At nine-thirty on the evening of July twenty-first, Irena leads the laundry room workers to the major’s suite one or two at a time, until finally all six workers are hidden in the duct above the major’s bathroom. The next morning, Irena awakens to the sound of gunfire and explosions; in tears, she realizes the final Aktion has begun. She goes to check on the hidden workers and narrowly prevents an SS officer from entering the bathroom. By late morning the SS are gone, and the previous tenants of the villa finally leave. Irena is ready to move her friends in, but she must first get them out of the German headquarters, which is always locked at night.

That evening, the major asks Irena to bring him a glass of warm milk in bed, and she steals his keys off his dressing table. She locks the sleeping major into his room, knowing she can’t risk him entering the bathroom till her friends are out. She leads her friends down the stairs, unlocks the street door, and tells them to head to the villa—they know the address—and enter through the coal chute and wait for Irena in the basement. She vows to meet them the next morning, and despite the

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