At the Ehrenstein barrier no question was
asked, and Carmichael's one hope was shattered. At the Jugendheit
barrier the carriage stopped. There were voices. Carmichael saw the
flicker of a lantern. His captors got out. Presently there appeared at
the door an old man dressed as a mountaineer. In his hand was the
lantern.
"Pardon me, dear nephew--Fools!" he broke off, swinging round. "He has
tricked you all. This is not _he_!"
Three astonished faces peered over the old man's shoulder. Carmichael
eyed them evilly. He now saw that one was a carter, another a butcher,
and the third a baker. He had seen them before, in the Black Eagle. But
this signified nothing.
"Untie him and take off that rag. It may be Scharfenstein." The old man
possessed authority.
Carmichael, freed, stretched himself.
"Well?" he said, with a dangerous quiet.
"Herr Carmichael, the American consul!" The old man nearly dropped the
lantern. "Oh, you infernal blockheads!"
"Explanations are in order," suggested Carmichael.
"You are offered a thousand apologies for a stupid mistake. Now, may I
ask how you came to be dressed in these clothes on this particular
night?"
Carmichael's anger dissolved, and he laughed. All the mystery was gone
with the abruptness of a mist under the first glare of the sun.
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