"You are now on your way home?"
"Yes."
"When will you leave Germany?"
"I am going from here to Aix-la-Chapelle in the morning, and expect to leave there for Brussels to-morrow afternoon or Sunday morning at the latest."
The officer noted these details in his book.
"At what hotel will you stay in Aachen?" he asked.
"I don't know. Is there a good one near the station?"
"The Kölner Hof is near the station. It is not large, but it is very good. It is starred by Baedeker."
"Then I will go there," said Stewart.
"Very good," and the officer wrote, "Kölner Hof, Aachen," after Stewart's name, closed his notebook and slipped it into his pocket. "You understand, sir, that it is our duty to keep watch over all strangers, as much for their own protection as for any other reason."