the servant
left the room, but almost as soon as he had gone she was on her feet,
clasping my hands.

"Francis!" she whispered in English in a great sob, "oh, Francis! what
have they done to you to make you look like that?"

I gripped her wrist tightly.

"Frau Graefin," I said in German, still in that hideous patois, "you must
be calm." And I whispered in English in her ear:

"Monica, be brave! And talk German whatever you do."

She regained her self-possession at once.

"I understand," she answered, sitting down at her desk again; "it is
more prudent."

And for the rest of the time we spoke in German.

"Desmond?" I asked.

"Locked up in Grundt's bedroom," she replied. "I met them pushing him
along the corridor--it was horrible! Grundt won't let him out of his
sight. Oh, it was madness to have come. If only I could have warned
you!"

"What is Grundt doing here?" I asked. "And those soldiers and that
officer?"

"My dear," she answered, and her eyes flashed mischief in a sudden
change of mood, "I'm in preventive arrest!"

"But, Monica...."

"Listen! Gerry and that spying man-servant of his made trouble. When Des
went off that evening and didn't come back, Gerry insisted that we
should notify the police. He made an awful scene, then the valet chipped
in, and from what he said I knew he meant mischief. I didn't dare trust
Gerry with the truth, so I let him send a note to the police. They came
round and asked a lot of questions and went away again, so I thought
we'd heard the last of it and came up here. Gerry wouldn't come. He's
gone off to Baden-Baden on some new cure.

"About a week ago the Chief Magistrate at Cleves, who is an old friend
of ours, motored over, and after a lot of talk, blurted out that I was
to consider myself under arrest, and that an officer and a detachment of
men from Goch were coming over to guard the house. The magistrate man
would have told me anything I wanted to know, but he knew nothing: he
simply carried out his orders. Then the lieutenant and his men arrived,
and since that time I have been a prisoner in the house and grounds. I
was terribly scared about Des until Grundt arrived suddenly, two nights
ago, and I saw at once by his face that Des was still at large. But,
Francis, that Clubfoot man came here to catch Des ... and he has simply
walked into the trap."

"And Desmond?" I asked. "What is Clubfoot going to do about him?"

"He was with Des for about an hour in his roo