Lucy bent over and stroked her hot forehead, forgetful of German scheming.
“See, Adelheid, I have brought you some milk,” she said. “And if you are a good girl and drink it all I will give you something nicer.” She turned to Trudchen at sound of the little boys’ footsteps in the bedroom. “They had better not come near their sister. Go in to them, if you want to. I’ll stay a while with Adelheid.” Something more than usually troubled in Trudchen’s eyes made her add reassuringly, “Don’t be anxious about Adelheid. She’s a lot better already.”
“No, no, Fräulein, I am not afraid for her now,” declared Trudchen, trying to smile, but as she spoke her voice trembled and involuntarily she cast a glance from the window across the clearing, where the snow now began to glitter beneath the first rays of the sun.
“Is she afraid Franz will come back and find me here, or what is it?” Lucy asked herself with nervous irritation. “Oh, I can’t wait to tell it all to Bob!”
CHAPTER IX
BOB AND ELIZABETH
The result of Lucy’s talk with her brother was that Bob repeated the whole to his father when he visited General Gordon’s house in Coblenz the day after Adelheid’s illness. General Gordon was so busy with the establishment of order in the Rhineland and the disposition of troops and staff that Bob felt he listened with but one ear to his revelations. And in spite of Bob’s certainty that something was decidedly wrong in Franz’ behavior he realized that, as he told it, the facts sounded meagre and unconvincing.
“What is it you suspect the man of—stirring up rebellion? There are rumors of disaffection about here—some clash between the Rhineland and the German government,” said General Gordon, looking over the papers on his desk as he spoke.
“I don’t exactly suspect him of that, or of anything,” said Bob uncertainly. “But it’s evident that he’s conspiring, and oughtn’t we to know what about?”
“Yes, if he really is. But, after all, what have you proved? That he meets friends clandestinely in the forest——”