"Then what is the trouble?"
The officer did not reply, but looked in my direction.
"Madam," I said, stepping forward, "please do not torture yourself thus. Really, Herr von Hagen, it's so easy to say that you have been sent to arrest me."
There was a pause.
"Is that true, sir?" said the Grand Duchess. Hagen hung his head.
"Can you explain the reason for this arrest?"
"Madam," said Hagen, recovering himself a little, "I am a soldier and can only carry out my orders without questioning them. But it is not difficult to understand. Monsieur Vignerte is French, and moreover, an officer. France is mobilizing against us. We are told that French aviators have already bombed ..."
"You are a soldier, sir, and obey the orders you receive," the Grand Duchess interrupted. "That is as it should be, but are you quite sure that you didn't suggest this particular order yourself?"
Hagen didn't answer, but the look of hatred he gave me was eloquent enough.
The Grand Duchess turned to me sharply and said: