He drew a breath. It was a long shot. Would it draw her?
It did. Nur-el-Din fumbled in her bag, produced a leather pocket-book and from it produced a slip of paper folded in two.
“Read that!” she cried, “and then you shall apologize!”
Desmond took the paper. It was a sheet torn from a book of German military field messages. “Meldedienst” (Message Service) was printed in German at the top and there were blanks to be filled in for the date, hour and place, and at the bottom a printed form of acknowledgment for the recipient to sign.
In a large ostentatious, upright German handwriting was written what follows:
“To All Whom it May Concern.
“The lady who is the bearer of this, whose description is set out overleaf, is entitled to the full respect and assistance of the German forces on land and sea and in the air, wherever it may be. Her person and property are inviolate.
“Given At Our Headquarters at Metz
“Friedrich Wilhelm
“Kronprinz des
“Deutschen Reiches.”
Across the signature was the impress of a green stamp, lozenge-shaped, inscribed “Headquarters of the Fifth Army, General Staff, 21st September, 1914.”
On the back of the slip was a detailed description of Nur-el-Din.