“I can’t imagine,” replied Sidney. “It must be a mistake. I am sure he will be released right away.”
“I guess mother was right when she thought Russia was a dangerous country; here we’ve come straight from the ship without stopping anywhere, and couldn’t have done any mischief if we had wanted to, and yet father has been arrested before we have been here an hour.”
“Well,” said Sidney, “it will probably come out all right, and we will be laughing about it to-morrow. But we’d better go back to the hotel, so if father sends a message we shall be there to receive it, or maybe he will come himself.”
With that idea to encourage them, the boys hurried back to the hotel and went directly to their room. Mr. Porter had selected connecting rooms, and their one trunk was placed in the room which he had expected to occupy. When the boys entered they found a man in uniform directing the removal of the trunk by two porters.
“Has my father sent for his trunk?” asked Sidney eagerly.
“Yes,” said the officer with an amused smile, and in English with a strong foreign accent, “he has sent for the trunk.”
“Did he send us any message?”
“No; he sent no message.”
Meantime the men had carried the trunk out into the corridor, and the boys followed in their eagerness to get news of their father. The officer turned and said sharply,—
“Do not follow. Remain here.”