," the lad said. "You have my promise not to attempt to
escape before tomorrow night."

"And mine," said Jack.

"And mine," declared Harris.

"Very well. Then I shall leave you for the moment."

The man stalked from the room and closed the door behind him.

CHAPTER XXIV

THE BOYS BECOME UNEASY

For some moments after the officer had taken his departure, there was
silence in the room. Then Harris exclaimed:

"Now what do you think of that?"

"Well, I don't hardly know what to think of it," Jack replied. "Frank
took most of the talking on himself. When he gave his parole there was
nothing left for me but to do likewise."

"That's what I thought. Otherwise I wouldn't have given mine," said
Harris.

"It may not be too late to call him back and tell him so," said Frank.
"I did the talking because neither of you seemed to want to do it. You
didn't have to give your parole unless you wanted to. I didn't ask you
to do it."

"Come now, don't get mad, Frank," said Jack.

"I'm not mad. I'm just telling you what I think. Certainly it can do us
no harm. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose."

"That's so, too, when you stop to think of it," Harris agreed.

"Well, I stopped to think of it," said Frank. "You fellows didn't.
That's the difference."

"But who on earth can he be?" exclaimed Harris. "He seems to know you
two, all right."

"There is something strangely familiar about him," said Frank, "but I
can't place him."

"Nor I," admitted Jack, "though, as you say, there is something
familiar about him."

"Seems to me that if I knew a man I could tell you who he was," said
Harris.

"Seems so to me, too," declared Frank, "but I can't."

"Well," said Jack, "I'm not as credulous as you are, Frank. I wager he
is not doing this to help us out. I'll bet we land in Berlin and stay
there until the end of the war."

"By Jove! Let's hope not," said Harris. "Still, all things considered,
I'm of your way of thinking."

"If he was telling the truth," said Jack, "he would have let us know
who he is. There was no reason for telling us he was English and then
concealing his identity."

"I can't see any reason," Frank admitted, "but at the same time I
believe he was telling the truth."

The conversation languished. Frank curled himself up on a sofa at the
far side of the room and sought a little rest. Jack dozed in his chair.
Harris also could hardly keep his eyes open.

They were still in this cond