"Silence!" cried Chester again. "Your key, if you please."
Again the man seemed on the point of protesting, and Chester stepped quickly toward him.
"Your key," he said again, and extended his hand.
The clerk's hand reached to his pocket, and he extended a key to Chester.
"Yes, Herr Captain," he said humbly.
"Now lead the way to our room," commanded Chester, "and in future know that when an officer of the emperor commands, it is for you to obey."
"Yes, Herr Captain," said the man as he led the way toward the rear of the hotel.
There he preceded Hal and Chester up a flight of stairs and turned to the left. They walked down a long hall until they reached a door at the extreme end. Here the guide stopped, turned to Chester and opened his mouth to speak.
"Silence!" said Chester sharply. "Open the door."
The hotel clerk shrugged his shoulders in a manner that meant he washed his hands of the outcome and tried the knob of the door. The door swung inward and the clerk stood aside to allow Hal and Chester to pass.