“We must give them time to quiet down,” she said. “They sound quite hysterical, and it would be dangerous to be discovered just now. Perhaps we would better find a sheltered spot and get some sleep. I shall need my wits clear in the morning.”
It was fortunate for us that the French use the basements of their churches for burying purposes, for by crawling behind a marble sarcophagus we found a sort of cave made by the debris. Owing to that protection the grenades the enemy threw into the cellar did no harm whatever, save to waken Tish from a sound sleep.
“Drat them anyhow!” she said. “I was just dreaming that Mr. Ostermaier had declined a raise in his salary.”
“Tish,” I said, “suppose they find Aggie?”
“Aggie’s got more brains than you think she has,” was her comment. “She hates dying about as much as most people. My own private opinion is and has been that she went back to our lines hours ago.”
“Tish!” I exclaimed. “Then why——”
“I just want to try a little experiment,” she said drowsily, and was immediately asleep.
At last I slept myself, and when we wakened it was daylight, and the Germans were in full possession of the town. They inspected the church building overhead, but left it quickly; and Tish drew a keen deduction from that.
“Well, that’s something in our favor,” she said. “Evidently they’re afraid the thing will fall in on them.”