'Of a truth the Germans are a great people.' The lieutenant nodded good-humouredly.
'The greatest people on earth,' he said, 'as their enemies will soon bear witness.' I would have given a lot for a bath, but I felt that it would be outside my part, and Peter was not of the washing persuasion.

But we had a very good breakfast of coffee and eggs, and then the lieutenant started on the telephone.

He began by being dictatorial, then he seemed to be switched on to higher authorities, for he grew more polite, and at the end he fairly crawled.

He made some arrangements, for he informed us that in the afternoon we would see some fellow whose title he could not translate into Dutch.

I judged he was a great swell, for his voice became reverential at the mention of him.
He took us for a walk that morning after Peter and I had attended to our toilets.