Free Come into my Parlour by Dennis Wheatley Page B

not have the agonised deaths of hundreds of thousands of helpless women and children on my conscience
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    I have rented a tiny chalet here on the shores of the Bodensee, under the assumed name of Dr. Gustaf Fallström, and have given it out in the village that I am a Swedish naturalist engaged in making a study of the water life of the lake. The Gestapo has a long arm and even here I am farfrom safe as, if they could find me, to make certain that I shall not give away Germany’s terrible war secret, they would certainly kill me. Needless to say, nothing would induce me to do so, but being completely lacking in integrity themselves they would never believe that
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    From fear of being recognised I live very quietly; but, even so, there are so many Germans in Switzerland now, either on war missions or for health reasons, that I am most anxious to get further afield as soon as I possibly can; and if only I can complete the necessary arrangements I shall-try to get to South America
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    My passport and passage could, I think, be arranged by my friend in the Red Cross, but the main difficulty is money. The small amount that I could bring out in cash is barely enough to support me for a few weeks longer, and all normal sources of obtaining funds are now closed to me. I am wondering therefore, if you could help me
?
    I do not suggest that we owe each other anything, either on financial or sentimental grounds. I have always loved beautiful things and I derived much pleasure from having the loveliest woman in Germany for my
Frau gräfin;
moreover you were very generous in enabling me to purchase expensive equipment for my hobby. On the other hand, I gave you the enjoyment of my honourable name and carried out my part of our bargain by refraining from interfering in your affairs. But what of the future
?
    I think there is a reasonable prospect of my being allowed to return to Germany after the war, but I doubt if you will ever be able to do so. Hermann’s love of salacious gossip is sure to have resulted in his having related the story of your affair with the Englishman to a considerable number of people, and the fact of your having taken refuge with our country’s enemies is bound to become generally known in due course; and with such matters to your discredit you would be received nowhere
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    It seems, then, that you will have to remain abroad for good; and will be faced with the problem as to how you are to live. The Nazis have already confiscated your great private fortune and, in view of our relationship, I do not think you will consider me particularly ungenerous when I tell you that I have no intention of supporting you out of my comparatively slender income. You will still, of course, possess the great asset of your remarkable beauty but, unfortunately, that will decline with the passing of the years. Therefore, the answer to your problem seems to be that, having lost one fortune, you should acquire another for yourself, as soon as it is reasonably possible for you to do so, by marrying again
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    The fact that you are at present tied to me should not prove an insurmountable bar to such a prospect if we can come to a satisfactory arrangement. Our both being in exile complicates matters to some extent, but my enquiries through my friend has led me to believe that we could secure a decree through the Swiss courts if we were both resident in thiscountry for three months. The proceedings, would, of course, take much longer, but that period would entitle us to apply for the case to be heard and once it is on the list, if the case were undefended, we could leave the matter in the hands of the lawyers
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    If, therefore, you would like to acquire your freedom, I am quite prepared to give it to you; but I make one condition. Somehow or other you must find a sum sufficient to enable me to pay my passage to South America and live there in reasonable comfort until I can find a way to support myself
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    At the moment, of course, you