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Jabez Holt stood behind the desk, bent over the register, on which the Professor's name had been the only new one in a week. The old landlord pretended to be busy, but he was covertly watching and listening. "Sit here?" repeated Professor Radberg. "Ach, no! Come along with me."
Thrusting a fat hand down deep in a trousers pocket, Herr Professor Radberg brought up into view a big roll of money. He held this up so that the submarine boy could feast his eyes on it. Jack looked, composedly. "Did you ever see anything like this you, who are such a young boy?" smiled the German, teasingly.
"You insult me!" cried the German, his face growing red. "I am a patriot." "Yet, you insult us by thinking that we would sell our country," went on Hal, coolly. "Are you two going to be as big fools as your captain?" demanded Herr Professor Radberg, almost incredulously. "Bigger!" promised Eph, with a grin. "Ach!
Now, go ahead, please, and tell me why you invited me here." There was something of salt water breeziness and crispness about Jack's speech that caused the German's brow to cloud for an instant. Then, after a visible effort to compose himself, Radberg leaned forward to ask: "Do you speak German?" "No, sir." Jack shook his head.
"Important to me, or to you?" asked Jack, thoughtfully. He had no intention of answering a much older man disrespectfully. But there was about Herr Radberg the air of a man who expects his greatness to be recognized at a glance, and who demands obedience from common people as a right. This sort of thing didn't fit well with the American boy.
"You might need it in looking for us," Eph replied. "Then, in one hour, I shall see you at the hotel!" "You'll be lucky, if you do," grinned Eph. "Eh? I do not know that I understand," responded Herr Professor Radberg, slowly. "If you're figuring on seeing us," Eph went on, gravely, "I'm afraid you're in for bad news." "Bad news? Ach! What do you mean, young man?" "Just what I said," replied Eph.
Herr Radberg was a good enough reader of human faces to realize that, at all events, there was no use in continuing the conversation at present. "Very good," he growled. "You can go. I shall see your friends, instead." "When you get through with 'em you'll think they're idiots," grinned Captain Jack Benson. Herr Radberg wasn't a fool. Neither was he a rascal, expert in offering bribes.
But not the way that you would wish, Herr Professor Radberg. There may be soldiers of fortune who follow any flag, for hire. But we submarine boys would not enter your German naval service if you created all three of us high admirals at the outset." "Admirals?" cried Herr Professor Radberg, protestingly. "Oh, but that, my dear young friend, would be quite impossible."
"Then come back to the hotel with me." "You are a foreigner, aren't you?" asked Jack, surveying the stranger coolly. "I am German," replied Radberg, in a tone of surprise. "I thought so," nodded the boy. "That is, I didn't know from what country you came. But, in this country, when we ask a favor of a stranger, we usually say 'please." "I am Herr Professor "
Captain Jack Benson quickly detailed the meetings with Radberg and d'Ouray. "The Frenchman didn't look a bit like a 'shovelee' either," muttered Eph. "If anything, that looked more in the German's line." "Well, you'll have a chance to get rid of nonsense, now, for a while," went on Mr. Farnum, after having enjoyed a few laughs with the boys.
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