“You have told him,” said the general in good English, squinting now more rapidly than ever, “and your manner of speech proves you to be impostors.  I have never known a respectable Red Cross nurse, of any country, who called a distinguished officer a fool—­and to his face.”

“I didn’t know you understood English,” she said.

“That is no excuse!”

“But I did know,” she added, “that I had judged you correctly.  No one with a spark of intelligence could doubt the evidence of these papers.”

“The papers are all right.  Where did you get them?”

“From the proper authorities.”

He turned to speak rapidly in German to Colonel Grau, who had been uneasy during the conversation in English, because he failed to understand it.  His expression of piquant surprise was intensified as he now turned to the Americans.

“You may as well confess your imposture,” said he.  “It will make your punishment lighter.  However, if on further examination you prove to be spies, your fate is beyond my power to mitigate.”

“See here,” said Uncle John, when this was translated to him, “if you dare to interfere with us, or cause us annoyance, I shall insist on your being courtmartialed.  You are responsible to your superiors, I suppose, and they dare not tolerate an insult to the Red Cross, nor to an American citizen.  You may have the sense to consider that if these papers and letters are genuine, as I declare they are, I have friends powerful enough to bring this matter before the Kaiser himself, in which case someone will suffer a penalty, even if he is a general or a colonel.”

As he spoke he glared defiantly at the older officer, who calmly proceeded to translate the speech to the colonel.  Carg reported that it was translated verbatim.  Then the general sat back and squinted at his companion, who seemed fairly bewildered by the threat.  Patsy caught the young officer smothering a smile, but neither of them interrupted the silence that followed.

Once again the colonel picked up the papers and gave them a rigid examination, especially that of the German ambassador, which was written in his own language.  “I cannot understand,” he muttered, “how one insignificant American citizen could secure such powerful endorsements.  It has never happened before in my experience.”

“It is extraordinary,” said the general.

“Mr. Merrick,” said Patsy to him, “is a very important man in America.  He is so important that any indignity to him will be promptly resented.”

“I will investigate your case further,” decided Colonel Grau, after another sotto voce conference with the general.  “Spies are getting to be very clever, these days, and we cannot take chances.  However, I assure you there is no disposition to worry you and until your standing is determined you will be treated with every consideration.”

“Do you mean that we are prisoners?” asked Uncle John, trying to control his indignation.