"Well, what _are_ you, then?" There was no backing down now; she was going to have it out with him. "I wanted to be--American," he said, his lips threatening to quiver. "I--I thought I was." And he looked away. One must know the truth when one's country was at stake. Louise drew a quick breath. "Well, what are you doing with your pockets full of bombs, then?" she forced herself to bring out. The little boy turned toward her again, and began slowly to draw out the contents of those suspicious pockets. A mitt, a top, two balls, a kite-string, a chicken-foot, a gopher, nails of various lengths, some tobacco tags, and a grimy stick of candy were laid one by one on the janitor's tool-bench, and the German spy stood with his pockets turned wrong side out. But one must have the _whole_ truth. "What are you doing with balls and mitts when you sit on the steps all the time?" the little girl demanded, but with decidedly less asperity this time. "I thought maybe they'd--let me play, sometime." Something rolled down his cheek and splashed on the front of his jacket. "_Won't_ they let you play?" choked Louise, blinking hard to clear her suddenly clouded vision. The boy shook his head. "Well, why doesn't your mamma come and scold the teacher about it?" she demanded in indignant sympathy. "I haven't any mamma." "Oh-o-o! Well, you have a papa, haven't you? Why doesn't _he_ do something?" "Father says those who are born here don't know how awful it is to have to choose----" then he stopped. "Doesn't your father hate Germany?" the little girl asked. "Why, no," said the boy. "Does he love America?" "Yes," said the boy. "Well! Well!" exclaimed the little girl. Then--"Do you know, Rudolph, I'm sorry for your papa!" But Rudolph did not answer this time. He merely turned aside till his face was hidden. Suddenly a remembered something gripped Louise. "Rudolph," she said, "if you _are_ American, why did you refuse to come under the flag?" "I--I was going to--but they called me a 'coward,' and said I was afraid to refuse," he answered huskily. Louise found herself batting very heavy lashes again. "I am so glad I came to you," she said, "because I never would have known that you are not a German spy if you hadn't told me!" "Lou-i-i-se!" The two started at the call--it was in Tinsie Willis's high-pitched voice. Evidently she had been sent to find the truant. "Sh-h-h!" exclaimed Louise to Rudolph. "They are after me for staying out so long. I must go." "Those steps yonder lead to the front hall," said the boy. "Go up that way." "But you must come, too!" Louise exclaimed. "I can't," replied the miserable child. "The boys are fixing to fight me. When school is over I'll slip out and go home." "But why wait? Why don't you go now?" asked the little girl, a strange uneasiness coming over her. "The police will get me if I go out on the street during school hours," answered he. "Lou-i-i-se!"