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Authors: Jennifer Hobhouse Balme
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Lewandowski * and Heine ** to see me. I told her and E. Rotten how much I depended on them as otherwise isolated.
At noon came my Baron and said he would take me, at my desire, to another class of restaurant. I found it rather a long walk â he said Herr Rieth wanted to meet me there again âto make arrangements about Ruhlebenâ. Somehow, I disliked Rieth, though most attentive and gentlemanly, but I shall always believe he was a spy. Half through lunch, Rieth, having been told where we were by telephone, arrived and my Baron as suddenly departed giving me over to his charge. Lunch ended and, at very moderate cost, he proposed taking me to see the Tiergarten, and when I pleaded fatigue, he said his car was outside. I could say no more and he drove me about to see the sights â through the wooded park, past the various public buildings, by the famous statue of Hindenburg â barbaric but life-like colossal figure â and then to his very charming apartment, exquisitely furnished. Here he found a pile of the London Times for me and as the cold showers were incessant, I begged to be taken back to my hotel. This he did, promising to come next morning at 10 a.m. I felt relieved when he was gone. Then I rested and got some tea in the lounge. They only served cake with tea, two or three very small thin slices and no bread and butter. I think, occasionally, stale rusks.
Later on when I was in my bedroom Elisabeth Rotten appeared. I was rejoiced. She was arrayed in her best for she had just come from the Emergency Committee Meeting at Prince Lichnowskyâs house, a meeting which had been a huge success. She wanted me to take the news to London, she writing it to Berne to Gertrude Woker and I translating and forwarding it thence. She wished it to be in the London Press. We had a long, long talk â she said Baron de Neufville had much wished to come again but thought it wiser not to do so. She was very exhausted and several times nearly fainted. I gave her ether for her face and some brandy and had up some coffee for her. She said she had not had a single day off, not even a Sunday, since the war began. She told me much of her work and of all the men told her who came out of Ruhleben on parole to visit their wives â how, even, they were talking of bringing out from there superfluous food parcels for their wives and families in Berlin. She looked after their families. We talked long and deep of everything in both countries â of politics and prospects. She promised to send Pastor Siegmund-Schultze * to see me. Many she wanted me to see were away â many full up with work. She was trying to find time also for Minna Cauer ** who wanted to see me. It was late when she left and I went to bed.
Wednesday, June 21st Very early I was up and breakfasted and had the room in order to receive Dr. Lewandowski at 8 a.m. He came with German punctuality â in full uniform and cloak and sword â with a nice honest face.He spoke English with difficulty but fair correctness. He spoke of the children of the town â was chief doctor of the Municipal Schools. He said there was undoubted enfeeblement among the infants under 1 year and the children from 10â14. He had however weighed all last year and again this year and found them normal. He knew of no increased mortality in consequence of this enfeeblement. This sounded strange to me. He went on to lay stress on the improved condition of mothers and infants owing to the food supplied them being more varied in character than what was customary in their lives. He could see no reason to think that the food shortage would necessitate âgiving inâ as vanquished. He was very polite, and very grave but pleasant. All he said was in agreement with Dr. Alice Salomon but yet I did not feel I had got to the bottom of him.
Ruhleben
As soon as he left I began to prepare for the drive to Ruhleben. Very soon the car came with my Baron and Herr Rieth and
At noon came my Baron and said he would take me, at my desire, to another class of restaurant. I found it rather a long walk â he said Herr Rieth wanted to meet me there again âto make arrangements about Ruhlebenâ. Somehow, I disliked Rieth, though most attentive and gentlemanly, but I shall always believe he was a spy. Half through lunch, Rieth, having been told where we were by telephone, arrived and my Baron as suddenly departed giving me over to his charge. Lunch ended and, at very moderate cost, he proposed taking me to see the Tiergarten, and when I pleaded fatigue, he said his car was outside. I could say no more and he drove me about to see the sights â through the wooded park, past the various public buildings, by the famous statue of Hindenburg â barbaric but life-like colossal figure â and then to his very charming apartment, exquisitely furnished. Here he found a pile of the London Times for me and as the cold showers were incessant, I begged to be taken back to my hotel. This he did, promising to come next morning at 10 a.m. I felt relieved when he was gone. Then I rested and got some tea in the lounge. They only served cake with tea, two or three very small thin slices and no bread and butter. I think, occasionally, stale rusks.
Later on when I was in my bedroom Elisabeth Rotten appeared. I was rejoiced. She was arrayed in her best for she had just come from the Emergency Committee Meeting at Prince Lichnowskyâs house, a meeting which had been a huge success. She wanted me to take the news to London, she writing it to Berne to Gertrude Woker and I translating and forwarding it thence. She wished it to be in the London Press. We had a long, long talk â she said Baron de Neufville had much wished to come again but thought it wiser not to do so. She was very exhausted and several times nearly fainted. I gave her ether for her face and some brandy and had up some coffee for her. She said she had not had a single day off, not even a Sunday, since the war began. She told me much of her work and of all the men told her who came out of Ruhleben on parole to visit their wives â how, even, they were talking of bringing out from there superfluous food parcels for their wives and families in Berlin. She looked after their families. We talked long and deep of everything in both countries â of politics and prospects. She promised to send Pastor Siegmund-Schultze * to see me. Many she wanted me to see were away â many full up with work. She was trying to find time also for Minna Cauer ** who wanted to see me. It was late when she left and I went to bed.
Wednesday, June 21st Very early I was up and breakfasted and had the room in order to receive Dr. Lewandowski at 8 a.m. He came with German punctuality â in full uniform and cloak and sword â with a nice honest face.He spoke English with difficulty but fair correctness. He spoke of the children of the town â was chief doctor of the Municipal Schools. He said there was undoubted enfeeblement among the infants under 1 year and the children from 10â14. He had however weighed all last year and again this year and found them normal. He knew of no increased mortality in consequence of this enfeeblement. This sounded strange to me. He went on to lay stress on the improved condition of mothers and infants owing to the food supplied them being more varied in character than what was customary in their lives. He could see no reason to think that the food shortage would necessitate âgiving inâ as vanquished. He was very polite, and very grave but pleasant. All he said was in agreement with Dr. Alice Salomon but yet I did not feel I had got to the bottom of him.
Ruhleben
As soon as he left I began to prepare for the drive to Ruhleben. Very soon the car came with my Baron and Herr Rieth and
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