The Portuguese Escape Read Online Free PDF

family.’
    â€˜I begin to see what Atherley meant about feudalism,’ Townsend said thoughtfully, really to himself. ‘Yes—on those lines it
is
pretty good for the peasants too. He’s quite right.’
    â€˜Who is Atherley?’ the girl asked, catching hold of something concrete in these rather puzzling utterances.
    â€˜A friend of mine in the British Embassy here—you must meet him; he’s a grand person. And he knows Hungary.’
    â€˜No! Oh, I should so much like to meet someone who knows Hungary.’
    â€˜You’ll meet him all right—your mother likes him. But tell me—I say, might I call you Hetta?’
    â€˜I had rather you called me Hetti—that is what friends used to call me.’
    â€˜Fine—though I like Hetta better than Hetti. Anyway, what’s become of all this free grazing and everything since the Russians came in? Weren’t all the big estates broken up?’
    â€˜Yes, indeed; everything was taken, and the land divided up among the peasants—at first.’
    â€˜Did they like that?’
    â€˜How should they like it?’ the girl exclaimed vigorously. ‘Each family was given 4½ hectares, and a pair of horses or oxen to plough. But what is this, compared with what they had? You cannot feed two cows, and make hay for them, on 4½ hectares, and where v/ere the bread-grains to come from?—and the land for the pigs to feed? Concerning the pigs, this was soon settled’—she gave an angry little laugh —‘because the Russians took them nearly all away.’
    â€˜Took them away?’
    â€˜
Yes
. Over five million pigs they sent to Russia in the first year, and nearly all the turkeys. The women loved their turkeys; they fed in the fields after the harvest, and so grew fat; when they were sold the money was for the housewife—the birds were hers.’
    Townsend was doing more mental arithmetic—American career diplomats are very well-informed.
    â€˜The hectare is nearly 2½ acres,’ he said, thinking aloud. ‘No, you couldn’t do even subsistence farming on 11¼ acres. But why was there enough for everyone before?’
    Hetta had her answer pat.
    â€˜Because on a big estate, with huge fields and no divisions—fences, do you call them?—and with good manuring, much more was produced than simple peasants can do, on these silly little plots. Also everyone worked then
together
at the harvest, as my father and his—do you say manager?—directed; whereas now, except in the collectives, each man works alone, or tries to get his neighbours to help; and there are arguments and quarrels—all is without organisation.’
    In spite of the curious phrases she used, Townsend got aclear picture of the two different epochs; so clear that it rather surprised him. ‘How do you come to know so much?’ he asked.
    â€˜Oh, before my parents went away I used to go with Pappi when he drove about the estate to overlook everything; the harvest, especially, was in the holidays, so that I was at home, and he liked to have someone with him. Mama did not care so much for the country things, she liked Pest better; so it was I who went.’
    I bet she liked Pest better, Townsend thought. Aloud he only said—‘But how do you know what it’s like now— were you in the country? Didn’t you stay in your convent in Budapest?’
    â€˜Till the end of 1948, yes; then the Communists forced all convents to close. It became a crime to be a nun!’ Hetta said, her dark eyes huge. ‘All had to put on civilian dress; they looked so strange without the habit!—in fact in ordinary clothes they looked
awful.
’
    Her tone made Townsend laugh. ‘Awful in what way?’ he asked.
    â€˜Silly!’ Hetta said crisply. ‘In the habit, and living their own life of work and prayer they looked as they felt —calm and full of purpose;