"Have no present fear, Fraulein," said the count in German. "He has not yet been allowed to return to his rooms at the hotel in Merz. That is all."
"He is a prisoner at the house up yonder, yes?" the major asked, with a shrug.
"Not a prisoner. A guest," replied the count. "General Stultz is still friendly. The Hauptman von Brenner," and he smiled, "is teaching the general some American card game, I believe. The whole staff is card-crazy. They have little else to do but play."
"And what plans have you already made for Fraulein Ruth?" queried Major Marchand.
"While she remains under this roof she will pass as Frau Krause's niece. But in the morning she will be furnished an outfit I have secured, and she shall enter Merz as a very different person."
"Oh, dear!" murmured Ruth. "Another disguise?"
"You could scarcely continue in your present dress and escape discovery—by daylight," the count said dryly.
This fact was, of course, patent. Ruth was only too glad that the voluminous cloak covered her completely.
The count led her up two flights of stairs to a tiny, neat chamber under the roof. It was evidently a domestic's bedroom.
"Put the uniform outside the door, Fraulein, when you remove it. It must be hidden," whispered the count. "You will find night apparel on the chair. The good Frau Krause has thought of everything."