conscious that the citizens, instead of staring at him with admiring
eyes, were taking but little notice of him. Tall young Americans were
quite common in Edelweiss in these days.

One dingy little shop in the square interested him. It was directly
opposite the Royal Café (with American bar attached), and the contents
of its grimy little windows presented a peculiarly fascinating interest
to him. Time and again, he crossed over from the Café garden to look
into these windows. They were packed with weapons and firearms of such
ancient design that he wondered what they could have been used for, even
in the Middle Ages. Once he ventured inside the little shop. Finding no
attendant, he put aside his suddenly formed impulse to purchase a mighty
broadsword. From somewhere in the rear of the building came the clanging
of steel hammers, the ringing of highly tempered metals; but, although
he pounded vigorously with his cane, no one came forth to attend him.

On several occasions he had seen a grim, sharp-featured old man in the
doorway of the shop, but it was not until after he had missed the
Thursday train that he made up his mind to accost him and to have the
broadsword at any price. With this object in view, he quickly crossed
the square and inserted his tall frame into the narrow doorway, calling
out lustily for attention. So loudly did he shout that the multitude of
ancient swords and guns along the walls seemed to rattle in terror at
this sudden encroachment of the present.

"What is it?" demanded a sharp, angry voice at his elbow. He wheeled and
found himself looking into the wizened, parchment-like face of the
little old man, whose black eyes snapped viciously. "Do you think I am
deaf?"