Someone to watch over me

much.
    As they walked back to the mansion, Agatha circling around them hysterically, Lily asked, “So what are we going to do about telling the truth about our situation?“
    “First, we’re going to think about it for a while—this time,“ Robert said. “It’ll be awkward for us no matter what. But we’ll be safer.“
    “Safer? What does that mean?“
    “I’m thinking about Reds.“
    “Oh, Robert, how silly.“
    “Not as silly as you think. The Communist Party is made up of the angriest people of all. And it’s getting a foothold.”
    Lily wasn’t convinced. “I knew a couple of girls at school who claimed to be Communists, and they were nutty. Everybody laughed at them. They fancied themselves as snotty intellectuals. They always dressed in black, baggy clothes.“
    “That’s how it used to be, Lily. Not anymore. The party is growing. Haven’t you noticed how many more men are gathering in Mabel’s back room in their not very secret meetings?“
    “Do you mean that?“
    “I do. Communism is loony and dangerous. ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his need,’ “ he quoted. “It’s an invitation to steal from competent hard workers and encourage the unskilled slackers. I can say this because I’m one of the unskilled slackers myself. It’s wrong.“
    “Who are these new people who are joining?“
    “The most angry ones,“ Robert said. “Deservedly angry, I’ll admit, but desperately looking for any solution that might benefit them. Lots of farmers, for one thing. Old-line Republicans like we were, swinging entirely in the opposite direction. And no doubt lots of the folks in Detroit after the disgusting River Rouge massacre.”
    Lily looked perplexed.
    “Don’t you ever read any paper other than the Voorburg-on-Hudson Times?“ Robert asked. “Henry Ford, that godlike person, lowered wages, extended the work hours, and speeded up the production lines,“ he explained. “Men were literally falling asleep on the line and going to work when they were sick, just to keep their jobs. Many of them were being injured. The workers and their families staged a peaceful march a few months ago in freezing temperatures, asking Ford to be reasonable and fair. Ford’s goons and the police turned fire hoses and guns on them. Killed a couple outright. Some of the men in the march, as well as the women and children, died later of pneumonia.“
    “I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know about that. I’ve had my nose too far into the bookkeeping,“ Lily admitted. “I had no idea. How horrible.“
    “You can bet the Commies got a lot of members out of it,“ Robert said.
    “But still,“ Lily said, “there can’t be very many of them.“
    “Victories don’t always go to the powerful, Lily. Fanaticism of the few can prevail. Look what happened to the Tzar of Russia, with all his armies. The fanatics executed him and his family and took over. All it takes is the right leader at the right time.“
    “Are you telling me the rich are in danger? Even those, like us, who only used to be wealthy?”
    Robert considered. “I don’t know. I hope I’m wrong and would like to believe it, but I wouldn’t want to be part of Henry Ford’s family right now. Lily, we’re living a stupid lie we started out of sheer false pride. We seem like minor American nobility to Voorburg—living in this monster of a mansion and driving a Duesenberg. Look what happened to even the minor nobility of Russia. The few who weren’t murdered fled to other European countries and America and Canada with only the clothes on their backs and maybe a jewel or two sewn into their underwear.”
    In spite of the heat of the summer day, Lily shivered.
    “Do I tell Mrs. Prinney what the greengrocer said?“ she asked quietly, as they got closer to the mansion.
    Robert shrugged. “He should have tackled her himself, but since he’s accused her—and us—of trying to ruin him, I think she should know.“
    “I was afraid that’s what you’d say.“

Chapter 7

    Jack could have taken the train that left Voorburg at 9:07 A.M. and gone clear to Washington, D.C. But without consulting anyone, he left on the 6:38 train to see a bit of New York City along the way. The earlier train didn’t make as many stops. Nor did it incur extra expense for anyone.
    He hadn’t been to the city for years. And the last time he went he was looking for a newspaper job and came back to Voorburg without joy. Only one underling