Pierre said, in his small voice:
'Please, monsieur, may I go out and play in the square?'
Sheila and Ronnie said in unison, and very quickly:
'May I go too?'
Howard said: 'Not just now.
You'll have to stay here for a little while.'
Sheila said mutinously: 'I don't want to stay here.
I want to go out in the sun and play.'
Nicole stooped to her and said:
'Do you remember Bahar the Elephant?'
The little girl nodded.
'And Jacko the Monkey?
What did he do?'
Laughter, as at a huge, secret joke.
'He climbed up Babar's tail, right up on to his back!'
'Whatever did he do that for?'
The stolid, grey-faced Germans looked on mirthlessly, uncomprehending.
For the first time in their lives they were seeing foreigners, displaying the crushing might and power of their mighty land.
It confused them and perplexed them that their prisoners should be so flippant as to play games with their children in the corridor outside the very office of the Gestapo.
It found the soft spot in the armour of their pride; they felt an insult which could not be properly defined.
This was not what they had understood when their Fuhrer last had spoken from the Sport-Palast.
This victory was not as they had thought it would be.
The door opened, the sentries sprang to attention, clicking their heels.
Nicole glanced upwards, and then stood up, holding Sheila in one hand.
From the office Feldwebel cried, 'Achtung!' and a young officer, a Rittmeister of the Tank Corps came out.
He was dressed in a black uniform not unlike the British battle-dress; on his head he wore a black beret garnished with the eagle and swastika, and a wreath-like badge.
On his shoulder-straps an aluminium skull and crossbones gleamed dull on the black cloth.
Howard straightened up and Focquet took his hands out of his pockets.
The children stopped chattering to stare curiously at the man in black.
He had a notebook and a pencil in his hand.
He spoke to Howard first.
'Wie heissen Sie?' he asked.
'Ihr Familien-name und Taufname?
Ihr Beruf?'
Somebody translated into indifferent French and the particulars of all the party were written down.
As regards nationality, Howard declared himself, Sheila, and Ronnie to be English; there was no use denying it.
He said that Willem and Mar jan were of nationality unknown.
The young officer in black went into the office.
In a few minutes the door was flung open again and the party were called to attention.
The Feldwebel came to the door.
'Folgen Sie mir!
Halt!
Ruhrt Euch!'
They found themselves in the office, facing a long table.
Behind this sat the officer who had interrogated them in the passage.
By his side was an older man with a square, close-cropped head and a keen, truculent expression.
He held himself very straight and stiff, as if he were in a straight waistcoat, and he also wore a black uniform, but more smartly cut, and with a shoulder-belt in black leather resembling the Sam Browne.
This man, as Howard subsequently learned, was Major Diessen of the Gestapo.
He stared at Howard, looking him up and down, noting the clothes he wore, the Breton casque on his head, the stained rust-coloured poncho jacket, the dirty blue overall trousers.
'So,' he said harshly, but in quite good English.