ear old boy, here we are again. What? Herr
Julius Zimmermann ..." and he broke into German, "_es freut mich!_"

I could have killed him where he stood, maimed though he was, for his
fluency in the American and English idiom alone.

"Search him, Schmalz!" commanded Clubfoot curtly.

Schmalz ran the fingers of his one arm over my pockets, flinging my
portfolio on the billiard-table towards Clubfoot, and the other articles
as they came to light ... my pistol, watch, cigarette-case and so
forth ... on to a leather lounge against the wall. In his search he
brushed me with his severed stump ... ugh, it was horrible!

Clubfoot had snatched up the portfolio and hastily examined it. He shook
the contents out on the billiard-table and examined them carefully.

"Not there!" he said. "Run him upstairs, and we'll strip him," he
ordered; "and let not our clever young friend forget that I'm behind him
with my little toy!"

Schmalz gripped me by the collar, spitefully digging his knuckles into
my neck, and propelled me out of the room ... almost into the arms of
Monica.

She screamed and, turning, fled away down the passage. Clubfoot laughed
noisily, but I reflected mournfully that in my present sorry plight,
unwashed and unshaven, in filthy clothes, haled along like a common
pickpocket, even my own mother would not have recognized me.

There was a degrading scene in the bedroom to which they dragged me,
where the two men stripped me to the skin and pawed over every single
article of clothing I possessed. Physically and mentally, I cowered in
my nudity before the unwholesome gaze of these two sinister cripples. Of
all my experiences in Germany, I still look back upon that as almost my
worst ordeal.

Of course, they found nothing, search as they might, and presently they
flung my clothes back at me and bade me get dressed again, "for you and
I, young man," said Clubfoot, with his glinting smile, "have got to have
a little talk together!"

When I was once more clothed--

"You can leave us, Schmalz!" commanded Clubfoot, "and send up the
sergeant when I ring: he shall look after this tricky Englishman whilst
we are at dinner with our charming hostess."

Schmalz went out and left us alone. Clubfoot lighted a cigar. He smoked
in silence for a few minutes. I said nothing, for really there was
nothing for me to say. They hadn't got their precious document, and it
was not likely they would ever recover it now. I feared greatly tha