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the country, they had no means of support. She was hired to cook in a restaurant that was certified to be strictly kosher, and observant Jews did not hesitate to eat there. One day she saw meat dishes and dairy dishes being washed together in the same basin. She would never again taste anything that was cooked there. From then on, she did not eat hot food until she got home after midnight and cooked for her mother and sister. Her mother was too sick to stand on her feet long enough to cook more than a simple porridge, her sister was still young, and she, Lisbet Neu, loathed porridge. So she cooked for herself and her little sister, who lived with them while she was still in school. The girl was now living in Amsterdam with her mother’s aunt.
    Manfred Herbst learned from Lisbet Neu that her mother was sickly and, for the most part, bedridden. He learned that Lisbet’s sister was too young to support herself, and he learned that the entire burden of the household was on Lisbet’s shoulders, that there were many days when she went hungry, that as a result she had come down with jaundice but was now fully recovered. Neither the rigors of life nor an excess of piety were congenial to Manfred Herbst, an enlightened man who lived an orderly life. But the religious feelings Lisbet Neu conveyed when she spoke of the practical commandments were unlike those of other observant Jews Herbst had occasion to know, for whom he had little regard.
    “What am I doing now?” Lisbet Neu continued, not wanting him to think she was still employed in the restaurant. “I am a clerk in a furniture store.” Herbst didn’t ask if she was being paid enough or what the job entailed. The word clerk has many connotations. The woman who cleans and takes customers up in the elevator could call herself a clerk. It could even be that Lisbet Neu is merely a caretaker.
    The waitress brought the cocoa and coffee. Herbst said to Lisbet Neu, “It took so long to bring the cocoa, it must be six hours by now. You could have it with milk and eat the cookies, which probably don’t have a trace of butter.” Lisbet Neu smiled politely, but it was evident that she did not approve of his joke, that even a mild joke about religion disturbed her.
    Herbst remembered that Lisbet Neu needed advice. He couldn’t decide whether or not to remind her. If he reminded her, the entire matter might be concluded in three or four minutes, and their meeting would be over, which would not be the case if he failed to remind her – then their meeting would be prolonged. He weighed the two options and admonished himself: Unless you give her an opening, she won’t begin; but, since you enjoy the company of this lovely young thing, you allow her to flounder while you subject her to bad jokes. Lisbet Neu got up and said, “It’s time for me to go. Forgive me, Dr. Herbst, for troubling you to come here.” When she got up to put on her coat and he got up to help her, she added, “I don’t deserve it.” When she realized he meant to see her home, she was surprised, for not only had she taken his time, but he was going to take more time and see her home.
    As they walked, she said, “The matter I wanted to consult you about has worked itself out, and I am glad not to have to bother you. I’m really surprised at myself. I can’t believe that I was going to bother anyone with it.” As she spoke, her face seemed to cloud over, and Herbst concluded that, though, the matter was settled, it was not settled in her favor and, furthermore, that he had no right to ask about it. They walked on in silence, in close physical proximity but at a distance in their thoughts. Lisbet Neu was considering: I went to a café with a stranger. I let him pay for my cocoa, and now I am walking with him, while Mother is at home alone, worrying about me. Herbst was considering: The conversation I had with Miss Neu has no future. With this sort of young woman, you imagine you’ve come close when in fact