Frank immediately released his hold of the woman, and he noticed that she did not appear to be in danger of falling after he had withdrawn his support, which in itself was a suspicious sign.
"Oh! I hope you will help me just a little further!" exclaimed the man. "Inside is a chair, and if we could place her in that it is all I could ask of you. Thank you a thousand times for what you have done already; but do not leave me just yet."
It seemed hard to refuse, but Frank steeled his heart. He was positive by now he had been made a victim to a deep-laid plot, and if he but stepped within that open door something unpleasant was sure to happen to him.
"You will have to excuse me, but I can go no further," he said hastily.
The man said something half under his breath. Frank saw that the woman was apparently suddenly regaining her senses, for she had thrown out a hand, and seemed to be trying to clutch hold of his sleeve.
The boy had no difficulty in avoiding the contact, however, thanks to his suspicions. He dodged back, and then with a smile turned and walked quickly away. When he glanced over his shoulder a minute later the couple had vanished, evidently going into the house, which Frank could imagine must be a nest of spies.
"That was a pretty close call for me," he was saying to himself as he walked on; "and I can imagine there'll be a hurried exodus from that building inside of a few minutes if I cared to hang around and watch. They'll be afraid that I may tell on them, and have the soldiers surround the place. But it isn't my business as a neutral to have German spies arrested and shot."
Frank sauntered on. He had a few errands to attend to, some small supplies to purchase connected with the seaplane, for new wants were constantly cropping up in that line.
The little adventure caused his blood to warm up, but Frank had been through so much in his past that he had by this time come to take such things as a matter of course, and accept them philosophically.
"If that was intended for a stall," he said to himself presently, "it shows how desperate they're getting about our disposing of the _Sea Eagle_ to the French Government. Why, you'd think orders had gone out in Berlin to prevent the transfer by hook or by crook. Certain it is these people are risking their lives in the effort. But they will have to get up pretty early in the morning to best us, that's all I can say, even if it does sound like boasting."