In it there was no word that any German could censor.

My only other paper was a letter, of which all day I had been conscious.

It was one of introduction from Colonel Theodore Roosevelt to President Poincare, and whether the Germans would consider it a clean bill of health or a death-warrant I could not make up my mind.

Half a dozen times I had been on the point of saying: "Here is a letter from the man your Kaiser delighted to honor, the only civilian who ever reviewed the German army, a former President of the United States." But I could hear Rupert of Hentzau replying: "Yes, and it is recommending you to our enemy, the President of France!" I knew that Colonel Roosevelt would have written a letter to the German Emperor as impartially as to M.Poincare, but I knew also that Rupert of Hentzau would not believe that.

So I decided to keep the letter back until the last moment.