Page 325 - The Book Thief

No. He was not offended. You were right. He played weakly with the ball. You
were right to think that way. In your situation, a dead Jew is just as dangerous as
a live one, if not worse.

I also dreamed. In detail, she explained it, with the soldier in her grip. She was
on the verge of apologizing again when Max intervened.

Liesel. He made her look at him. Dont ever apologize to me. It should be me
who apologizes to you. He looked at everything shed brought him. Look at all
this. These gifts. He held the button in his hand. And Rosa said you read to me
twice every day, sometimes three times. Now he looked at the curtains as if he
could see out of them. He sat up a little higher and paused for a dozen silent
sentences. Trepidation found its way onto his face and he made a confession to
the girl. Liesel? He moved slightly to the right. Im afraid, he said, of falling
asleep again.

Liesel was resolute. Then Ill read to you. And Ill slap your face if you start
dozing off. Ill close the book and shake you till you wake up.

That afternoon, and well into the night, Liesel read to Max Vandenburg. He sat
in bed and absorbed the words, awake this time, until just after ten oclock. When
Liesel took a quick rest from The Dream Carrier, she looked over the book and
Max was asleep. Nervously, she nudged him with it. He awoke.

Another three times, he fell asleep. Twice more, she woke him.

For the next four days, he woke up every morning in Liesels bed, then next to
the fireplace, and eventually, by mid-April, in the basement. His health had
improved, the beard was gone, and small scraps of weight had returned.

In Liesels inside world, there was great relief in that time. Outside, things were
starting to look shaky. Late in March, a place called Lbeck was hailed with
bombs. Next in line would be Cologne, and soon enough, many more German
cities, including Munich.

Yes, the boss was at my shoulder.

Get it done, get it done.