Page:The Reminiscences of Carl Schurz (Volume One).djvu/342

 appeared so honest, and the whole manner of the man expressed so much courage and self-respect that I thought I might come to the point with him without circumlocution. And thus I told him point-blank that if the support of his family was his greatest trouble, I would be able to overcome that difficulty. Assured of this, would he then, I asked, be willing to lend a hand to Kinkel's escape?

“If it can be done,” he answered; “but you know it is a difficult and dangerous thing. I will consider whether and how it may be done. Give me three days' time to think it over.”

“Good” I replied. “do think it over; to judge from your accent you are a Westphalian.”

“Yes, born near Soest.”

“Then we are near neighbors; I am a Rhinelander. In three days then.”

Those were three long days which I passed in Dr. Falkenthal's quarters. I sought to soothe my impatience by reading Dumas' “Three Musketeers” and a large part of Lamartine's history of the Girondists. But the book would fall again and again into my lap and my thoughts roam abroad.

On the evening of the third day I went again to Spandau and a heavy burden fell from my heart at Brune's first word.

“I have thought it over,” he said. “I think we can do it.”

I had to restrain myself for joy. Brune explained how some night in the near future, when the watch in the upper story of the penitentiary would be his and a certain other officer would be in the lower story, he might possess himself of the necessary keys and conduct Kinkel to the gate of the building. The plan, as he laid it before me, the details of which I shall return to later, appeared feasible.