fternoon de Leval succeeded in getting into
communication with a lawyer interested in one of the accused. He said
that the German Kommandantur had informed him that judgment would be
passed the next morning, Tuesday. He was worried as to what was in store
for the prisoners and said he feared the court would be very severe.

At 6.20 I had Topping (clerk of the Legation) telephone Conrad again.
Once more we had the most definite assurances that nothing had happened
and a somewhat weary renewal of the promise that we should have
immediate information when sentence was pronounced.[11]

[Footnote 11: This was just one hour and twenty minutes after the
sentence had actually been pronounced. There is no need for comment.]

At 8.30 I had just gone home when de Leval came for me in my car, saying
that he had come to report that Miss Cavell was to be shot during the
night. We could hardly credit this, but as our informant was so positive
and insisted so earnestly, we set off to see what could be done.

De Leval had seen the Minister, who was ill in bed, and brought me his
instructions to find von der Lancken, present the appeal for clemency,
and press for a favourable decision. In order to add weight to our
representations, I was to seek out the Spanish Minister to get him to go
with us and join in our appeal. I found him dining at Baron Lambert's,
and on explaining the case to him he willingly agreed to come.

When we got to the Political Department we found that Baron von der
Lancken and all the members of his staff had gone out to spend the
evening at one of the disreputable little theatres that have sprung up
here for the entertainment of the Germans. At first we were unable to
find where he had gone, as the orderly on duty evidently had orders not
to tell, but by dint of some blustering and impressing on him the fact
that Lancken would have cause to regret not having seen us, he agreed to
have him notified. We put the orderly into the motor and sent him off.
The Marquis de Villalobar, de Leval, and I settled down to wait, and we
waited long, for Lancken, evidently knowing the purpose of our visit,
declined to budge until the end of an act that seemed to appeal to him
particularly.

He came in about 10.30, followed shortly by Count Harrach and Baron von
Falkenhausen, members of his staff. I briefly explained to him the
situation as we understood it and presented the note from the Minister,
transmitting the appeal for cle