68 THE FAIR FOE. 



how quickly and potently the national hatred and the 

 bellicose passions of the otherwise peaceful Schleswig- 

 Holsteiners now flamed out. This was strikingly ex- 

 hibited in the temper of the women. A characteristic 

 instance came immediately under my own observation. 

 At a social gathering a beautiful and amiable young 

 girl made me explain to her the construction of the 

 mines laid down for the protection of the town and 

 the method of firing them. When she learnt that in 

 a succesful case the whole ship would be blown into the 

 air and the entire crew destroyed, she excitedly asked 

 me if I believed that there were people who could 

 perpetrate such an atrocity, and with the pressure of 

 a finder annihilate hundreds of human lives. When I 



o 



affirmed this and endeavoured to excuse it by the 

 necessity of war. she turned indignantly away and 

 obviously avoided me from that moment. When shortly 

 after I again met her in society the battle of Bau had 

 meanwhile been fought: Wrangel was on the point of 

 marching into Schleswig-Holstein with the Prussian 

 troops, and the war-fury had vehemently invaded the 

 public mind. To my surprise my fair foe came directly 

 up to me as soon as she caught sight of me. and asked 

 w r h ether my mines were still in order. I said "Yes" 

 and added I cherished the hope of soon being able 

 to show their effectiveness on an enemy's ship, for it 

 was said that a Danish fleet was on the way for the 

 bombardment of Kiel. I intended therewith to again 

 kindle her wrath, which had shown her to such ad- 

 vantage. But to my surprise she said with counte- 



