"
In a few plain words the visitor gave a sketch of the circumstances,
all the more heartbreaking for its very unpretentiousness. So many
men dismissed, so many wives, so many children, so many parents and
near relatives unable to support themselves. Of these so many were
sick, so many women lately confined, so many cripples. So many had
prospects of better circumstances if they could get away from
Berlin. For that purpose such and such a sum was necessary. So much
was already in hand. He stated the amount of certain large
donations, and added--"I will not mention the names of the
subscribers, as it might happen that it would be to your advantage
not to know them."
Wilhelm had listened in silence. He now opened a drawer of his
writing-table, took out a yellow envelope in which Schrotter was in
the habit of giving him, on the first of every month, fifteen
hundred marks out of the Dorfling bequest, and handed the sum which
he had received the day before, and was still unbroken, to the
workingmen's leader. The man turned over the three five-hundred-mark
notes, and then looked up startled. Wilhelm only nodded his head
slightly.
The leader rose. "It would be inadvisable to give you a receipt. You
have no doubt, I think, that your noble gift will be used for its
proper object.
Pages:
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323