The boy moved toward the door as he spoke, but the brawny detective obstructed his passage to the outer room.  Ned drew back with a smile on his face.

“You can’t leave here just at present,” said the detective.  “You will remain in custody until morning.”

“Why morning?” asked Ned, with alight laugh.

“Because your accuser will be here then.”

“Why didn’t you say something of an accuser before?” asked Ned.

“It was not necessary.”

“What does the accuser say?”

“He only warns us against delivering important papers to a youth answering your description.”

“Now I understand why all this rumpus has been kicked up!” cried the marine officer.  “The man who warned you is Lieutenant Rae?”

The detective nodded.

“Then he is causing us to be delayed for purposes of his own,” the officer stormed.  “He aims to get to Peking in advance of us.  We must be permitted to depart immediately.”

He moved toward the door, but the detective stood in his way.  Without a word he seized the fellow by the shoulder whirled him around, put his beery face to the wall, and passed out of the room.  Ned was about to follow him when the strange attitude of the detective caught his attention and he stood waiting while a scuffle on the outside told of a physical complication there.

“Much good that break will do him,” said the detective, straightening out his twisted coat collar.  “He will find a squad of police at the street door.”

“European police?” asked Ned.

“Native police,” with a snarl of rage as the commotion in the outer room continued.

Knowing that it would be no trouble at all to secure the release by any American officer taken into custody by Chinese police, Ned turned to the window and looked out on the court.  He understood, too, that his own arrest would mean a long delay in prison while his identity was being established.  So he thought best to keep out of the squabble the hot-headed officer had engaged in.

How sane this decision was only those foreign citizens who had been arrested and cast into prison in China or Russia can appreciate.  While an accredited officer of a foreign power may almost instantly regain his liberty, a plain citizen, such as Ned was forced to appear, might be kept in jail for any number of days, weeks, or months.

The detective stood glaring at the two boys for an instant, as if anxious to inflict physical punishment upon them, but, as they remained at the window and said no more to him, he was obliged to take a different course.  After rapping out several insulting observations concerning school children who ought to be spanked and put to bed, he flung himself out of the room.

“You saw Hans?” asked Ned, then.

Jimmie opened his eyes in amazement.

“Did you?” he asked.

“I saw the tousled head you saw,” replied Ned.