"And you, my friend?"
"No. They say so, but I'm not."
"They say so, and they will have their way. Ah, well! They say also, that it is a sweet and comely thing to die for one's country. I always thought I should die in my boots."
"Can they prove it against you?"
"A scrap of paper! They can't read it, but what matters that? A note in cipher is evidence enough. But I shall not die unavenged: they are crying in the streets that war is declared, and I fancy that Emperor William has bitten a little more than he can chew. What brings you to this deplorable extremity?"
"I don't know: a private enemy, I think."
"Well, the rain falls on the just and the unjust. I'm sorry for you. Haven't you any friend, though, who can get this door unlocked?"
Kenneth explained briefly what had happened. Then, feeling a strange liking for his companion, he added:
"When you came in, I was wondering about the chances of escape."
"A waste of brain tissue, unless you have some talisman. But tell me, you have some definite idea?"