There is something in the helpless courage of
women that makes me feel soft. We can work and fight; they sit
and wait. Yet they do not flinch. Now I know that if I had to sit
and think about the thing I should turn cur.
Well, I went, leaving them there together. I put on plain clothes
instead of my uniform, and dropped my revolver into the pocket of
my coat. Thus prepared, I slipped out and made my way on foot to
the Konigstrasse.
It was now long past midday, but many folks were at their dinner
and the streets were not full. Two or three people recognized me,
but I passed by almost unnoticed. There was no sign of stir or
excitement, and the flags still floated high in the wind. Sapt
had kept his secret; the men of Strelsau thought still that their
king lived and was among them. I feared that Rudolf's coming
would have been seen, and expected to find a crowd of people near
the house. But when I reached it there were no more than ten or a
dozen idle fellows lounging about. I began to stroll up and down
with as careless an air as I could assume.
Soon, however, there was a change. The workmen and business folk,
their meal finished, began to come out of their houses and from
the restaurants.
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