"For a hunted man that is bad." The Baron's lined face creased into a frown. "We must do what we can for you. The Gestapo had their hands filled yesterday but by now they will on a nation wide round up haf started. They may come to make search of my house at any time. But my family and my servants will do all possible to protect me. They will keep look out while your wound is being made clean. To the house, then, gentlemen
"I hate to add to your difficulties, sir," Gregory demurred.
For the first time the lean faced Prussian aristocrat smiled. "Please. It makes nothing, as by this time there must on my own head be a price. If the coast is a clear one we will soon haf you fixed; also some breakfast which will put the better heart into us all."
As they turned towards the house Freddie saw that Gregory's teeth were chattering and that he stumbled after he had moved a few yards, upon which he jumped to his assistance, realizing that he had managed to carry on his recent conversation only by a terrific effort of will power and was still in the grip of fever. When they reached the end of the kitchen garden the Baron signed to them to halt and went forward cautiously on his own. After a moment he beckoned.
"It is goot. A towel hangs from my daughter's window. This signal I haf arranged with her."
They followed him through the orchard and up some steps to a wide veranda at the back of the low white house. Although it was not yet seven o'clock, like all German households that of Colonel Baron von Lutz was early astir. A plump maid servant in voluminous petticoats was on her knees polishing the parquet of the room into which he led them. As they entered she scrambled to her feet and bobbed before her master.
"Kuss die Hand, Herr Oberst Baron."
"Guten Tag, Lenchen,"' he nodded."Frangen Sie die Fräulein
Magda hier simptt, bitte."
The maid quickly collected her cleaning things and left the room while Freddie eased Gregory down into a near by chair. A few moments later the door opened again and a tall girl in her middle twenties came in. She was good looking in a hard, healthy way. Her hair was very fair, her eyes china blue; her skin was good and the colour in her cheeks was natural but, to Freddie, her lips and eyelashes seemed unduly pale as she wore no make up, and her strong, well proportioned figure did not show to its best advantage in the ugly ginger coloured cloth coat and skirt that she was wearing.
When she had greeted her father he rapidly explained to her in German the reason for the presence of the two strangers. Freddie could not understand what was said but he caught the phrase, "Englische Fliege", and noticed Fräulein Magda's welclass="underline" cut chin lift a little as she shot a sharp glance of disapproval at him.
He was quick to sense that as a patriotic German girl she did not like the idea of sheltering her country's enemies, but evidently Prussian discipline was maintained in the household and he Baron's wish was law. She said no word of protest but went over to Gregory at once and laid a cool hand on his forehead.
His eyes were now closed and he remained slumped forward in the chair. The father and daughter exchanged a few quick sentences and then the Baron turned to Freddie.
"Your friend ought to bed be put but here it is too dangerous to offer hospitality. My daughter a trained nurse is so she will give goot attention to his wound. After, we will eat, yes; then we must to the woods return."
While Magda went for towels, hot water and bandages Charlton and the Baron partially undressed Gregory, who had now lapsed into semi consciousness and become delirious again.
When she returned they found that the wound was suppurating badly. The flesh all round it was hot and puffy and when its temperature was taken it registered the Centigrade equivalent of to 103.6 Fahrenheit. Having cleaned the wound and applied got fomentations Magda dressed it with quick, efficient fingers, then directed them in making Gregory as comfortable as possible on a sofa.
Freddie was now seriously alarmed for him but since there was nothing else they could do he allowed his host to lead him into another room. Breakfast had been laid there, and as they were about to sit down, an elderly woman came bustling in whom yon Lutz introduced as his wife.
The Frau Baronin was fat, grey haired and had a rather stupid face which was only relieved by china blue eyes like her daughter's. She spoke no English and after greeting Charlton with a nervous smile remained silent, her thoughts evidently occupied by acute anxiety about her husband.
Owing to the Baron's having had to spend a night in the woods a special breakfast had been prepared. In addition to the usual cereals there was a roast hare. the tantalizing odour of which made Freddie realize his hunger to such an extent that it was only with difficulty he prevented himself from eating ravenously. Somewhat to his surprise, there was a big pat of fresh butter, but this, von Lutz told him, came from the home farm. There were also ample supplies of potato bread and home made jam. The only weakness in an otherwise excellent meal was the weak coffee substitute with which they had to wash it down.
During breakfast the Baron explained to Freddie the precautions he had taken to prevent their being surprised. Most of the men from the estate had been called up for the war but he still had half a dozen, over fifty„ working on the place as farm labourers and foresters. On his arrival the night before he had had them aroused from their beds and brought to the house so that he could explain his position to them. All of them came from local families who had served his own for several generations. Such of their younger members as had become influenced by the Nazi doctrines had been conscripted for the Army, but these older men were completely loyal.
On their expressing their willingness to do everything they could to shield him von Lutz had organized them into watches which were to take turns in guarding the approaches to the house. Each man would be carrying a shot gun during his turn on duty and if cars or any suspicious looking strangers appeared whoever saw them was to fire off first one barrel of his gun then, after half a minute's interval, the other, as though shooting at a rabbit. The sentries were half a mile away but in the clear country air the sound of the shots would easily carry that distance and give sufficient time for the fugitives to escape out of the house into the woods again.
Magda had tackled the maid servants and farm women, who had all sworn that no questioning would induce them to say that they had seen anything of the Colonel Baron since he had last been home on leave in the first week of October.
When breakfast was over it was decided that Gregory must be carried out to the woods again and while von Lutz went upstairs to the attic to get an old camp bed that they could use as a stretcher Magda fed the sick man with some spoonfuls of hot broth. Having fixed up the bed she packed round him all the hot water bottles that could be found in the house, to keep him as warm as possible, then wrapped him in blankets; after which the Baron and Freddie carried him on the improvised stretcher out through the garden and back to the gully where they had spent the previous night.
By daylight they were able to find a better place in which to conceal themselves than any they had yet discovered. Some twenty yards further into the wood the gully grew deeper; the side of the bank was nearly five feet high and had fallen away 'leaving a hollow that was overhung by a mass of brambles. They placed Gregory's bed in it and sat down near by to await events.
Although the pale sunlight of the November morning was now slanting through the leafless branches of the trees it was still very cold. In his pocket Freddie had an old fashioned revolver, given him by the Baron: the only weapon, apart from sporting guns, that the house contained, but that was not much comfort. It seemed pretty certain that Gestapo agents would visit the house some time during the day. If one of the farmhands proved unreliable, or one of the women servants broke down under the questioning which they would have to face, the Nazis would surround the hiding place and capture was certain. In any case, with the climate against them and a desperately ill man on their hands, Freddie did not see how they could possibly remain at large for long. But he was in this thing and he could only wait, with the best patience he could muster, to see what the day would bring.