s closed round me, I was roughly turned
round, and to the accompaniment of liberal buffeting was hustled down
the steps to my cell.

A few minutes later my interpreter came to me.

"Listen to me, English friend. You must not annoy the Court. I am trying
to do all I can for you. I do not think you guilty. But if you are--what
do you call it--h'm----" and he snapped his fingers perplexedly.

"Sarcastic?" I ventured.

"Yes! That's it. If you are sarcastic you make my work very hard!"

"But that officer had nothing to do with the Court, had he? Why did he
interfere with a gratuitous insult?"

"Ah! I see. You don't understand. They will do that. But you must
remember the uniform!"

Further conversation was prevented by the reappearance of the soldiers.
I was to be taken back to the Court. I decided to take my interpreter's
advice, and although I was frequently roused intentionally, I bit my lip
at the insults and choked down sharp retorts.

"Do you realise the nature of the charge and the gravity of your
position?" asked the chairman, after proceedings had been resumed. There
was no trace of resentment at the recent incident in his voice.

"I do perfectly."

"Then do you not think it somewhat strange that a man like you should be
travelling to Berlin, on the way to Warsaw, on the very day when war was
declared against Russia? Is it not strange also that you should be here
after Great Britain has declared war?"

"When I set out for Berlin war had not been declared between Germany and
Russia. On Monday when I was arrested war had not been declared against
Germany by Great Britain. I was arrested on the flimsiest pretext and
upon the word of a deliberately lying youth before war had been declared
with my country!"

"Ah! we shall see. You do not think it strange to be travelling through
Germany at such a perilous time with so much photographic apparatus?"

"No! I was not using it!"

"So you took no photographs in Germany?"

"No!" And the lie flew out in spite of myself. But I felt perfectly
secure because I knew exactly where the film, which I had exposed, was.
It was beyond their reach!

"Then what is this?" And to my surprise he held up somewhat
triumphantly the length of photographic film from the camera with which
I had taken the two farewell pictures of my family.

Up to this point I had successfully maintained a stiff upper lip and
perfect composure. But at the sight of the film carrying the parting
p