see red. Then the harsh guttural voice continued.
"Well, now, without wasting any more time, let us come to the point. I
had proposed to let Lieutenant Rutter explain things to you;
but--er--from one or two things I overheard, it struck me he might not
make them clear." The beady eyes came slowly round to the Lieutenant.
"That is why I interrupted." Once again he stared at the trembling
girl. "To be brief, Mademoiselle Marie, we anticipate an attack--a big
attack--by the English. We have good information that it is coming in
this neighbourhood."

The Kid pricked up his ears; what the devil was the man talking about?
"We have every reason to hope that Ovillers, Fricourt, Thiepval are
impregnable; at the same time--in war--one never leaves things to
chance." The Kid's astonishment turned to stupefaction; he himself had
been in the storming of Ovillers. "And the chance," continued the
imperturbable voice, "in this matter is the probable action of the
French--your charming compatriots--er--compatriots, _that were_,
Fraeulein. We anticipate this offensive in about a month or six weeks;
and the matter on which we require all the confirmation we can is
whether the French, after their hideous losses at Verdun, can play any
important part in this operation of the enemy. That is where you can
help us."

For a moment there was dead silence, and then the girl turned her
stricken face to the man beside her. "Dear God!" she muttered, "is
this why you made love to me? To make me a spy?"

"Marie--no, on my honour; I swear it!" Forgetful of the man sitting at
the table Fritz stretched out his hand in an agony of supplication.

"Lieutenant Rutter." With a snarl the Colonel stood up. "You forget
yourself. I am speaking. A truce to this fooling. Mademoiselle"--he
turned again on the girl--"we have other things to do beside babble of
love. Call it spying if you will, but we want information, and you can
help us to get it--_must_ help us to get it."

"And what if I refuse?" Superbly she confronted him; her voice had
come back; her head was thrown up.

"In the first place you will not marry Lieutenant Rutter; and in the
second place--have you heard that the Comte de St. Jean was taken
prisoner at Verdun?"

"Philippe. Oh, monsieur, where is he?" The girl threw herself on her
knees before him. "I implore you--he is my only brother."

"Indeed. Well, if you ever desire to see him again you will carry out
my sugge