Lucy was silent a moment. “I know. It’s going to be hard,” she admitted. “But since I’ve promised”—her voice grew confident again—“I’m going to keep my promise. I’ll get the money somehow, Michelle. Father can’t give very much, but he’ll give some. Trudchen doesn’t need such a great deal to live, when dollars can be turned into marks.”
And Lucy kept her word. She begged a “starter” from General Gordon, and did not find it hard to get contributions from Larry, Major Harding, Bob, Armand, and not a few of the hospital staff and convalescents who knew Friedrich, Wilhelm and Adelheid. In three days she had the satisfaction of carrying the little sum to Trudchen and of knowing that she and the children would not lack food or clothing during Franz’ imprisonment.
“Lucy, I thought you would never succeed. I thought you were making foolish promises,” Michelle told her, the day they took Trudchen the money. She looked at her friend with real admiration. “You are wonderful—you Americans. It seems almost as though you can do whatever you wish!”
Lucy laughed, but she exclaimed, seizing the opportunity Michelle’s words offered, “Then let me do something now that I’ve been wishing for the last six weeks! Let me persuade you to come with me to England.”
“Oh, Lucy, if I could!” Michelle’s voice, filled with regret, yet held a quick warmth as though her young heart thrilled only at thought of finding again the careless pleasure lost to her so many years.
“If you could? Why can’t you? My Cousin Janet wants you to come. She is going to write your mother. And Janet and Alan have written begging me to urge you. It will do you more good than you can guess. And I want you so much. Oh, Michelle, don’t refuse!”
“But to leave Maman and Armand? To spend so great a sum of our little money?”
“It’s not so much—just across the Channel. And your mother wants you to go. I’ve talked with her. She has your brother now, so she’s not alone. It was he who said that you must go and that he would gladly take your place with her a little while.”
“When shall you sail? If I could go!” This time, in spite of her doubtful words, Michelle’s voice was eager with something like joyful anticipation.
Lucy looked at her in delighted surprise. At that moment Michelle’s spirit thrust aside the spectre of the long years of suffering and captivity. Her deep blue eyes shone with unclouded brightness and her lips parted in a radiant happy smile. With a look borrowed from the untroubled childhood out of which she had been so harshly roused she cried, clasping her hands together: