I knew from Herr Stubbe that you are
always at home at this hour, so I would not let the lady send us
away."
"The lady indeed!" Frau Muller managed at last to exclaim. "Now he
talks about ladies, and a minute ago he had the impudence--"
"You must excuse us, madam," said the workman with the utmost
civility; "we meant no harm, and we simply must speak to the Herr
Doctor."
"Come in," said Wilhelm curtly, and not overwarmly, while he pressed
the still angrily glaring Frau Muller's hand gratefully.
The second visitor now mentioned his name--it was that of one of the
most prominent leaders of the Social Democrats in Germany. Wilhelm
signed to the two men to be seated, and asked what he could do for
them.
"I heard through the mechanic Groll here," answered the stranger,
pointing to the other man, "what you did for Frau Wander. That
encouraged us to come to you with a request."
At a sign from Wilhelm he continued:
"You have seen one of our cases for yourself, and that not by any
means the worst. We have dozens of such cases, and there will
probably be hundreds more. Our union does what it can. Every member
gives up part of his week's wages for the unfortunate victims, and
thereby we perhaps save the government from the crime of having
condemned innocent women and children to death by starvation.
Pages:
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321