Germany's sake--taking
advantage of her affection for him to make her the unwitting custodian
of some secret too perilous for him to carry about with him? Perhaps
that little parcel she was carrying in the bosom of her gown contained
the code he and his uncle used? Had it not been for Dean's presence she
might have been tempted to take Fleck into her confidence and tell him
of the peculiar incident, though in spite of all she knew about him she
felt that Frederic Hoff's feeling for her was real, and that toward her
he always would show only respect and honor, as he always had done
hitherto; and yet--

Before the chief had time to answer her question Dean with a whispered
"hist" pointed to a path in the rear of the buildings they were
watching. Behind the house two rugged hills, their sides of precipitous
rock so steep that they hardly afforded a foothold, came down close
together, making a V-shaped cleft through which a narrow path ran in the
direction of the river. Looking toward this cleft to which Dean was
pointing they now saw a group of workmen approaching the house.

All of them were in the garb of mechanics, yet as they approached in
single file down the path, the quick eye of the chief noted that they
were keeping step.

"They've all of them seen service," he muttered to himself, "either in
prison or in the German army."

Some of them carried kits of tools, and they walked with the air of
fatigue that results from a day of hard physical work. They seemed to
have no suspicion as yet that they were under observation, for as they
walked they chatted among themselves, the sound of their German
gutturals reaching the watchers, but unfortunately not distinctly enough
to be audible. Dean was busy counting them.

"There are fourteen," he announced, "two more than we were expecting to
find here."

"At what do you suppose they are working?" asked Jane curiously.

"Here comes Carter," replied Fleck. "Perhaps he can tell us. His face
shows that he has learned something."

Carter, crawling rapidly but silently through the underbrush, approached
breathlessly, his sweaty, begrimed countenance ablaze with excitement.

"What's up?" asked Fleck, as soon as he was within hearing.

"My God, Chief," he gasped, "they've got three big aeroplanes out there
on a plateau overlooking the river--three of them all keyed up and ready
to start."

"Friends of the Air," muttered Fleck; "so that's what it means."

"They've eviden