said he did not think he could read off the translation from the German
right away--at least, it would take time.

The Court was in a quandary. Seeing that this unexpected obstacle was
likely to prejudice my position I grabbed the English text and thrust
the German copy into my interpreter's hands. Telling him to go ahead I
remarked that we could make something out of it. We wrestled with the
translation, although it was a slow and tedious operation, but at last
we finished the task. The German depositions being quite in order, and
fairly translated I signed the papers without further ado.

Now I thought the ordeal was over, but it was not. Picking up my signed
depositions the Chairman proceeded to re-examine me on my defence. He
started from the moment I arrived at Flushing and traced my movements,
minute by minute, to Berlin, followed what I did in the capital between
1.30 a.m. the hour of my arrival and 1.13 p.m. the time of my departure.
The manner in which my movements had been dogged was astonishing and I
recalled the individual whom I had noticed shadowing me in the city. I
saw at once that everything turned upon the instant nature of my
answers, so I replied to every question without the slightest hesitation
and to such effect that I never once contradicted myself.

Only one interval, and that of ten minutes in Berlin, threatened to
engulf me. I could scarcely fill up this gap. It happened to be one of
those idle intervals which one can never explain away very readily or
satisfactorily. We disputed this ten minutes vigorously for about half
an hour, and by the time we had finished I do not think there was a
single second for which an account had not been rendered. My interview
with the Consul also precipitated a storm, especially as by this time I
was becoming bored and felt dead-tired. Every question, however,