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Page 40
I had struck the trail at last.
In den Zelten, I discovered, on referring to the directory again,
derived its name "In the Tents," from the fact that in earlier days a
number of open-air beer-gardens and booths had occupied the site which
faces the northern side of the Tiergarten. It was not a long street. The
directory showed but fifty-six houses, several of which, I noticed, were
still beer-gardens. It appeared to be a fashionable thoroughfare, for
most of the occupants were titled people. No. 3, I was interested to
see, was still noted as the Berlin office of _The Times_.
The last phrase in the message decidedly gave the number. _Two_ must
refer to the number of the house: _third_ to the number of the floor,
since practically all dwelling-houses in Berlin are divided off into
flats.
As for the "Achiles," I gave it up.
I looked at my watch. It was twenty past eleven: too late to begin my
search that night. Then I suddenly realized how utterly exhausted I was.
I had been two nights out of bed without sleep, for I had sat up on deck
crossing over to Holland, and the succession of adventures that had
befallen me since I left London had driven all thought of weariness from
my mind. But now came the reaction and I felt myself yearning for a hot
bath and for a nice comfortable bed. To go to an hotel at that hour of
night, without luggage and with an American passport not in order, would
be to court disaster. It looked as though I should have to hang about
the caf�s and night restaurants until morning, investigate the clue of
the street called In den Zelten, and then get away from Berlin as fast
as ever I could.
But my head was nodding with drowsiness. I must pull myself together. I
decided I would have some black coffee, and I raised my eyes to find the
waiter. They fell upon the pale face and elegant figure of the one-armed
officer I had met at the Casino at Goch ... the young lieutenant they
had called Schmalz.
He had just entered the caf� and was standing at the door, looking about
him. I felt a sudden pang of uneasiness at the sight of him, for I
remembered his cross-examination of me at Goch. But I could not escape
without paying my bill; besides, he blocked the way.
He settled my doubts and fears by walking straight over to my table.
"Good evening, Herr Doktor," he said in German, with his pleasant smile.
"This indeed is an unexpected pleasure! So you are seeing how we poor
Germans are amusing ourselves in war-time. You must admit that we do not
take our pleasures sadly. You permit me?"
Without waiting for my reply, he sat down at my table and ordered a
glass of beer.
"I wish you had appeared sooner," I exclaimed in as friendly a tone as I
could muster, "for I am just going. I have had a long and tiring journey
and am anxious to go to an hotel."
Directly I had spoken I realized my blunder.
"You have not got an hotel yet?" said Schmalz. "Why, how curious! Nor
have I? As you are a stranger in Berlin, you must allow me to appoint
myself your guide. Let us go to an hotel together, shall we?"
I wanted to demur, difficult as it was to find any acceptable excuse,
but his manner was so friendly, his offer seemed so sincere, that I felt
my resolution wavering. He had a winning personality, this frank,
handsome boy. And I was so dog-tired!
He perceived my reluctance but also my indecision.
"We'll go to any hotel you like," he said brightly. "But you Americans
are spoilt in the matter of luxurious hotels, I know. Still, I tell you
we have not much to learn in that line in Berlin. Suppose we go to the
Esplanade. It's a fine hotel ... the Hamburg American line run it, you
know. I am very well known there, quite the _Hauskind_ ... my uncle was
a captain of one of their liners. They will make us very comfortable:
they always give me a little suite, bedroom, sitting-room and bath, very
reasonably: I'll make them do the same for you."
If I had been less weary--I have often thought since--I would have got
up and fled from the caf� rather than have countenanced any such mad
proposal. But I was drunk with sleep heaviness and I snatched at this
chance of getting a good night's rest, for I felt that, under the aegis
of this young officer, I could count on any passport difficulties at the
hotel being postponed until morning. By that time, I meant to be out of
the hotel and away on my investigations.
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