the latest developments in your case.
There's nothing in the paper this morning about the affair at the
Esplanade. But then, these things are always hushed up."

"He'll hardly say much in the circumstances," I objected "After all,
the Kaiser is involved...."

"My dear Des, opinion of feminine intelligence in military circles in
this country is so low that the women in the army set at Court are very
often far better informed than the General Staff. Von Boden will tell me
all I want to know."

What a girl she was!

"About your friend, the clubfooted man," she went on, "I'm rather
puzzled. He must be a person of considerable importance to be fetched by
special train straight into the Emperor's private apartments, where very
few people ever penetrate, I assure you. But I've never heard of him.
He's certainly not a Court official. Nor is he the head of the Political
Police ... that's Henninger, a friend of Karl's. Still, there are people
of great importance working in dark places in this country and I guess
Clubfoot must be one of them.

"Now, I think I ought to take you into Gerry. I want to speak to you
about him, Des. I daren't tell him who you are. Gerry's not himself.
He's been a nervous wreck ever since his accident and I can't trust him.
He's a very conventional man and his principles would never hear of me
harbouring a ... a ..."

"Spy?" I suggested.

"No, a friend," she corrected. "So you'll just have to be a male nurse,
I guess. A German-American would be best, I think, as you'll have to
read the German papers to Gerry--he doesn't know a word of German. Then,
you must have a name of some kind...."

"Frederick Meyer," I suggested promptly, "from Pittsburg. It'll have to
be Pittsburg: Francis went there for a bit, you know: he wrote me a lot
about the place and I've seen pictures of it, too. It's the only
American city I know anything about."

"Let it be Meyer from Pittsburg, then," smiled Monica, "but you've got a
terrible English accent, Des. I guess we'll have to tell Gerry you were
years nursing in London before the war."

She hesitated a moment, then added:

"Des, I'm afraid you'll find Gerry very trying. He's awfully irritable
and ... and very spiteful. So you must be careful not to give yourself
away."

I had only met the brother once and my recollection of him was of a good
looking, rather spoilt young man. He had been brought up entirely in the
States by the Long Island uncle whose great fort