ent for the trivial sum of three shillings.

My heart thumped as he held the article hesitatingly. If he offered me
three shillings for it I should be bound to accept it in which event I
should be a heavy loser over the deal. So I went on desperately:

"Well, if you think it's gold why don't you buy it for three marks? I
will give no guarantee, so don't come back and say it's only metal!"
Then assuming a deprecating tone I continued: "It is got up only for
show. It looks very pretty, but you couldn't give it to a lady!"

He appeared to be quite satisfied because he replaced it, while when he
picked up the other item I pitched a corresponding yarn. After he had
taken his departure I promptly transferred the two articles to a place
of safety in case he should take it into his head to make another
examination.

It was on June 1 when I embarked upon my engraving venture, and my two
apprentices and myself were kept hard at it the livelong day, the
pressure of business being so great. My own working hours, so long as
daylight permitted, were from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. About September I
concluded the moment to be ripe to consummate my one absorbing idea--to
get home. I was now in a position financially to complete the plans I
had laid long since. I had to tread warily, but by the end of October I
was secure in my position. Still, although confident of success, I did
not relax my interest in business, because my plans were just as likely
to go wrong as to succeed at the last minute. Moreover at the end of
November I had the intense satisfaction of learning that my profit as a
result of five months' trading was L150! I considered this to be
extremely satisfactory. An average profit of L7 10s. per week exceeded
my rosiest anticipations, and it now seems additionally remarkable when
I recall the limited confines and the restricted clientele of Ruhleben
Camp. But the greatest satisfaction I have is knowing that I completely
outwitted my oppressors, because I was not supposed to trade as I did.
It was a telling example of stolen fruits being the sweetest.

CHAPTER XXI

HOW THE AMERICAN AMBASSADOR WAS DECEIVED

As is well known the British prisoners in Germany have only one person
within the Central Empires to whom they can appeal for protection, and
through whose good offices alone they are able to secure redress of
their grievances. This is Mr. Gerard, the Ambassador of the United
States of America to Germany. Mr. Gerard