“What is your address?”
“The night before last I was a guest of your Department in the fortress of Kreuzstadt. Last night I stayed at the house of my friend, General von Eckerstein. To-night I meant to ask Ladislas to put me up; and to-morrow I might be on my way to God’s country once more. As it is, I shall return to the Hotel Vladimir, unless of course you have any——” and I waved my hand to indicate that he might like to finish the sentence.
“My instructions are to send all who come to this house to the Department. One of my men will accompany you.”
“I am ready,” I answered, curtly. “It is a pity you did not act on your instructions before and save time, instead of trying to trick me into admissions.”
“You can make your explanations there, sir, and lodge any complaint you please,” he replied; and in a few minutes I was on my way to the Department in charge of one of his subordinates.
“You are an Englishman?” he said, after he had been eyeing me very curiously for some time.
“Yes, with no great opinion of your methods of government.”
“From London?”
“Yes, from London.”
“I have been in London,” he answered in excellent English.