Page 151 - A Hero of Liége

if I did not prepare a better dejeuner than the dinner he suffered last night.
Imagine my agitation! What a calamity! How should I meet my master

when he returns? My hands shook so violently that I began to be afraid of
overdoing my part! ... But now, gentlemen, for Herr Hellwig's dejeuner. I

can count on your assistance. He will need a good digestion!"

"You mean to tackle them?" asked Pariset.

"I don't want to be unfair to either party--to take you at the Germans'

valuation, or to rate them too low. Suppose I stand aside; there will then be
two against two."

"But there are four others," said Kenneth.

"Who being of inferior clay are not allowed to contaminate the air for their
betters. They remain outside. Last night they took turns at sentry-go in the
rain in front of the house, and when not on duty dozed in the car."

"They may bring others back with them," suggested Pariset.

"They will not, if I know my Hellwig," answered Granger. "Of course we
are wofully outnumbered if they all take a hand, to say nothing of the

machine gun. The sound of that would probably bring down upon us a
swarm of gentle Germans."

"Are they so near?" asked Kenneth.

"I tottered through a large camp of them a couple of miles to the north, and
this morning I saw from the upper windows troops moving along a road

within a mile and a half to the west."

"Then we should have tumbled right into the camp if we had gone on," said

Kenneth.

"I think better of you than that! But you see that we must keep the machine
gun quiet at all costs. A revolver shot would be safe, perhaps; but if we can