to think of the lean years, and she had made her little pile. She had no need now to be afraid of old age and illness. If she had found a dependable assistant whom she could have trusted, she would have sent her in an emergency like this; she might even have thought of retiring altogether. She herself had never cared about a life of comfort. But where were such people to be found nowadays? Did any of the young women want to work really hard? Weren’t they all afraid of danger, as if they were made of glass, and of the rain, as if they were made of sugar Wherever she went she secretly made inquiries for a strong, discreet girl or a widow, who would not be afraid of serving the good cause by day or night, storm or frost, wind or snow. But she had been unsuccessful so far. Vendulka only recently had refused the offer with a shrug of her shoulders, when Martinka had told her of the hope she had cherished with regard to her services. Vendulka had said it was a precarious thing to join the smugglers; not only good health was needed but a particular kind of recklessness which hardly one girl in a hundred would possess. Since that day Martinka had almost given up hope of realising her wish. When
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