"I trust you are now convinced, Herr Doktor," he said, with a smile that
bared his teeth, and, putting the pieces together, he folded them
across, tucked them away in the cigar-case again, and thrust it into his
pocket.

I must test the ground further.

"Has it occurred to you, Herr Doktor," I asked, "that we have very
little time at our disposal? The person whom we serve must be anxiously
waiting...."

Clubfoot laughed and shook his head.

"I want that half-letter badly," he said, "but there's no violent hurry.
So I fear you must leave that argument out of your presentation of the
case, for it has no commercial value. The person you speak of is not in
Berlin."

I had heard something of the Kaiser's sudden appearances and
disappearances during the war, but I had not thought they could be so
well managed as to be kept from the knowledge of one of his own trusted
servants, for such I judged Clubfoot to be. Evidently, he knew nothing
of my visit to the Castle that evening, and I was for a moment
unpatriotic enough to wish I had kept my half of the letter that I might
give it to Clubfoot now to save the coming exposure. "A thousand
dollars!" Clubfoot said.

I remained silent.

"Two? Three? Four thousand? Man, you are greedy. Well, I will make it