see . . ."

I open the door . . . Neuneuil is there . . . haranguing the crowd . . . over the bannister . . . he hasn't even gone downstairs . . . everybody on the landing . . . our landing . . . they're giving him the needle . . . the cracks come thick and fast! . . . they'd heard everything . . . the clouts! . . . and the names Raumnitz had called him! ho ho Neuneuil! . . . wise guy! his puss! . . . his bandage! . . . sure took a flier! . . .

"Whyn't you go back? ladyfinger! flannelmouth! . . . go on in! . . . spank him! . . . spank him! . . . he's used to it! . . . take his pants down! . . . eunuch! . . ."

Plenty of encouragement! . . . but oh no, he didn't want to go back! he wanted everybody to listen to him! . . . first . . . but neither the crowd downstairs, nor the crowd upstairs, wanted to listen . . . nobody wanted to listen . . . so Neuneuil starts going down . . . one step . . . two steps . . . he comes down to them . . ."Let me through . . . I'm going to the doctor's . . ." Lili is in our room . . . No. 11 . . . she lets him in . . . she hands him his box, he'd left it there . . . his card file . . . all Siegmaringen on cards . . . and they start hollering some more . . . on the landing! . . . calling him a cocksucking eunuch because he won't go up and slug Raumnitz! the brute! the
Obercopführer!
all he cares about is his card file! he doesn't give a hoot about the rest! . . . "Listen to me, the whole lot of you . . . bunch of punks! . . . get this! . . . I'm Neuneuil! And I shit on all of you! . . . I'm Neuneuil! . . . stinkers! motherfuckers! My message to you is shit! the whole lot of you! these hardships magnify me! I'll come back from Berlin stronger than ever . . . and more formidable!"