"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, because that's the first thing he asked me for, this afternoon.
All our stuff that Austin had, his widow burned with his other papers.
She said he told her to if anything happened to him. And you know I
brought yours back, as I promised. What Gustav may have sent him I don't
know, but evidently not satisfactory drawings or he wouldn't have been
so keen to get more!"

"I wonder about the new engine," mused Roger. "Well, I have little fear
of that. Gustav isn't enough of an engineer to guess what he doesn't
see. He couldn't make a drawing of the idea of that engine to save his
neck. And Dean Erskine's got the only plan I ever finished of it."

"I'm sure you're safe on that," insisted Ernest.

"I think I am," agreed Roger, "and now, Ernest, I want to know how I can
square up with you for my attack on you the other night."

Ernest looked up at Roger and the sullen look which even his tears had
not washed out lifted a little.

"You mean--?" he asked.

"I mean that I had no business attacking you as I did. It was a rotten
trick and I'm ashamed and sorry. My temper has been a brutal thing and
you've always put up with it. If we can clear this thing up, I'm going
to do better by you, Ern."

There was a curious look in Ernest's beautiful eyes. "Do you know, I
hoped for twenty years you'd get to see yourself in that light," he
spoke thoughtfully. "What you've just said does away with any resentment
I may have had about your temper, Roger. As for the other thing--" He
paused.

"Ern, how could you do it?" asked Roger huskily.

"Before heaven, Roger, I did it solely for love of you. And you know I
was brought up on admiration of Germany. I honestly thought that we
could make you see it as I do. I've been seeing for days what a skunk
trick it must have looked to you, but this obstinate streak in me
wouldn't let me give up until Werner slanged America. Rog, I'll make it
up to you somehow so you'll trust me again! See if I don't!"

"I'll trust you fast enough, old man, if you'll assure me that you're
through with this superman stuff. Are you an American or a German,
Ern?"

With a smile of extraordinary sweetness, Ernest put a hand on Roger's
shoulder and said in a voice of utter sincerity, "I'm whatever you are,
Roger. Thy country shall be my country and thy God, my God. After all,
what is a man's country but the place of his loves and his friendships?
And America has all of mine, Roger, all o