and still less about him. He would turn her over to the Gestapo without a qualm, but first
he would have his pleasure. He was looking forward to the weekend.
Noelle came out of the kitchen. There was a worried expression on her face. “How
many bags did your chauffeur take down?” she asked.
“Two,” he replied. “An overnight bag and a makeup case.”
She made a face. “Oh dear, I’m sorry, Hans. He forgot the other case. Do you mind?”
He watched as Noelle walked over to the telephone, picked it up and spoke into it.
“Would you please ask the General’s driver to come up again?” she said. “There’s another
bag to go down.” She replaced the receiver. “I know we’re only going to be there for the
weekend,” she smiled, “but I want to please you.”
“If you want to please me,” General Scheider said, “you will not need a lot of
clothes.” He glanced at a picture of Armand Gautier on the piano. “Does Herr Gautier
know that you are going away with me?” he asked.
“Yes,” Noelle lied. Armand was in Nice meeting with a producer about a motion
picture, and she had seen no reason to alarm him by telling him of her plans. The doorbell
rang, and Noelle walked over to the door and opened it. The captain stood there. “I
understand there is another bag?” he asked.
“Yes,” Noelle apologized. “It’s in the bedroom.”
The captain nodded and went into the bedroom.
“When must you return to Paris?” General Scheider asked her.
Noelle turned and looked at him. “I’d like to stay as long as I can. We’ll come back
late Monday afternoon. That will give us two days.”
The captain came out of the bedroom. “Excuse me, Fräulein. What does the suitcase
look like?”
“It is a large round blue case,” Noelle said. She turned to the General. “It has a new
gown in it that I haven’t worn yet. I saved it for you.”
She was babbling now, trying to cover up her nervousness.
The captain had gone back into the bedroom. A few moments later, he came out
again. “I am sorry,” he said. “I cannot find it.”
“Let me,” Noelle said. She went into the bedroom and began to search the closets.
“That idiot of a maid must have hidden it away somewhere,” she said. The three of them
looked through every closet in the apartment. It was the General who finally found the bag
in the hall closet. He lifted it and said, “It seems to be empty.”
Noelle quickly opened the bag and looked inside. There was nothing in it. “Oh, that
fool,” she said. “She must have crammed that beautiful new dress in the suitcase with my
other clothes. I hope she hasn’t ruined it.” She sighed in exasperation. “Do you have that
much trouble with maids in Germany?”