Page 256 - The Book Thief

At that moment, Liesel was amazed by the width of the doorway. There was so

much space. Why did people need so much space to get through the door? Had
Rudy been there, hed have called her an idiotit was to get all their stuff inside.

Goodbye, the girl said, and slowly, with great morosity, the door was closed.

Liesel did not leave.

For a long time, she sat on the steps and watched Molching. It was neither warm
nor cool and the town was clear and still. Molching was in a jar.

She opened the letter. In it, Mayor Heinz Hermann diplomatically outlined
exactly why he had to terminate the services of Rosa Hubermann. For the most
part, he explained that he would be a hypocrite if he maintained his own small
luxuries while advising others to prepare for harder times.

When she eventually stood and walked home, her moment of reaction came once

again when she saw the STEINER-SCHNEIDERMEISTERsign on Munich
Street. Her sadness left her and she was overwhelmed with anger. That bastard
mayor, she whispered. That pathetic woman. The fact that harder times were
coming was surely the best reason for keeping Rosa employed, but no, they fired
her. At any rate, she decided, they could do their own blasted washing and
ironing, like normal people. Like poor people.

In her hand, The Whistler tightened.

So you give me the book, the girl said, for pityto make yourself feel better. . . .
The fact that shed also been offered the book prior to that day mattered little.

She turned as she had once before and marched back to 8 Grande Strasse. The

temptation to run was immense, but she refrained so that shed have enough in
reserve for the words.

When she arrived, she was disappointed that the mayor himself was not there.
No car was slotted nicely on the side of the road, which was perhaps a good
thing. Had it been there, there was no telling what she might have done to it in
this moment of rich versus poor.

Two steps at a time, she reached the door and banged it hard enough to hurt. She