And Frederic!  Always her perturbed imaginings led back to Frederic, to the terrible fate that lay in store for him, to the awfulness of war that had put between them an impassable gulf of blood and guilt and treachery that, in spite of their love for each other, kept them at cross purposes and made them enemies.  Why, she vaguely wondered, must governments disagree and start wars and make men hate and kill each other?  What was it all for?

In the midst of her mental wanderings she became conscious that Fleck was speaking to Carter.

“I’ll stay here with Miss Strong and the prisoners,” he was saying.  “While we are waiting for the men to return with the cars, you’d better make a search of the house.”

“Why not wait until daylight for that?” suggested Carter.

“It is not safe,” the chief objected.  “To-night is the time to do it.  A plot important enough to have the especial attention of the war office in Berlin must have many important persons involved in it.  Somebody with money in New York, some influential German sympathizer, must have helped old Hoff set up these aeroplanes here and equip his shop.  Some chemical plant supplied the material for those bombs.  It must have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars to carry the plan to completion.  Men rich enough and powerful enough to have put through this plot are powerful enough to be still dangerous.  The minute word reaches the city that the plan has miscarried there will be some one up here posthaste to destroy or remove any damaging evidence we may have overlooked.  Now is the time to do our searching.”

“You’re right, Chief,” Carter admitted.  “It would not surprise me if there is not a wireless plant here.  I’ll soon find out.”

“Let me help,” cried Jane.

Her nerves were suffering from a sharp reaction.  All through the excitement of the attack she had remained calm and collected, but now she felt that if she remained another minute in the same room with the two bodies, if she stayed near that row of shackled prisoners, if she should chance to catch Frederic’s eye, she either would burst into hysterical weeping or would collapse entirely.  If only there was some activity in which she could engage it might serve to divert the current of maddening thoughts that kept overwhelming her.  With something to do she might regain her self-control.

“Please let me help Mr. Carter,” she begged.

“Certainly,” said Fleck, “go ahead.  You have earned the right to do anything you wish to-night.”

Guided by the light of an electric torch Carter and she quickly made their way to the upper floor.  In most of the rooms they found only cheap cots with blankets, evidently the sleeping quarters of the workmen, but in one of the rooms was a desk, and from it a ladder led to an unfinished attic.  Boldly climbing the ladder and flashing their torch about they quickly located a high-powered wireless outfit.  It was mounted on a sliding shelf by which it could be quickly concealed in a secret cupboard, but evidently the plotters had felt so secure from intrusion in their retreat that they had been in the habit of leaving it exposed.