the cover of a heavy fire
from that. But to bring infantry against fortifications! It seems
like suicide."

"I must go now," said Paul. "They are all around us. I don't know how
soon they may come in. You will be ready for them?"

"Don't worry about that! We'll give them a hotter reception than they
expect!"

Paul smashed the telephone now. Perhaps the Germans, if they found it,
would think it had been useless from the beginning of the fighting.
And, just as he went upstairs, there was a crash at the door, and half
a dozen German soldiers, led by an officer, broke in. In a moment Paul
was seized; in another two men had gone upstairs, and returned, each
with a hand gripping one of Arthur's arms.

"What are you doing here?" asked the officer, in German. Paul
understood him very well, but thought it better to pretend ignorance.
He answered in French, saying he did not understand, and the German
officer repeated his question in French.

"We--we lived in the house that was burned,"' said Paul, pretending to
be greatly frightened. "We did not know where to go or what to do. So
we stayed here."

"How long have you been here?"

"Since last night."

"You heard the explosions just now?"

"Yes. I did not know what they were."

"Take them back," said the lieutenant to a corporal. "You are in
territory occupied by our forces where no civilians have any right to
be," he added, speaking to Paul. "Unless you can prove that you are
innocent, you will be tried and condemned as spies. Have you any arms
here?"

"No, sir," said Paul.

A quick search confirmed his statement. But though that seemed to
count in their favor, the order was not countermanded. In a few
moments they were on their way through the German lines, and in half an
hour they reached what was plainly the headquarters of a brigade at
least, perhaps of a whole division. There they were thrust into a
small hut that already contained three other prisoners, Belgian
peasants. Outside the door there was a guard. They were prisoners of
war and if the truth about their doings came out, they would almost
certainly be shot, despite their youth.

CHAPTER XI

THE SPY

"What will they do to us, do you think?" asked Arthur. He was
trembling, but with excitement, not from fear.

"Nothing, unless they can prove that we have actually been working
against them," answered Paul. "And I don't see how they can."

"If those two who chased us whe