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"Who are you?" demanded the man, "and where are you going?" To Chester's great relief, he spoke in German, and the lad replied in the same language, which he spoke without an accent. "I am on an errand for the ambassador, sir. A prisoner has recently escaped, and I am bearing word to the outposts to be on the watch for him." "Hm-m-m," muttered the officer.
But he muttered to himself, as he selected a cigarette and passed the pack on to Chester: "Here is where smoking a cigarette may save our lives." Chester's mind followed along on this course, and, after passing the pack back to Jean, and accepting a match, both lads lighted up in most approved fashion.
De l'Isle and Alexandre arose, and M. Castanado asked aloud if there was any of the company who could not return a week from that evening. No one was so unlucky. "But!" cried Mme. Alexandre, "why not to my parlor?" "Because!" said Mme. Castanado, to Chester's vivid enlightenment, "every week-day, all day, you have mademoiselle with you."
But the door was unlocked and gave before the boy's weight, and as, after passing safely through it, he turned to close it in the faces of his enemies, one man blocked him, his arm raised to fire. But Chester's revolver rang out first. The lad had fired from his hip, and the man went sprawling. The lad turned his weapon on the others who now rushed toward him, and fired three rapid shots.
He saw Hal approach, and raised his sword, taking a step forward. At the same moment, Edna, who had in the meantime dragged Chester's inert body out of harm's way, stepped into the room. His face red with fury, the German officer took another stride forward, and thrust. The blade passed through Hal's guard and through the side of his open coat, grazing his body.
Several times he thought he recognized the man by his peculiar build, but in each case he soon found another that looked just the same in the crowd. Jean also, at Chester's request, had put his keen eyes to the test; but he was no more fortunate. However, both realized that, some place in that crowd Duval had his eyes on them.
With the arrival at Erley Chase came more pleasant surprises, for she was not carried upstairs, but into a room on the ground floor, which was ordinarily used as Mrs Chester's boudoir, and had been transformed into the most cheerful and delightful of bedrooms.
A single example will show this. Let the reader compare the account of the peacock with the following stanza from Chester's "Love's Martyr": "The proud sun-braving peacocke with his feathers, Walkes all along, thinking himself a king, And with his voice prognosticates all weathers, Although, God knows, but badly he doth sing; But when he looks downe to his base blacke feete, He droopes and is asham'd of things unmeet."
"Well," said Hal to Chester, when they were again on the outside, "what shall we do now?" "I guess we might as well hunt up our mothers," was Chester's reply. Accordingly they turned and hurried in the direction of the hotel where, the evening before, they had outwitted Uncle John. Uncle John was standing just inside the entrance of the hotel.
When he is at work he is all right, or when he is at play, so far as that goes. He is never so happy and so entirely himself as when he is among congenial friends, unless it is when over a good book, or off hunting or fishing. These crazy drinking spells come on at Christmas or Thanksgiving time, or on some Sunday, when he is at home with his family." Mrs. Chester's face had flushed painfully.
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