Hopeful Monsters

He put the piece of paper back in the desk. He closed the drawer.

I said 'Yes.' Then — 'And you will be all right?'

He said 'Ah, what you want of a poor mortal!'

He walked round the room. It was as if we, and indeed the whole room, were balanced precariously on a tightrope.

I said 4 I don't think they're getting anywhere very quickly in England.'

He said 'Oh well, indeed, why should we be getting anywhere quickly in Berlin.'

I said 'It's very good of you.'

He said 'Have you noticed how embarrassing scientific words are — "heavy water"; "isotope" — they are not aesthetic!'

I said 'It's the context.'

Franz came and put his hands on my shoulders. He said 'But you must escape! My Little Red Riding Hood: come to visit her grandmother wolf in the forest!'

I said 'That is aesthetic!'

Franz left me and walked round the room again. It was as if there were a crowd somewhere watching us. He said, as if he were an actor rehearsing a speech -

'- Of course, from our point of view, even if there were the knowledge how eventually to build such a weapon, what a waste of time! There are more pressing tasks! What would be the need for such an effort if the war is going to be over in months if not weeks — '

I said 'That sort of thing.' Then — 'And, as you say, the Nazis are unimaginative.'

He acted — 'Oh I did not say that!' Then he stood still and looked at me. He said 'You believe this?'

I said 'What?'

He said 'That good may come out of what might be called betrayal — '

I said 'But we've always known that one can't say much about this.'

He walked round the room again. He murmured as if quoting ' — Huts, watchtowers: ladies and gentlemen on the grass — ' Then he stood by the window looking out.

After a time I said 'So you will go back to Berlin?'

He said 'And you'll go back to your husband.'

I said 'I'll tell him I saw you.'

Franz said 'As a matter of fact I do see something of your father. We sometimes have tea together at the Adlon Hotel.'

I said 'Tell him you've seen me.'

Franz said 'What on earth shall I say?'

I said 'He'll know.' Then — Tell him that to humans gods have always seemed morally ambiguous.'

Franz said 'Ah, it would be a help, like gods, to have no country!'

He went to the wireless and turned it on. There was a voice buzzing like a trapped fly: it gave the latest news of the advance into Poland. Franz twiddled a knob and then there was a sad voice in French talking like a stone falling through space; it was saying that unless Germany set about withdrawing its troops from Poland forthwith then the French and British governments would fulfil their treaty obligations to Poland and so France and Great Britain would be at war with Germany. Undertakings had been given about this: there was a deadline the following day. Franz switched off the wireless. He said 'So what undertakings have we given. You have got what you came for?

I said'Yes.'

Franz said as if quoting ' — We are to be actors in this drama — '

I said 'We are actors anyway — '

Franz said ' — In what Nietzsche called "The great hundred-act play reserved for the next two centuries in Europe" — '

I finished the quotation ' — "the most terrible, the most questionable, the most hopeful of all plays" — '

Franz said 'We may just die of the absurdity.'

I said 'Oh we die anyway. What use might we make of the absurdity.'

Franz came and put his hands on my shoulders again. He said 'You make me believe this!' Then — 'Goodbye, my little one.'

I said 'Goodbye.' I put up a hand and touched his face.

Then Franz put his head back as if he were listening. I could hear no noise. But then he said, as if he were acting now specifically for the benefit of some audience ' — Oh we disgusting little band of brothers, who think we can manipulate — '

Then I heard, yes, a car arriving in the drive outside.

He said 'Quickly, once more. I can talk with your father?'

'Yes.'

'What shall I tell him from you?'

'Give him my love.'

'Is that all?'

'And my love to you.'

'And what will you tell your husband?'

'What we've said.'

'But we've said nothing.'

'And he'll say nothing.'

4 Yes.'

There were the sounds of the doors of a car slamming on the drive outside. It did seem suddenly, yes, that there might be people coming to arrest us: even perhaps that Franz might have summoned them. I thought — One never completely knows in this strange territory.

Franz made a noise like the black dog sneezing.

He said ' — A mountain path, a stone, a bird — ' Then — 'And my love to both of you.'

There was a banging on the front door. Franz went to open it. A man in army uniform came in. He was followed by two men in SS uniform. When the man in army uniform saw me he stopped. The two SS men remained by the door.

Franz held out his arms to the man in army uniform. He said 'Hans!'

The man called Hans took hold of Franz by the arms. He said 'My old friend!' Then looking at me but speaking to Franz — 'We have come to make sure you get to Berlin!'

Franz laughed and said 'Am I under arrest?'

The man called Hans laughed and said 'We have come to ensure your safety!'

I thought — But I can tell the style: they know they are actors.

Franz turned to me and said 'You remember Hans.' Then to Hans 'Eleanor. Frau Ackerman.'

Hans put his hand on his heart and said 'Frau Ackerman! For how many years was I in love with Frau Ackerman!'

Franz said 'Hans met us in the forest. You remember? He was with Max. All those years ago!'

I said 'Oh yes, of course I remember!'

Hans said 'How is Max?'

I said 'He's very well, thank you.'

Franz said 'Hans is one of my colleagues at the Institute.'

I thought — Yes, I see! Then — But there are the two SS men standing by the door.

Then — Oh dear God, now let us give beautiful performances!

Hans walked round the room. He had been holding a hat under his arm; he took it in one hand and he flapped it against the palm of the other. He said 'Max was an extraordinary little boy! He was more interested in biology than physics at that time. He did an experiment with salamanders.'

I said 'Oh yes, he told me about the experiment with salamanders.'

Franz said 'What was that?'

Franz had been tidying the room as if in preparation for leaving. I thought — Oh please God, let me go home!

Hans said 'As I remember it, he tried to encourage some mutation, or the emergence of what had been a potentiality, by a rearrangement of the environment.'

I said 'Of the aesthetic environment.'

Hans said 'Ah, the aesthetic environment!' He stopped by me. He said 'Is that correct?'

I said 'Or the moral environment.'

Hans said 'The moral environment. The mental environment.' He watched me. Then he turned to the two SS men by the door and said 'We will go in two or three minutes.'

Franz said 'I am ready. I have my luggage in the hall.'

Franz had tidied the room and put his gun away. He had the dog on a lead. Hans and I were by the window.

Hans said to me 'And where will you be going?'

I said 'To Switzerland.'

He said 'Max used to call them "hopeful monsters".'

I said 'I know.'

Hans turned to Franz. He said 'But in fact, if such things were to live, how would you know them? They would have to have very few distinguishing marks, or others would know to destroy them.'

Franz said 'One of their distinguishing marks might be that they would not want to destroy.'

Hans said 'Oh they would not want to destroy themselves.'

I said 'I'll go now.'

Hans said 'Give my love to Max.'