And to think that he might lose these
beloved beings if a bit of iron should hit him! . . . And he had to live
far from them now that it was such fine weather for long walks in the
country! . . .
"Sad war!" he again said. "May God punish the English!"
With a solicitude that Don Marcelo greatly appreciated, he in turn
inquired about the Frenchman's family. He pitied him for having so few
children, and smiled a little over the enthusiasm with which the old
gentleman spoke of his daughter, saluting Fraulein Chichi as a witty
sprite, and expressing great sympathy on learning that the only son was
causing his parents great sorrow by his conduct.
Tender-hearted Commandant! . . . He was the first rational and human
being that he had met in this hell of an invasion. "There are good
people everywhere," he told himself. He hoped that this new acquaintance
would not be moved from the castle; for if the Germans had to stay
there, it would better be this man than the others.
An orderly came to summon Don Marcelo to the presence of His Excellency.
After passing through the salons with closed eyes so as to avoid useless
distress and wrath, he found the Count in his own bedroom. The doors had
been forced open, the floors stripped of carpet and the window frames of
curtains. Only the pieces of furniture broken in the first moments now
occupied their former places.
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