o factories and hospitals, or
their intelligence on the other side of the frontiers, to the service
of their country.

Ferragut, surprised by this outright revelation, remained silent, but
finally ventured to formulate his thought.

"According to that, you are a spy?"...

She heard the word with contempt. That was an antiquated term which had
lost its primitive significance. Spies were those who in other
times,--when only the professional soldiers took part in war,--had
mixed themselves in the operations voluntarily or for money, surprising
the preparations of the enemy. Nowadays, with the mobilization of the
nations _en masse_, the old official spy--a contemptible and villainous
creature, daring death for money--had practically disappeared. Nowadays
there only existed patriots--anxious to work for their country, some
with weapons in their hands, others availing themselves of their
astuteness, or exploiting the qualities of their sex.

Ulysses was greatly disconcerted by this theory.

"Then the doctor?..." he again questioned, guessing; what the imposing
dame must be.

Freya responded with an expression of enthusiasm and respect. Her
friend was an illustrious patriot, a very learned woman, who was
placing all her faculties at the service of her country. She adored
her. She was her protector; she had rescued her in the most difficult
moment of her existence.

"And the count?" Ferragut continued asking.

Here the woman made a gesture of reserve.

"He also is a great patriot, but do not let us talk about him."

In her words there were both respect and fear. He suspected that she
did not wish to have anything to do with this haughty personage.

A long silence. Freya, as if fearing the effects of the captain's
meditations, suddenly cut them short with her headlong chatter.

The doctor and she had come from Rome to take refuge in Naples, fleeing
from the intrigues and mutterings of the capital. The Italians were
squabbling among themselves; some were partisans of the war, others of
neutrality; none of them wished to aid Germany, their former ally.

"We, who have protected them so much!" she exclaimed. "False and
ungrateful race!..."

Her gestures and her words recalled to Ulysses' mind the image of the
doctor, execrating the Italian country from a little window of the
coach, the first day that they had talked together.

The two women were in Naples, whiling away their tedious waiting with
trips to neighbori