Call It Sleep Read Online Free Page B

would call for you? Do you know anyone else in this land?”
    â€œNo,” placatingly. “But I was so frightened, Albert. Listen to me. I was so bewildered, and that long waiting there in that vast room since morning. Oh, that horrible waiting! I saw them all go, one after the other. The shoemaker and his wife. The coppersmith and his children from Strij. All those on the Kaiserin Viktoria. But I—I remained. To-morrow will be Sunday. They told me no one could come to fetch me. What if they sent me back? I was frantic!”
    â€œAre you blaming me?” His voice was dangerous.
    â€œNo! No! Of course not Albert! I was just explaining.”
    â€œWell then let me explain,” he said curtly. “I did what I could. I took the day off from the shop. I called that cursed Hamburg-American Line four times. And each time they told me you weren’t on board.”
    â€œThey didn’t have any more third-class passage, so I had to take the steerage—”
    â€œYes, now I know. That’s all very well. That couldn’t be helped. I came here anyway. The last boat. And what do you do? You refused to recognize me. You don’t know me.” He dropped his elbows down on the rail, averted his angry face. “That’s the greeting I get.”
    â€œI’m sorry, Albert,” she stroked his arm humbly. “I’m sorry.”
    â€œAnd as if those blue-coated mongrels in there weren’t mocking me enough, you give them that brat’s right age. Didn’t I write you to say seventeen months because it would save the half fare! Didn’t you hear me inside when I told them?”
    â€œHow could I, Albert?” she protested. “How could I? You were on the other side of that—that cage.”
    â€œWell why didn’t you say seventeen months anyway? Look!” he pointed to several blue-coated officials who came hurrying out of a doorway out of the immigration quarters. “There they are.” An ominous pride dragged at his voice. “If he’s among them, that one who questioned me so much, I could speak to him if he came up here.”
    â€œDon’t bother with him, Albert,” she exclaimed uneasily. “Please, Albert! What have you against him? He couldn’t help it. It’s his work.”
    â€œIs it?” His eyes followed with unswerving deliberation the blue-coats as they neared the boat. “Well he didn’t have to do it so well.”
    â€œAnd after all, I did lie to him, Albert,” she said hurriedly trying to distract him.
    â€œThe truth is you didn’t,” he snapped, turning his anger against her. “You made your first lie plain by telling the truth afterward. And made a laughing-stock of me!”
    â€œI didn’t know what to do.” She picked despairingly at the wire grill beneath the rail. “In Hamburg the doctor laughed at me when I said seventeen months. He’s so big. He was big when he was born.” She smiled, the worried look on her face vanishing momentarily as she stroked her son’s cheek. “Won’t you speak to your father, David, beloved?”
    The child merely ducked his head behind his mother.
    His father stared at him, shifted his gaze and glared down at the officials, and then, as though perplexity had crossed his mind he frowned absently. “How old did he say he was?”
    â€œThe doctor? Over two years—and as I say he laughed.”
    â€œWell what did he enter?”
    â€œSeventeen months—I told you.”
    â€œThen why didn’t you tell them seventeen—” He broke off, shrugged violently. “Baah! You need more strength in this land.” He paused, eyed her intently and then frowned suddenly. “Did you bring his birth certificate?”
    â€œWhy—” She seemed confused. “It may be in the trunk—there on the ship. I don’t know. Perhaps I left it behind.” Her hand wandered