Italy had broken her relations the day before with the Central Powers.
Ulysses felt very uneasy on remembering what he had done out on the Mediterranean.

He feared that the popular groups, thronging past him and giving cheers behind their flags, were going to guess his exploit and fall upon him.

It was necessary to get away from this patriotic enthusiasm, and he breathed more freely when he found himself in one of the coaches of a train....

Besides, he was going to see Freya.

And it was enough for him merely to evoke her image to make all his remorse vanish.
The short journey proved long and difficult.