"But say, isn't it pretty late for a farmhouse to be lighted up like
that?"

"Depend on it, there's some good reason for all that illumination," Jack
was told. "And perhaps we'd better drop this talking so much, now we're
getting close to the place. No telling what we'll find there. For all we
know this may be some one's headquarters, though pretty far back of the
line for that sort of thing. But I think it'll turn out to be something
more than ordinary."

It did.

Jack began to weave all manner of fantastic explanations to account for
the illumination of the house alongside the road to Metz.

He felt he would not be very much astonished to discover a line of
military cars standing at the gate, and find that an important council
of war was being conducted within the building.

Then he remembered the crying and sobbing. Somehow, that did not seem to
fit in with his other imaginings. The touch of Tom's hand on his arm
made Jack give a violent start.

"Here's a high fence, you notice," Tom whispered. "Seeing that makes me
believe it's going to turn out to be a country estate, and not just a
farm. We ought to find a gate somewhere further along."

"That crying has stopped, Tom."

"For the time being, yes," admitted the other. "Perhaps she's only gone
away from the open window. I was in hopes it would keep on, so we could
be guided straight."

Two minutes later, after walking alongside the high fence for some
distance, they discovered the entrance to the place. Tom flashed his
light on the ground.

"Been considerable going in and coming out of vehicles, generally
automobiles," he announced.

"And private cars are almost taboo in all Germany these dark days, they
tell us," mentioned Jack sagely. "That makes it look as if some sort of
military business might be transacted in this isolated place. Gee! I
tell you it's getting my curiosity whetted to a fine point, all this
mystery. But we're going in, of course, Tom?"

"Some way or other, Jack. If the entrance is closed and locked we can
climb over the fence, all right. But no need of worrying about that,
because I already see the gates are ajar. Come on."

So they slipped into the enclosed grounds, actuated by an impulse,
wholly unconscious of what might be awaiting them. They had been drawn
into the adventure simply on account of a praiseworthy desire to be of
service to some unknown one who seemed to be in trouble. And neither of
the boys even vaguely suspe