"He is still quite weak, although the wound is healing nicely.

Being a military prisoner, there is no other place open to him where the man can be as comfortable as here." "You will be responsible for his person?
You will guarantee that he will not escape ?" Mr.Merrick hesitated.
"Must we promise that ?" he inquired.
"Otherwise I shall be obliged to remove him to a government hospital." "I don't like that.

Not that your hospitals are not good enough for a prisoner, but Elbl happens to be a cousin of our captain, which puts a different face on the matter.

What do you say, Captain Carg?
Shall we guarantee that your cousin will not try to escape ?" "Why should he, sir?
He can never rejoin the army, that's certain," replied Carg.
"True," said the general, when this was conveyed to him by Beth.
"Nevertheless, he is a prisoner of war, and must not be allowed to escape to his own people." Beth answered the Frenchman herself, looking him straight in the face.
"That strikes me as unfair, sir," said she.

"The German must henceforth be a noncombatant.