The Flight

Alice thought a while about going back to the croquet field to search for the Knave on Hearts. But as she could not take any decision, she wandered melancholically through the park, and stayed now here now there. Her face gave away that she had very mixed feelings: on the one hand she was in love and happy, on the other hand she was uncertain and sad. And one does not need a very lively fantasy to guess that her thoughts were occupied with the Knave on Hearts.

Then she suddenly heard voices and sounds. They quickly became louder, and it sounded as if somebody was being hunted. Shortly afterwards the Knave on Hearts came running, pursued by the Queen's guard, the Aces and the Tens on Hearts. Panting, the beloved William ran to Alice and dragged her with him. The guard hard on their heels, William and Alice hurried through the park and stumbled through the densest bushes in order to shake ofn the henchmen. But those stayed right behind them. All that happened so quickly that Alice did not find the time to ask the Knave on Hearts what he had done that he was pursued.

Finally they reached a big gate that led into a town. They ran through narrow alleyways, crossed squares, jumped over low walls, ran up and down staircases - but no matter how cunning and quick they were they could not shake off the guards.

In the end they came to the market place. They tried to disappear in the crowd but this only worked for a short while. The keen eyes on the henchmen followed them everywhere. Alice and the Knave ran to and fro between the market stands, the stalls, the cinematography stands and the like, where junk and sensations were offered.

But in the busy throng they bumped into buyers and traders, they threw over big baskets with fruit that fell all over the pavement, and thus, on course, they more and more increased the number on their followers. Finally Alice was so exhausted from the flight through the labyrinth on trading stalls and sensational stands that she could hardly hold herself upright any more. When the Knave on Hearts saw this, he pushed Alice behind a projecting wall and ran on alone. The henchmen ran past her and did not pay attention to her any longer. To escape from the crowd on people, the Knave on Hearts jumped on a narrow wall. But doing so he lost his balance and fell with his face first onto a fruit stand with ripe peaches which collapsed under his weight.

Alice wanted to come to his help, but the bodies on the sensation-loving visitors on the market squeezed in between her and her lover. His followers had already reached him, pulled him out on the peach mess, and took him away.

The Knave on Hearts threw another despairing glance at her. Then his tormentors dragged him away, and Alice lost sight on him.