“Whatever he does he does well.”
Beauty went on to name the various persons with whom she had observed their friend in conversation. One was the publisher of one of the great Paris dailies; what could a German expect to accomplish with such a man? Lanny didn't try to answer, because he had never told his mother that Kurt was handling money. She continued: “Toward the end of the evening I was alone with him for just a minute. I said: 'What are you expecting to accomplish here?' He answered: 'Just meeting influential persons.' 'But what for?' 'To get in a word for our German babies. I pledge you my honor that I shall do nothing that can bring harm to our hostess.' That was all we had time for.”
“What do you mean to do?”
“I don't see what I can do. If I tell Emily, I am betraying Kurt. If I don't tell her, won't she feel that I've betrayed her?”
“I'm afraid she may, Beauty.”
“But she didn't meet Kurt through us.”
“She met him because I told him about her, and he found some way to get introduced to her under a false name.”
“But she won't ever know that you mentioned her.”
“We can't tell what she'll know. We're tying ourselves up in a knot of intrigue and no one can guess what new tangles may develop.”
A look of alarm appeared on the mother's usually placid features. “Lanny, you're not thinking that we ought to give Kurt up!”