Bell for Adano, A - John Hersey [73]
Major Joppolo covered up this embarrassment by saying to Gargano: “We are going to have to dismiss this case, Gargano. I regret that it caused you embarrassment. But after what this man has said, could you see any justice in punishing him?”
Gargano protested: “American soldiers might have been killed by the delay.”
The Major said: “I doubt it, Gargano. All he was guilty of was being too interested in the children’s laughter.”
Errante had recovered from his moment of emotion. He said: “There is more laughter. I think my wife would have laughed at my description of this man” - he looked at Gargano -”talking about my cart. It is too bad she died of the malaria. Now that you Americans are here, I think she would have laughed. In spite of the mistake about the mule. Yes, I think so, Mister Major.”
Chapter 25
“WELL, here’s what happened,” Major Joppolo was saying. The other people in Tomasino’s living room were laughing and talking loudly, but Tina and the Major paid them no attention.
“When the batch of prisoners came in last week, they had a new kind of paper. All it said was: `For release at p.w. cage nearest bearer’s home,’ and it was signed by somebody at Ninth Corps. Well, we wanted to check and make sure because we hadn’t heard anything about letting all the Italian prisoners loose.
“So I wrote a note to this guy at Ninth Corps, and I got his answer this morning. He said there was a new policy, they’d decided that it would be best for the morale of the people if we let the Italian prisoners free. He said the risk we might run of letting out a few fanatical officers who would continue to work for the Germans would be offset by the good that would be done for most towns.”
Tina said excitedly: “When will you let them free?” The Major said: “We have to sort them out, and send them to the prisoners’ cage nearest to where they live. We have quite a bunch from Vicinamare that we have to send up there. It will take about a week, I guess.”
Tina said: “Have you been to the enclosure recently?” The Major said: “Yes, I was there today.”
“Are there several men from Adano there?” “Yes, quite a few, I understand.”
“Oh, Mister Major, did you talk with any?” “Yes, I did.”
“You didn’t happen - ?”
“He’s not here, Tina. I looked for his name on the list. Also I asked some of the men from Adano. They said they had not heard anything. I went down to the cage specially to find out.
Tina said: “You are very kind, Mister Major.”
He said: “I was very rude before.” He wanted to tell her why he had been rude -that there are certain things a lonely man doesn’t like to listen to, that he had begun to like Tina, and that he didn’t like the feeling of being used by her just to get something she wanted. But he didn’t. He didn’t because she pulled him up short.
She said: “Do you think my Giorgio is in one of the other prisoners camps?
The Major said: “There’s no way of telling,” and his voice was suddenly cool.
“When will I know?”
“Next week some time. I’ve told you all I can. I shouldn’t have told you this much.”
j”Be careful,” Tina said, and her smile teased the Maor, “you are getting rude again.”
The Major smiled too. “I could tell you why, but I won’t,” he said.
Chapter 26
MAJOR JOPPOLO’S desire for popularity in Adano stuck out all over him. It was not just that he wanted to do a good job, and felt that popularity was one sign that he had. It was not much tied up with wanting the Americans to be well received, though he did want that. It was mainly that he himself wanted very much to be liked.
He did not let this desire show itself blatantly, in back-slapping and flattery and other usual means of achieving popularity. He was not especially a politician. But in everything he did, in every decision he made, he was swayed just a little by the way that act would affect his popularity in the town.
By the same token, in everything that the town did, or the officials of the town, Major Joppolo hunted out little signs that he was liked, and watched vigilantly for warning signals that this thing