Page:The Reminiscences of Carl Schurz (Volume One).djvu/348

 “You may depend upon it.”

Then we wished each other good-night.

The hour I spent after this in the solitude of my room in Krüger's hotel, taking counsel with myself, I have never forgotten.

The money, according to my notions an enormous sum, had been confided to me for a specific purpose; should it be lost without having accomplished this purpose, then it was all over with Kinkel, for such a sum could hardly be raised for him a second time. My personal honor would also be lost, for I would then have upon me a suspicion of dishonesty or at least a reproach of guilty recklessness. And was it not really great recklessness to confide this trust fund, upon a mere promise, without further guarantee, to a man who after all was a stranger to me? What did I really know of Brune? Nothing but that his face and his utterances had made upon me a most favorable impression and that he was held in good repute by his acquaintances. And these acquaintances had told me that they would have brought Brune first to me had they not thought that a man like him would hardly consider such a proposition. Indeed, they had added, that if he did it, he might be absolutely trusted. But was not the opportunity to appropriate to himself such a sum of money and then to manifest his official fidelity by delivering me up to the police, to a person in his situation, in the highest degree seductive? And would not he, if he contemplated such a treachery, act exactly as Brune had done? Had he not by the most positive promises and by apparent preparations excited my hopes to the utmost, to the end of inducing me by some clever pretext to deliver to him the money, and then to ruin me all the more easily?

On the other hand, could Brune, were he ever so honest, really act differently? Could he expose his wife and his