Thierry. I
know it was wrong and yet I felt as if I would like to revenge myself
upon them for all I have suffered. I must apologize for telling you
this, but you will see that it does bear upon my story.

"Well, after I came to Germany, although I discovered that I did dislike
and distrust the German people, yet I could not make up my mind not to
feel affection for the little German kinder, who after all were in no
way responsible for the war. I always nursed children before I joined
the Red Cross and have a special fondness for them. The little French
Louisa and I, who are always together except when I am at work, made
friends with a number of the German children. Among them were two
little girls, whom Major Hersey will tell you are especially attractive.
But if I seemed to single out these two children and especially the
older one, Freia, it was not because she so greatly attracted me. Early
in our acquaintance the little girl told me an anecdote which struck me
as extraordinary and almost immediately aroused my suspicion. Please
don't think I found out at once what I am trying to tell you, I at first
had to piece things together.

"Freia told me that her brother, Captain Ludwig Liedermann, who had been
wounded, had recovered, but would not leave his room and did not wish
any one to know he was well. Freia received the impression that he did
not wish to be seen by any of the American officers or soldiers in
Coblenz. He once told little Freia that he hated to meet the men who had
defeated their Emperor and driven him into exile."

The Colonel nodded.

"Yes, well, that strikes me as if alone it might be a sufficient reason.
I would not be surprised if there were other German officers and
soldiers hiding from us with this same excuse. However, we shall remain
on duty in Germany until both the military and the civilians find it
wiser not to seek cover in order to escape the consequences of their
past."

"Yes, I know, but this did not seem to me all there was in Freia's
story," Nora continued. "So I confess I made friends with the little
girl largely in order to gain her further confidence. She afterwards
told me other things that were puzzling. I knew that the Germans in
Coblenz were not allowed to hold secret meetings, but Freia insisted
that officers who had been old friends of her brother's came constantly
to their house and that her sister Hedwig opened a side door for them,
so they would not disturb Major Hers