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His car had been delivered to the hotel, and the Oberleutnant assured him that it had been

properly serviced and supplied with a tank full of petrol. They parted warm friends; and Lanny

stayed in Berlin only long enough to pay his hotel bill and send telegrams to Rahel in Juan, to

his father in Newcastle, to his mother and his wife in England: "Leaving for Crillon Paris hopeful

of success notify friends all well." He dared say no more, except to ask Irma to meet him in Paris.

He knew that they must have been in an agony of dread about him, but he wouldn't make any

explanations until he was out of Germany and had got Freddi out. There would be a chance

that an old-style Teutonic freebooter might get some additional information and change his

mind. The Hellstein family in Paris might "come across," or the Gestapo in Munich might

unearth the story of the attempted jailbreak.

Or had they already done so, and had the Minister-Präsident of Prussia tactfully refrained from

mentioning the subject? No chance to fathom the mind of that master of intrigue, that

wholesale killer of men! At some time in the course of the past two weeks of madness and

murder he had found time to take note that he had an American playboy in his clutches, and to

figure out a way to make use of him. Lanny shook with horror every time he recalled those

minutes in the torture-chamber; nor was the experience a particle less dreadful because he now

perceived that it had been a piece of stageplay, designed to get his help in extorting some

millions of marks, possibly some scores of millions of marks, from a family of Jewish bankers.

IV

Lanny didn't feel very much like driving, but he didn't want to leave his car to the Nazis, so he

stuck it out, and drove steadily, with a mind full of horrors, not much relieved by hope. The Nazi

General, who had cheated him several times, might do it again; and anyhow, Lanny had come to a

state of mind where he wasn't satisfied to get one Jewish friend out of the clutches of the

terror. He wanted to save all the Jews; he wanted to wake up Europe to the meaning of this

moral insanity which had broken out in its midst. The gemütliche German Volk had fallen into

the hands of gangsters, the most terrible in all history because they were armed with modern

science. Lanny echoed the feelings of the "simple S.A. man" of whom Goebbels had told, who had

wanted the walls of Rohm's bedroom to fall down, so that the German people might see. Lanny

wanted the walls of that torture chamber to fall down, so that all the world might see.

He crossed the border into Belgium in the small hours of the morning and went to a hotel

and had a sleep, full of tormenting dreams. But when he awakened and had some breakfast, he

felt better, and went to the telephone. There was one person he simply couldn't wait to hear

from, and that was Jerry Pendleton in Cannes —if he was in Cannes. Lanny's guess proved correct,

and his friend's voice was the most welcome of sounds.

"I am in Belgium," said the younger man. "I'm all right, and I just want a few questions

answered—with no names."

"O.K.," sang Jerry.

"Did you see our friend that evening?"

"I saw him brought out; but nobody came for him."

"What happened then?"

"I suppose he was taken back; I had no way to make sure. There was nothing I could do about

it. I was tempted to try, but I didn't see how I could get away without a car."

"I was afraid you might have tried. It's all right. I have a promise and have some hopes."

"I was worried to death about you. I went to the American authority and reported your

absence. I went again and again, and I think he did everything he could, but he was put off with

evasions."

"It was serious, but it's all right now. What did you do then?"

"I couldn't think of anything to do for you, so I came out to report to the family. They told me

to come home and wait for orders, and I did that. Gee, kid, but I'm glad to hear your voice! Are

you sure you're all right?"

"Not a scratch on me. I'm leaving for Paris."

"I just had a wire from your wife; she's on the way to meet you at the Crillon. She's been

scared half out of her wits. There's been a lot in the papers, you know."

"Thanks, old sport, for what you did."

"I didn't do a damn thing. I never felt so helpless."

"It's quite possible you saved me. Anyhow, you've got an interesting story coming to you. So

long!"

V

The traveler reached Paris about sunset, and surprised Irma in the suite she had taken. She

looked at him as if he were a ghost; she seemed afraid to touch him, and stood staring, as if

expecting to find him scarred or maimed. He said: "I'm all here, darling," and took her in his arms.

She burst into tears. "Oh, Lanny, I've been living in hell for two weeks!" When he started to

kiss her, she held off, gazing at him with the most intense look he had ever seen on her usually

calm face. "Lanny, promise me—you must promise me—you will never put me through a thing

like this again!"