Perhaps, too, the bold entrance into these tyrant-ridden premises of the two American boys under the forbidding flag of Teuton authority, had something in it of the spirit of America. At least so Madame Blondel seemed to regard it; and when Tom showed her his little button she threw her arms around him, extending the area of her assault to Archer as well. "_Vive l'Amerique!_" she cried, with a fine look of defiance in her snapping eyes. She took the boys upstairs to a room--the only one, apparently, which she could call her own--and here they told her their story. It appeared that for many years she had lived in America, where her husband had worked in a silk mill and she had kept a little road-house, tempting American autoists with French cooking and wine of Burgundy. She spoke English very well, save for a few charming little slips and notwithstanding that she was short and stout and wore spectacles, she was overflowing with the spirit of her beloved country, and with a weakness for adventure and romance which took Tom and Archer by storm. A true Frenchwoman indeed, defying with a noble heroism Time and Circumstance and vulgar trespasses under her very roof. "So you will rescue Mam'selle," she said clasping her hands and pressing them to her breast with an inspiring look in her eyes. "So! This is America--how you say--in a nutshell. Yess?" "It seems to me you're France in a nutshell," said Tom awkwardly, "and downstairs it's Germany in a nutshell." "Ah-h-h!" She gave a fine shrug of disgust; "_he_ have gone to Berlin. Tomorrow night late, his comrade will come--tomorrow night. So you are safe. And you are ze true knight--so! You will r-rescue Mam'selle," and she placed her two hands on Tom's shoulders, looking at him with delight, and ended by embracing him. She seemed more interested in his rescuing "Mam'selle" than in anything else and that apparently because it was a bold adventure in gallantry. A true Frenchwoman indeed. "She'd make a bully scoutmaster," Tom whispered to Archer. "They might as well try to capturre the moon as put France out of business," said Archer. Yes, big or little, man or woman, one or a million, in devastated home or devastated country, she is always the same, gallant, spirited, defiant. _Vive la France!_ While Madame Blondel plied them with food she told them the story of the new road--another shameless item in the wake of German criminality and dishonor. "They will wait to see if Amerique can send her troops. They will trust zese submarines--so long. No more! All the while they make zis road--ozzer roads. Zere will be ze tramping of zese _beasts_ over zese roads to little Switzerland yet!" she said, falling into the French manner in her anger. "So zey will stab her in ze back! Ug-g-g-gh!" "Do you think that Florette and her mother are both there?" Tom asked. "Ah," she said slyly; "you wish not that her mother should be there? So you will be ze true knight! Ah, you are a bad boy!"