off home without, at least, making an attempt to find Francis. Besides,
I meant if I could to get the other half of that document.

There was some quite excellent Rhine wine, and I drank plenty of it. So
did the General, with the result that, when the veins starting purple
from his temples proclaimed that he had eaten to repletion, his temper
seemed to have improved. He unbent sufficiently to present me with quite
the worst cigar I have ever smoked.

I smoked it in silence whilst father and son talked shop. The female had
faded away. Both men, I found to my surprise, were furious and bitter
opponents of Hindenburg, as I have since learnt most of the old school
of the Prussian Army are. They spoke little of England: their thoughts
seemed to be centred on Russia as the arch-enemy. They pinned their
faith on Falkenhayn and Mackensen. They had no words strong enough in
their denunciation of Hindenburg, whom they always referred to as "the
Drunkard" ... "der Säufer." Nor were they sparing of criticism of what
they called the Kaiser's "weakness" in letting him rise to power.

The humming of a car outside broke up our gathering. Remembering that I
was but a humble servant before this great military luminary, I thanked
the General with due servility for his hospitality. Then the Count and I
went out to the car and presently drove forth into the night.

We entered Berlin from the west, as it seemed to me, but then struck off
in a southerly direction and were soon in the commercial quarter of the
city, all but deserted at that hour, save for the trams. Then I caught a
glimpse of lamps reflected in water, and the next moment the car had
stopped on a bridge over a canal or river. My companion sprang out and
hurried me to a small gate in an iron railing enclosing a vast edifice