God! How they hate the
war--every woman I know. Leave this part of Germany to me, and be
prepared for Schrecklichkeit. There will be no mercy, no politics, in
this revolution--merely one end in view. The Russians are babies but we
are not. 'Huns' shall cease to be a term of opprobrium, for female Huns
will end the war."
Countess Niebuhr, whose love of intrigue had not diminished with the
years, and who had known more of the Pan-Germanic mind than her naive
husband had guessed--who, moreover, had had a long and enlightening
interview with one of her sons but a month before--undertook to win over
many women of her own class who had suffered death and disillusion.
Elsa's transfer to a hospital in Saxony was skilfully managed; and Lili
went on a concert tour for the Red Cross. It was not worth while to
campaign in Austria; the moment Germany was helpless she would collapse
automatically.
In the course of a month the secret propaganda was moving with the
invisible, sinister, irresistible suction of an undertow. The immense
army of women who did Gisela's work proved themselves true Germans,
logical products of generations of discipline, concentration,
secretiveness, and a thoroughness, even in trifling details, as
implacable as it was automatic. They made few mistakes.
Pages:
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85