in deep
perplexity, and his blue eyes looking steadily at the road ahead--and at
something far, far beyond.

Save for an occasional solicitous question about her comfort he did not
speak again until just after he had put her in a taxi at the ferry. As
Jane was trying to say her thanks he leaned forward unexpectedly, his
tall frame blocking the whole doorway.

"Jane," he said, his voice vibrant with emotion, "Jane, you must trust
me. Everything must come out all right. Some day--some day soon when we
have won--I am coming to find you and tell you that I love you."

"When we have won!" Jane shuddered and drew back in the car, aflame with
sudden wrath.

She had read and had heard often of the unspeakable conceit of the
Prussians. She knew that they regarded themselves as supermen who could
not be defeated. Her challenged American pride rose to battle. As she
rode home she was sure now that more than she hated anything else in the
world she hated Frederic Hoff, the spy, the German, who had dared to
boast to her that they expected to win.

CHAPTER XII

PUZZLES AND PLANS

Chief Fleck had spent a sleepless night trying to put two and two
together. Instead of the answer being "four" as it should have been each
time he completed his figuring the result was "zero." Time and again he
mustered the facts into columns, only to succeed in puzzling himself
the more.

Two German spies, the Hoffs, had set out together in their motor on
their usual mysterious Wednesday mission. Two other persons, two of his
most intelligent operatives, Thomas Dean and Jane Strong, had set out on
a motorcycle to shadow them.

What had happened?

Otto Hoff had returned to his apartment on foot, hours before his usual
time, seemingly much perturbed about something.

Frederic Hoff had arrived back at the apartment, also on foot, some
hours later than usual, and the motor had not been returned to its
usual garage. Frederic Hoff had appeared to be unusually elated about
something.

Thomas Dean was in a doctor's home somewhere up the Hudson with a broken
arm and a bad scalp wound and was unable to tell what had become of
either Miss Strong or the motorcycle.

Jane Strong had arrived home in a taxicab half an hour before Frederick
Hoff, apparently unhurt but in a most peculiar condition of mind. When
Chief Fleck had called her on the 'phone she had refused to answer any
questions. The best he could get out of her was a promise that she would