Mr.
Merrick's party was ushered in, the elder man leaned back in his chair,
squinting and scowling, and regarded them silently.

"Huh!" exclaimed the colonel, in a brusque growl. "What is it, von
Holtz?"

The young officer explained that the party had just arrived from Dunkirk
in a launch; the commandant had asked Colonel Grau kindly to examine
them. Uncle John proceeded to state the case, Captain Carg interpreting.
They operated a Red Cross hospital ship at Dunkirk, and one of their
patients, a young Belgian, was dying of his wounds. They had come to
find his young wife and take her back with them to Dunkirk in their
launch, that she might comfort the last moments of her husband. The
Americans asked for safe conduct to Charleroi, and permission to take
Mrs. Denton with them to Dunkirk. Then he presented his papers,
including the authority of the American Red Cross Society, the letter
from the secretary of state and the recommendation of the German
ambassador at Washington.

The colonel looked them all over. He uttered little guttural
exclamations and tapped the desk with his finger-tips as he read, and
all the time his face wore that perplexing expression of surprise.
Finally he asked:

"Which is Mr. Merrick?"

Hearing his name, Uncle John bowed.

"Huh! But the description does not fit you."

Captain Carg translated this.

"Why not?" demanded Uncle John.

"It says you are short, stout, blue-eyed, bald, forty-five years of
age."

"Of course."

"You are not short; I think you are as tall as I am. Your eyes are not
blue; they are olive green. You are not bald, for there is still hair
over your ears. Huh! How do you explain that?"

"It's nonsense," said Uncle John scornfully.

Carg was more cautious in interpreting the remark. He assured the
colonel, in German, that the description of Mr. Merrick was considered
close enough for all practical purposes. But Grau was not satisfied. He
went over the papers again and then turned to face the other officer.

"What do you think, General?" he asked, hesitatingly.

"Suspicious!" was the reply.

"I think so, myself," said the colonel. "Mark you: Here's a man who
claims to come from Sangoa, a place no one has ever heard of; and the
other has endorsements purporting to come from the highest officials in
America. Huh! what does it mean?"

"Papers may be forged, or stolen from their proper owners," suggested
the squinting general. "This excuse of coming here to ge