And finally came the voice of the woman again: “I told you there was no one here.”
But apparently the German officer in command was not yet satisfied.
“Have you searched the attic?” he demanded of his men; “and the cellar?”
“There is no one in the cellar,” came a voice in reply, “and there is no attic.”
“I’ll have a look for myself,” came the reply, and heavy footsteps ascended the stairs into the room directly beneath Hal and Chester. There came to the lads’ ears the sounds of heavy blows against the floor on which they lay. Evidently the German officer was making sure that there was not an opening in the ceiling of the room below. But after a while he desisted. The boys heard him descend the stairs, and a few moments later the sound of his voice:
“There is no one up there.”
Both lads drew a breath of relief. A moment more and a slamming door gave evidence that the Germans had departed.
“I was afraid he would locate the trap-door,” said Hal to Chester, after they had gone.
“Same here,” replied Chester. “But I wasn’t going to let them take me without a fight. Only one man could get up here at a time, and we could certainly dispose of him.”
“Yes, but they could starve us out, or set fire to the house or something, which would be worse than being captured. Besides, we couldn’t let the woman who has aided us come to harm.”