Patsy was thinking very fast now.
"Could Henderson get to Charleroi, do you imagine?" she asked. "He has a passport."
"We do not consider passports of much value," said the officer; "but a Red Cross appointment—"
"Oh, he has that, too; all our men carry them."
"In that case, with my friend Rondel to guide him, I believe Henderson could accomplish your errand."
"Let us send for him at once!" exclaimed Uncle John.
Carg scribbled on a card.
"He wouldn't leave the launch without orders, unless forced by the Germans," asserted the captain, and handed the card to von Holtz.
The young lieutenant took his cap, bowed profoundly and left the room. In ten minutes he returned, saying: "I am not so fortunate as I had thought. All our troops are on the move, headed for the Yser. There will be fighting, presently, and—I must remain here," he added despondently.