"Oh, yess, I know," she answered sadly. "My pappa, it break his heart because he cannot make you ze true welcome. But you do not know. We are--how you say--persecute--all ze time. Zey own Alsace, but zey do not love Alsace. It is like--it is like ze stepfather--you see?" she added, her voice breaking. "So zey have always treat us." For a few seconds Tom stood, awkward and uncomfortable; then clumsily he reached out his hand and took hers. "You don't mean they'll take you like they took the people from Belgium, do you?" he asked. "Ziss is worse zan Belgium," Florette sobbed. "Zere ze people can escape to England." "Where would they send you?" Tom asked. "Maybe far north into Prussia. Maybe still in Alsace. All ze familees zey will separate so zey shall meex wiz ze Zhermans." Florette suddenly grasped his hand. "I am glad I see you. So now I can see all ze Americans come--hoondreds---- "Tomorrow in ze night I will bring you ze clothes," she whispered, "and more food, and zen you will be rested----" "I feel sorry for you," Tom blurted out with simple honesty, "and I got to thank you. Both of us have--that's one sure thing. You're worse off than we are--and it makes me feel mean, like. But maybe it won't be so bad. And, gee, I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow night, too." "I will bring ze sings, _surely_," she said earnestly. "It isn't--it isn't only for that," he mumbled, "it's because I'll kind of look forward to seeing you anyway." For another moment she lingered and in the stillness of night and the thickly roofed arbor he could hear her breath coming short and quick, as she tried to stifle her emotion. "Is--is it a sound?" she whispered in sudden terror. "No, it's only because you're scared," said Tom. He stood looking after her as she hurried away under the ramshackle trellis until her slender figure was lost in the darkness. "It'll make me fight harder, anyway," he said to himself; "it'll help me to get to France 'cause--'cause I _got_ to, and if you _got_ to do a thing--you can...." CHAPTER V THE VOICE FROM THE DISTANCE "My idea," said Archer, when Tom returned, "is to break that stick about in half and prop the doorr just wide enough open so's we can crawl in. Then we can spread the vines all overr the top just like it was beforre and overr the opening, too. What d'ye say?" "That's all right," said Tom, "and we can leave it a little open tonight. In the morning we'll drop it and be on the safe side." "Maybe we'd betterr drop it tonight and be on the safe side," said Archer. "S'pose we should fall asleep." "We'll take turns sleeping," said Tom decisively. "We can't afford to take any chances." "You can bet I'm going to get a sooveneerr of this place, anyway," said Archer, tugging at a rusty nail. "Never you mind about souvenirs," Tom said; "let's get this door camouflaged." "I could swap that nail for a jack-knife back home," said Archer regretfully. "A nail right fresh from Alsace!"