As a matter of fact, the three boys were held virtually as captives, in a part of the building given over to the secret service work of the war.  They had been escorted to the place by the orderly, who had instructions to treat his prisoners with consideration, and he had done that.

“This is one of our—­er—­best—­apartments,” he said, with an air of hesitation, as though he had been about to call it a cell but had thought better of it.  “I hope you will be comfortable here.”

“We might be if we knew what was going to happen to us and what it’s all about,” returned Blake, with a grim smile.

“That is information I could not give you, were I at liberty to do so, sir,” answered the orderly.  “Your solicitor will act for you, I have no doubt.”

Following the advice of Captain Bedell, the boys had communicated with some of their moving picture friends in London, with the result that a solicitor, or lawyer, as he would be called in the United States, promised to act for the boys.  He was soon to call to see them, and, meanwhile, they were waiting in their “apartment.”

“I wonder how it all happened?” mused Joe, as he looked from one of the barred windows at the not very cheerful prospect of roofs and chimneys.

“And what is the charge?” asked Charlie.  “We can’t even find that out.”

“It practically amounts to being charged with being spies,” said Blake.  “That is what I gather from the way we are being treated.  We are held as spies!”

“And Uncle Sam is fighting for the Allies!” cried Joe.

“Oh, well, it’s all a mistake, of course, and we can explain it as soon as we get a chance and have the United States consul give us a certificate of good character,” went on Blake.  “That’s what we’ve got to have our lawyer do when he comes—­talk with the United States consul.”

“Well, I wish he’d hurry and come,” remarked Joe.  “It is no fun being detained here.  I want to get to the front and see some action.  Our cameras will get rusty if we don’t use them.”

“That’s right,” agreed Macaroni.

It was not until the next day, however, that a solicitor came, explaining that he had been delayed after getting the message from the boys.  The lawyer, as Blake and his friends called him, proved to be a genial gentleman who sympathized with the boys.

He had been in New York, knew something about moving pictures, and, best of all, understood the desire of the American youths to be free and to get into action.

“The first thing to be done,” said Mr. Dorp, the solicitor, “is to find out the nature of the charge against you, and who made it.  Then we will be in a position to act.  I’ll see Captain Bedell at once.”

This he did, with the result that the boys were taken before the officer, who smiled at them, said he was sorry for what had happened, but that he had no choice in the matter.

“As for the nature of the charge against you, it is this,” he said.  “It was reported to us that you came here to get pictures of British defenses to be sold to Germany, and that your desire to go to the front, to get views of and for the American army, was only a subterfuge to cover your real purpose.”