CHAPTER XII.
A TRAITOR APPEARS.
Hal turned to Chester.
"When they fail to find us," he said, "they'll come back, inquiringall along as they return. They are sure to ask for us here." He turnedto the woman. "Have you a place where we can hide?"
"Yes," she replied, "there is a secret trap-door to the attic. You maygo up there and no one will be the wiser."
"Then we had better get up there at once," said Chester, "for there isno telling how soon they may return."
A few moments later and they were safe in a little room at the verytop of the house. After showing them to their retreat, the good womandeparted, saying that she would return in a few minutes with water andfood.
"You'll need it," she said, when Hal protested against putting her toso much trouble. "And, besides, I should be a poor Frenchwoman could Inot aid the friends of my own country."
She was back in a few moments, and the lads ate hungrily of the foodshe brought them, for it had been long hours since food or water hadpassed their lips.
After their benefactress had departed, Hal said to Chester:
"This is bound to be a tedious day. I guess we had better try and putit in sleeping. Besides, we'll need all the rest we can get for ourjourney to-night."
"Just what I was thinking," said Chester, "and I'm ready to go tosleep right this instant."
He stretched himself out on the floor and in a few moments was fastasleep. A short time later and Hal also lay in the arms of Morpheus.
How long the lads had slept, they did not know, but they were awakenedby the sound of voices directly below them.
"No, I have seen nothing of them," came the voice of the woman who hadgiven them refuge.
"But we have searched every place else," came another voice, speakingin French, but with a heavy German accent. "They must be here. Wefound the bicycles a short distance from this house, and have scouredthe woods. They must be here."
"I say they are not," came the woman's voice, raised in anger.
"Well, I must search the house, at any rate," said the German, "and,if I find that you have been aiding the enemies of Germany, it willgo hard with you. Stand aside, please."
"I tell you there is no one here," cried the woman.
"Stand aside!" came the German's voice again, and there was the soundof a struggle, followed by the voice of the German: "Search the house,men."
Then came the sounds of heavy feet tramping through the house. Hal andChester were both wide awake now and lay silent, listening. For anhour the heavy footsteps continued to ring through the house, andthere was the sound of slamming doors and moving furniture.
And finally came the voice of the woman again: "I told you there wasno one here."
But apparently the German officer in command was not yet satisfied.
"Have you searched the attic?" he demanded of his men; "and thecellar?"
"There is no one in the cellar," came a voice in reply, "and there isno attic."
"I'll have a look for myself," came the reply, and heavy footstepsascended the stairs into the room directly beneath Hal and Chester.There came to the lads' ears the sounds of heavy blows against thefloor on which they lay. Evidently the German officer was making surethat there was not an opening in the ceiling of the room below. Butafter a while he desisted. The boys heard him descend the stairs, anda few moments later the sound of his voice:
"There is no one up there."
Both lads drew a breath of relief. A moment more and a slamming doorgave evidence that the Germans had departed.
"I was afraid he would locate the trap-door," said Hal to Chester,after they had gone.
"Same here," replied Chester. "But I wasn't going to let them take mewithout a fight. Only one man could get up here at a time, and wecould certainly dispose of him."
"Yes, but they could starve us out, or set fire to the house orsomething, which would be worse than being captured. Besides, wecouldn't let the woman who has aided us come to harm."
"No, that's so, too," agreed Chester. "I hadn't thought of that."
Further conversation was interrupted by a sound of some one at thetrap-door. Chester and Hal both jumped to their feet, and stood readyabove the opening in the floor to seize the intruder should it proveto be an enemy.
But when the trap-door came away the head of their benefactressappeared through the opening.
"You can come down now, if you want to," she said. "The Germans havebeen here and gone. I am sure they will not return."
Chester turned to Hal.
"What do you think?" he asked. "Shall we go down, or had we betterstay up here?"
Hal considered for a moment.
"I guess we might as well go down," he replied at length. "I don'tbelieve there is any likelihood of their coming back. Besides, it'stoo cramped and stuffy up here for comfort."
Accordingly both boys descended from their refuge, and a few momentslater were sitting in the living room with their hostess.
"We can never thank you enough for what you have done for us," Chestertold her, after she had related her experiences with the Germans.
"No, indeed; we can never thank you enough," agreed Hal. "Had it notbeen for your kindness we should have been in the hands of the Germansright now, and there is no telling what they might have done to us."
The good woman waved aside their thanks.
"Pooh! pooh!" she said. "And why shouldn't I help you? Surely nothanks are necessary because I did my duty."
"But women----" Hal began, when she interrupted him.
"I have a son of my own in the war," she said, her voice growing verylow and tears dimming her eyes.
"And I hope," said Hal gently, "should he ever be in a situationsimilar to ours, that another good woman may be the means of savinghis life, and that some day he may return to you."
"Just so he does his duty I shall be satisfied," said the woman, whonow introduced herself as Mrs. Madeline Dersi. "He has been a verywild boy, but I am sure that his heart is true and that he will fightto the last for his country, as did his father before him."
"And I am sure of it, too," said Chester. "When we return to our lineswe shall make it our business to hunt him up."
And at that moment there was a hasty step outside, the door to theroom in which they were sitting was flung open, and a young man, incivilian garb, burst in.
Mrs. Dersi was across the room in a moment, her arms wrapped about thenewcomer. Tears streamed down her face, as she repeatedly kissed theyoung man, who seemed to take no great interest in the procedure.
Finally Mrs. Dersi turned to Hal and Chester.
"My son," she said proudly, "of whom I was just talking to you."
Now the newcomer freed himself from her embrace and stepped forward.
"Who are these?" he demanded, pointing to the two lads.
Mrs. Dersi explained.
"And we were just talking of you," she added; then stopped andsurveyed her son critically. "Why are you not in uniform?" shedemanded.
"Why, I--I--I----" stuttered young Dersi, "I am on a scout, and it wasthought best for me not to go in uniform." He turned suddenly to Hal:"Are you expecting any of your men here?" he demanded.
"Why, no," replied Hal. "We are going to try and make our way back toour lines to-night."
Young Dersi appeared to breathe easier, and this fact was not lostupon either Hal or Chester.
"Well," he said, after a pause, "I haven't time to stay here. I justdropped in a moment to see you, mother. You say the Germans wentnorth? How long have they been gone?"
"About an hour," said Chester.
"Good. Then it will be safe for me to continue on my way."
He bowed to the two lads, kissed his mother, and a moment later hadleft the house, his mother accompanying him to the door.
"There is something queer about him," said Chester to Hal, as Mrs.Dersi and her son left the room. "He's not telling the truth."
"I know it," said Hal. "I don't like to s
ay it, but it is my beliefhe is fleeing from the French lines to give information to theGermans."
"You mean you think he is a traitor?"
"I told you I didn't like to say anything," replied Hal, "but I amafraid you have hit the nail on the head."
"In that event he is likely to tell of our presence here," criedChester.
"I'm sure he'll tell," said Hal quietly.
"Then what shall we do?"
"We shall leave at once--or, as soon as Mrs. Dersi returns. That isthe best return we can make for her kindness to us. It would break herheart to know that her son is a traitor to his country."
"It would, indeed," was Chester's reply; but further talk wasprevented by the return of Mrs. Dersi.
"And is not my son a fine, brave man?" she asked, with justifiablepride.
"He is," said Hal and Chester both, hoping that they were telling thetruth.
"Mrs. Dersi," said Hal, "we have decided that it probably will bebetter for us if we take our departure at once. I am sure there are noGermans near right now, and the sooner we get started the sooner weshall reach our own lines."
"But would it not be safer to wait until dark?" questioned the womananxiously.
"I am afraid not," replied Hal, with a meaning glance at Chester. "Wethink we had better take our departure at once."
Mrs. Dersi offered further objections, but at length, seeing thatthey were all in vain, she bade the two lads a sorrowful farewell,enjoining them to be sure and look her son up and to return to see hershould the opportunity offer. This they gladly promised, and, leavingthe friendly shelter of the good Frenchwoman's home, continued ontheir weary journey toward the British lines.