Over the hill the sun was setting in a clear sky.
The Gestapo officer nodded to the guard, who shut the carriage door and blew a little toot on his horn.
The train moved forward, the carriages passed by them, and went on slowly up the line.
They were left standing on this little platform in the middle of the country with the Gestapo officer.
'So,' he said.
'You will now follow me.'
He led the way down the wooden steps that gave on to the road.
There was no ticket-collector and no booking-office; the little halt was quite deserted.
Outside, in the lane, there was a grey car, a Ford van with a utility body.
In the driver's seat there was a soldier in black Gestapo uniform.
Beside him was a child.
Diessen opened the door and made the child get out.
'Komm, Anna,' he said,
'Hier ist Herr Howard, und mit ihm wirst du zu Onkel Ruprecht gehen.'
The little girl stared at the old man, and his retinue of children, and at the dishevelled girl beside him.
Then she stretched out a little skinny arm, and in a shrill voice exclaimed:
'Heil Hitler!'
The old man said gravely: 'Guten abend, Anna.' He turned to the Gestapo officer, smiling faintly.
'She will have to get out of that habit if she's going to America,' he said.
Diessen nodded.
'I will tell her.'
He spoke to the little girl, who listened to him round-eyed.
She asked a question, puzzled; Howard caught the word Hitler.
Diessen explained to her again; under the scrutiny of Howard and Nicole he flushed a little.
The child said something in a clear, decisive tone which made the driver of the car turn in his seat and glance towards his officer for guidance.
Diessen said: 'I think she understands.'
To the old man he seemed a little embarrassed.
He asked: 'What did she say?'
The officer said: 'Children do not understand the Fuhrer.
That is reserved for adults.'
Nicole asked him in French: 'But, monsieur, tell us what she said.'
The German shrugged his shoulders.
'I cannot understand the reasoning of children.
She said that she is glad that she has not got to say "Heil Hitler" any more, because the Fuhrer wears a moustache.'
Howard said with perfect gravity: 'It is difficult to understand the minds of children.'
'That is so.
Now, will you all get into the car.
We will not linger in this place.'
The German glanced around suspiciously.
They got into the car.
Anna got into the back seats with them; Diessen seated himself beside the driver.
The car moved down the road.
In the front seat the Gestapo officer turned, and passed back a cotton bag tied with a string to Howard, and another to Nicole.
'Your papers and your money,' he said briefly.
'See that it is all in order.'
The old man opened it.
Everything that had been taken from his pockets was there, quite intact.
In the gathering dusk they drove through the countryside for an hour and a half.
From time to time the officer said something in a low tone to the driver; the old man got the impression once that they were driving round merely to kill time till darkness fell.
Now and again they passed through villages, sometimes past barricades with German posts on guard.