THE REMINISCENCES OF CARL SCHURZ
to me once again in a quarter of an hour to the Heinrich Platz.”
Brune came with my friends. I took him aside.
“Mr. Brune,” I said, “I will not let you go to bed with a load of doubt on your heart. We have spoken about the money. That money is a treasure confided to me. My honor hangs on it. Everything I trust to you—money, honor, freedom, all. You are a brave man. I wish to say to you still this night that to-morrow evening at five o'clock I shall bring the money to your quarters.”
Brune was silent for a moment. At last he heaved a sigh and replied: “I would probably have done it without this. To-morrow at midnight your friend Kinkel will be a free man.”
I passed the larger part of the following day with Krüger, Leddihn, and Poritz, in going over the chances of our enterprise, in order to make provision for all not yet foreseen accidents. At last the evening came. I put the money for Brune into a cigar box and went to his dwelling. I found him alone in his scantily furnished but neat living-room, and handed the cigar box to him with: “Here it is; count it.”
“There you do not know me,” he answered; “if between us a mere word were not sufficient, we should not have begun together. What comes from you, I don't count.”
“Is there anything to change in our plan?”
“Nothing.”
“To-night, then.”
“To-night, and good luck!”
Indeed, we had good reason to be confident of the success of our plan, barring incalculable accidents. The penitentiary building was situated in the center of the town, a large, barrack-like edifice, the bare walls of which were pierced by one large gate and a multitude of narrow slits of windows. On all
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