hen:

"Are there any Prussian cavalry near enough to help us?"

And the answer:

"Prussian dragoons are scouting toward Bannalec. I will send a
messenger to them if I can. This is all. Be careful. Good-bye."

"Good-bye," clicked the instrument in the next room. There was a
rustle of skirts, a tap of small shoes on the stone floor. I leaned
forward and looked through the little partition window; Sylvia Elven
stood by the table, quietly drawing on her gloves. Her face was
flushed and thoughtful.

Slowly she walked toward the door, hesitated, turned, hurried back to
the instrument, and set the switch. Then, without seating herself, she
leaned over and gave the station call, three _S's_.

"I forgot to say that the two Yankee officers of military police,
Scarlett and Speed, are a harmless pair. You have nothing to fear from
them. Good-bye."

And the reply:

"Watch them all the same. Be careful, madame, they are Yankees.
Good-bye."

When she had gone, closing the outer door behind her, I sprang to the
key, switched on, rattled out the three S's and got my man, probably
before he had taken three steps from his table.

"I forgot to say," I telegraphed, using a light, rapid touch to
imitate Sylvia's--"I forgot to say that, in case the treasure-train
is held back to-night, the Augusta must run for the English Channel."

"What's that?" came back the jerky reply.

I repeated.

"Donnerwetter!" rattled the wires. "The entire French iron-clad
fleet is looking for her."

"And I hope they catch her," I telegraphed.

"Are you crazy?" came the frantic reply. "Who are you?"

"A Yankee, idiot!" I replied. "Run for your life, you hopeless
ass!"

There was, of course, no reply, though I sent a few jocular remarks
flying after what must have been the most horrified German spy south
of Metz.

Then, at a venture, I set the switch on the arsenal line, got a quick
reply, and succeeded in alarming them sufficiently, I think, for in a
few moments I was telegraphing directly to the governor of Lorient,
and the wires grew hot with an interchange of observations, which
resulted in my running to the locker, tumbling out all the signal
bunting, cones, and balls, sorting five flags, two red cones, and a
ball, and hastening out to the semaphore.

Speed and the soldier Rolland saw me set the cones, hoist away, break
out the flags on the halyards, and finally drop the white arm of the
semaphore.

I had set the signal for the _Fer