Page 156 - Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

herself onto it gratefully, trembling so hard she was
sure she would wake everyone.
"You Jews," the blokova's voice drawled sleepily,
"you can never do anything quietly or efficiently. That
is why the Germans will finish you all off. If you have
to relieve yourself, wait until the morning or do it in
your bed. Or you shall have to deal with me."
"Yes, blokova," Gitl answered.
"And get to bed," the blokova added unnecessarily.
Instead of going to her own shelf, Gitl crowded in
with Hannah, hugging her so tightly that Hannah could
hardly breathe. Yet she was glad not to have to lie there
alone. Leaning back against Gitl, Hannah could feel
the woman shaking with silent sobs.
Then a sudden, awful thought came to her. She couldn't
turn over with Gitl there on the shelf, so she whispered
to the wall: "Gitl, Gitl, please."
At last Gitl heard. "What is it?"
"The shoes, Gitl, I dropped the shoes outside. They'll
know it was me out there. What will I do? What will I
do?"
"Do?" the breathy voice whispered into her ear. "Do?
Why, you will do nothing, my darling child. Those were
not your shoes. They were the blokova's. I took them
from outside her door because you deserved a better
pair for such a difficult journey. They will discover her
shoes in the morning." She began to laugh, muffling it
against Hannah's back, a sound so close to sobbing that
Hannah could not tell the difference.

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