At half past twelve Magda came out, bringing with her a Welcome hot lunch. Gregory had fallen into a troubled sleep so they did not disturb him but hoped that he would sleep on, as complete rest was what he needed. They ate the meal while she waited with them and when she had gone settled themselves to try to pass a little time by dozing where they sat. At three they roused up again and lit cigarettes.
It was soon afterwards that they distinctly heard two reports echo through the wood, and realized with quick apprehension that one of the sentries had sighted suspicious visitors. From 'fear that the smell or sight of the smoke might betray them if some of the Gestapo men, who were probably arriving, came out through the back of the house and began poking about on the fringe of the wood, they stubbed out their cigarettes; then couched down in the gully under cover of the brambles and waited in anxious silence.
For over an hour they remained there listening for the lightest footfalls but nothing stirred in the wood except the occasional flutter of a bird or the scampering of some small animal in the undergrowth. At last, as the shadows were beginning to fall they heard a rustling which gradually grew nearer and, peering through the bushes, von Lutz saw that it was the maid, Lenchen.
She was gathering sticks in her outspread apron and as he watched he saw that she was working her way towards them. Two minutes later, without looking at him, she stooped for some, sticks on the edge of the gully and whispered swiftly:
"Do not show yourself, Herr Oberst Baron. Two car loads of Black Guards arrived at ten past three; they ransacked the house, the barns and the outbuildings, but found nothing. They appeared to be satisfied after they had questioned us, as we all said that we had not seen you since the first week in October, and the cars have just driven off back to Brandenburg; but they have left two of the men behind who are to be billeted in the house in case you should suddenly arrive here. Fraulein Magda sent me to tell you this and to explain that she may not be able to bring your Abendessen at the usual hour in case they suspect and follow her; but one of us will manage to slip out with cold food for you some time during the evening."
As the girl talked she kept moving, and having delivered her message she began to work her way back to the house, gathering more firewood as she went.
"Teufel Nochmal!" exclaimed the Baron, when she had disappeared among the tree trunks. "This is bad worse than what I fear." And having explained to Freddie what had happened, he added: "I haf goot reason to expect they visit my house but after they find I am not at home I believe they get out; then we are safe to move ourselves and your friend in bed to put. But now that is not possible."
"It looks as though we'll have to spend another night in the woods, then," Freddie said miserably and, as that seemed the only thing they could do, they resigned themselves to a cold and dreary evening.
At ten o'clock Magda came out to them with a bundle of rugs in which were wrapped a bottle of hock, a thermos flask full of hot soup and some packets of cold meat, bread and Appfel kuchen. She said that the two Nazis who had billeted themselves in the manor were not unfriendly and appeared to have no suspicion that her father might already have arrived there or be in hiding in the neighbourhood. Nevertheless, they seemed confident that sooner or later he would make his way to his own home and had declared their intention of remaining there until he put in an appearance. They had also threatened all the servants with the direst penalties if at any time the Colonel Baron arrived by stealth and they warned him that Gestapo agents were waiting in the manor for him.
Gregory, who had been sleeping or dozing in a semi conscious state most of the day, roused up while they were talking and Magda examined his wound by the light of a torch. It showed no sign of improvement and he was still feverish. Now that any hope of getting him properly to bed in the warm house had had to be abandoned they were more anxious than ever about him, but there was little they could do, so having settled him as comfortably as possible Magda gave him some aspirins and, promising to come out again as early as she could the next morning, she left them.
After eating their supper, which to some degree restored their cheerfulness, the Baron and Freddie settled down under their rugs for the night; but it was long before they could get to sleep, as the cold was more bitter than ever and about midnight snow began to fall.
When Freddie woke it was still pitch dark and glancing at the luminous dial of his watch he saw that it was only a quarter to three. His movement roused von Lutz and for a little time they talked together in low voices. Snow was falling heavily and as Gregory's camp bed occupied the only sheltered space Beneath the bank it had begun to settle on their rugs and faces in a thick white powder.
At last they could bear the cold no longer so decided to walk about in an attempt to restore their circulation. The contents of Gregory's flask had already been used up, but van Lutz had another, which he shared with Freddie as they stumbled up and town a patch of ground that was fairly free from undergrowth.
Their misery and distress during the next four hours were almost indescribable. On two occasions they tried to sleep again but the warmth of their bodies melted the snow which had fallen on their garments so that these had become half sodden and they found it impossible to remain still for any length of time. In the early hours of the morning their difficulties were further increased by a bout of delirium which seized Gregory in its grip. he was completely off his head and 'fighting the battle in the Adlon' over and over again, shouting curses, threats and warnings interspersed with heart rending cries that he must save Erika because Grauber would "Torture her torture her torture her!"
In the silence of the snow carpeted wood his agonized shouts seemed so loud that von Lutz feared they might rouse the Gestapo men in the house half a mile away; so he and Charlton had to muffle the injured man's ravings by putting a handkerchief over his mouth and to frustrate his attempts to fling him self about, which would have caused his wound to start bleeding again, by holding him down.
When dawn came they were utterly exhausted. The Baron was grey faced and heavy eyed; Freddie had a splitting head and a horrible taste in his mouth; both felt as though they had been up for a week and were so numb from the cold that they feared, frost bite. Gregory had lapsed into unconsciousness again but` his head looked like that of a corpse. His cheeks had fallen in and were leaden coloured under a three days' growth of beard the skin across his forehead was taut, with little beads of perspiration standing out upon it, and his mouth sagged open a though the muscles of his face had relaxed in death.
At seven o'clock, Magda arrived, bringing breakfast. The previous night her unwelcome guests had said that having nothing to do they did not wish to be called till eight o'clock and she had had food prepared early so that she could get it out of the house before they were about. With hands shaking from the cold her father and Charlton took the welcome bowl of hot stew which she had brought them and the big hunks of bread to dip into it, while she examined Gregory.