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Façades
Principles of Construction
The following titles have been published in this series:

Components and Connections in Architecture – Principles of Construction

Maarten Meijs, Ulrich Knaack, Tillmann Klein
ISBN 978-3-7643-8669-6

Prefabricated Systems – Principles of Construction

Ulrich Knaack, Sharon Chung-Klatte, Reinhard Hasselbach
ISBN 978-3-7643-8747-1
 Façades
Ulrich Knaack, Tillmann Klein,
Marcel Bilow, Thomas Auer Principles of Construction

Second and revised edition

We would like to thank Delft University of Technology for the financial support of this publication.
We would also like to thank Ria Stein for her editorial guidance as well as the students Jean-Paul Willemse, Vincent van Sabben,
Thijs Welman, Max Ernst and Farhan Alibux for their help in generating the drawings.

Layout and cover design: Oliver Kleinschmidt, Berlin

Translation into English: Usch Engelmann, Rotterdam
Subject editors for the first English edition: Thomas Schröpfer, Limin Hee, Singapore
Editor: Ria Stein, Berlin

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data

A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress.

Bibliographic information published by the German National Library. The German National Library
lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data is available in the Internet at <http://dnb.ddb.de>.

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is
concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broad-
casting, reproduction on microfilms or in other ways, and storage in databases. For any kind of use,
permission of the copyright owner must be obtained.

This book is also available as an E-Book (ISBN 978-3-03821-145-7).

It is also available in a German edition (ISBN 978-3-03821-094-8)
and a German E-Book (ISBN 978-3-03821-026-9).

First edition 2007

Second and revised edition 2014

© 2014 Birkhäuser Verlag GmbH, Basel

P.O. Box 44, 4009 Basel, Switzerland
Part of Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Printed on acid-free paper produced from chlorine-free pulp. TCF ∞

Printed in Germany

ISBN 978-3-03821-044-3

98765432
www.birkhauser.com
 ConTe nTS

7 | 1 Introduction 36 | 3 Principles of Construction

37 | Areas of construction
38 | Façade bearing structures and load transfer
14 | 2 From Wall to Façade 42 | Grid and positioning of the façade
within the building
14 | Solid wall construction 44 | Systems used in façade construction
16 | Warm façade, cold façade 45 | Post-and-beam construction
46 | Unit system façade
16 | Openings in solid wall construction 46 | Designing with systems
18 | Bridging the gap
19 | Single glazing 47 | Openings in façade constructions
20 | Box window 47 | Hardware
21 | Insulated glazing 48 | Windows

22 | Walls with skeletal structure 50 | Assembly

22 | Half-timbered construction
23 | Platform and balloon framing

24 | Resolution of the wall into 52 | 4 Detailing and Tolerances

loadbearing structure and façade
25 | Post-and-beam façade 54 | Building grid and positioning of components
26 | Post façade 56 | Combination of functions
26 | Beam façade 57 | Detailing principles
27 | Curtain wall 57 | Layering of details
28 | System façade
58 | Examples of detail development
29 | Double façades 59 | Masonry cladding
30 | Second-skin façade 59 | Post-and-beam façade
30 | Box-window façade 60 | Unit system façade
31 | Corridor façade 61 | Parapet
32 | Shaft-box façade 62 | Plinth unit
33 | Alternating façade 63 | Joints
34 | Integrated façade
67 | Tolerances
70 | 5 Climate and energy 102 | 7 Case Studies

70 | Façade as interface to the exterior 102 | Rear-ventilated façade

70 | Functional requirements Concept House, RDM Campus, Rotterdam
71 | Thermal requirements 106 | Solid façade
72 | Visual requirements State Archive Nordrhein-Westfalen, Duisburg
73 | Hygienic requirements 110 | Post-and-beam façade
73 | Acoustic requirements New building for the Department for Architecture
and Interior Design at the University of Applied
74 | Regulating the comfort level Sciences, Detmold
with the façade 114 | Unit system façade
74 | Ventilation Headquarters Süddeutscher Verlag, Munich
77 | Heating
78 | Cooling 118 | 8 A Look Into the Future

80 | Sun and glare protection 120 | Material and construction

84 | Light-directing systems 124 | Climate, comfort, energy
126 | Production and assembly
127 | (Design) tools

85 | 6 Adaptive Façades

85 | Sun Appendix
86 | Light 128 | Authors
86 | Heat 129 | Selected bibliography
87 | Greenhouse effect 130 | Index
131 | Illustration credits
87 | History of adaptive façades
90 | Collector façade
90 | Trombe wall
91 | Transparent heat insulation
92 | Exhaust-air façade

93 | Double façade
94 | Box-window façade
95 | Shaft-box façade
96 | Corridor façade
98 | Second-skin façade

100 | Alternating façade

100 | Integrated façade
 1 | Introduction

With Façades – Principles of Construction being the title of this book – now in its
second edition –, one might begin to wonder why there is the need for yet another
book about façades. As it is, there are sufficient volumes focusing on topics such as
transparent façades, double façades or material-specific façade constructions (1, 2).
The subtitle – Principles of Construction – should shed some light on the purpose of
this particular book: it is designed for architects and students who wish to concentrate
on the design principles of façades in a more fundamental manner. This book does not
focus on specific façade variants; rather it explores basic façade systems, their origin
as well as the principles of construction, building structural aspects and the integration
with the building itself. The goal is neither a collection of design examples nor a compi-
lation of current and regulation-conforming details, but to create a basic understanding
of the façade and its technical realisation. Not based on specific European code norms
and technical regulations nor dependant on specific material-related parameters, this
understanding will enable the reader to analyse specific project examples with the aim
to realise their own developments in a technically sound manner.

1 2

Jewish Museum, Berlin, Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao,

Daniel Libeskind, 1999 Frank o. Gehry, 1997
Façade detail. The architectural concept envisioned Geometrically complex building junction: solving the
a homogenous sheet-metal façade, which, during geometry and implementation of a façade system
technical realisation, underwent a metamorphosis to is part of the architect’s responsibility but without
a multi-layered rear-ventilated façade with embedded modifying the structural system of the post-and-beam
rain drainage and spillway. façade.

I NTRODUCTION 7
 This approach is part of an integral design concept: an architectural design not only
includes the concept, the composition of space and the organisation of the building’s
functions but should encompass its structural realisation. The definition of surface and
structural materials and their detailed application is an expression of the building as
a whole. Thus, the detail is part of the architectural concept, to be understood as an
element on a special scale. The architect needs to exercise creative control of this ele-
ment; otherwise, the detail will develop randomly and might influence the architectural
expression contrary to its original conception.
Today the architect can no longer control every detail in its technical entirety – the
range of technological developments and product diversity has become too broad. This
book will provide an overview of typical solutions, the underlying systems as well as
their functionalities. This information will allow the architect to be a competent partner
in façade design. It will enable him or her to understand the suitability of each system
in a specific part of the design and to determine its technical and geometrical limits.
We don’t see the façade as an isolated building component but as an integral ele-
ment with considerable importance in terms of the building’s appearance. It should in-
clude additional functions such as loadbearing, active or passive environmental control
(3) and individual creative expression (4).

3 4

Debitel Headquarters, Stuttgart, Winter gardens at the national Museum of Science and Industry,
RKW Architektur + Städtebau, 2002 Parc de la Villette, Paris, RFR, 1986
Example of integrative planning of architecture With this hanging glazing, point-supported glass fixtures transfer the weight
and environmental concept: this alternating of the glass panes into the respective pane lying above; wire bracing ab-
façade was a new development, featuring an sorbs the lateral forces.
air intake system and a solar chimney for routing
of the exhaust air.

8 I NTRODUCTION
Façade planning and construction
Façades are not limited to the actual space they occupy as part of the entire structure,
but also influence the space in and around the building. A façade is the key element
when observing a building from the exterior and has impact on the interior. View, light-
ing, ventilation, user comfort, some building services and possibly loadbearing are all
tasks the façade may need to address. Façades are an integral element of the entire
building with direct relation to design, use, structure and building services. This has
decisive impact on the entire design and construction process.
Designing a façade is a process of communication and decision-making that focuses
on the formulation of the building and its façade. The following steps can be defined as
specific phases: initial conception, definition of functionalities, design, implementation
coordination and assembly. Certain processes should occur during all of these phases:
feedback on overall design and definition of functionalities as well as the element’s
importance within the overall structure of the building (structure, building services en-
gineering, usage, safety).
We will describe an example of a functionality relating overall building design and
façade construction. Water needs to be kept out of the building. The design might
include, for instance, an overhanging roof with recessed windows. In terms of the con-
struction process, a layered construction method with targeted drainage via eaves gut-
ters or drainage edges would be preferred (5). Assembly would need to be executed
from bottom to top in order to construct overhangs and ensure proper sealing.

eave as weather guard, ouro Pré`to, Brazil

Use of a large eave as weather guard for the wall and window
planes below. In the protected upper storey, casement win-
dows were used, whereas in the lower storey, sliding windows
were preferred since sealing this type of window is easier.

I NTRODUCTION 9
 Similar relative effects can be seen in the example of a full glass façade: the design
idea of a transparent envelope usually would entail the choice of a non-loadbearing
façade to expose as much glass surface as possible (6). For the construction process,
this would mean using a full glass façade set independently of the building structure.
It would need to have a movable joint to avoid stress imposed on the glass façade by
the main structure.
Why do we now emphasise on façades being highly technological components
when they have always been part of the architect’s scope of design? In particular, early
Modern Architecture captivates us with its technically simple detail solutions. Single
glazing could be made simply, without complex aluminium profiles, just flat steel welded
for an extremely slim section.
Today’s buildings stand in stark contrast to these historic examples of Mies van der
Rohe (7) und Niemeyer (9) – they consist of numerous complex and interlinked tech-
nical solutions for the loadbearing structure, technical equipment and the façade. Indi-
vidual design specialisations have evolved for each of these building components. The
modern façade is a complex structure with numerous functions and complex techni -
cal realisation. When we look at the architectural façade solutions of early Modern
Architecture, it becomes apparent that they were relevant in their time, but no longer
fulfil today’s requirements. Increased demands concerning comfort, e.g. heat-insula-
tion as well as air- and rain-tightness, in the context of most industrial countries no
longer allow the use of single glazing. This results in the need for thermal separation of
the construction profiles followed by the consequent need to maintain this separation
throughout window casements, drainage plains and jointing technology. The complexity
of the technical aspects alone increases exponentially. If we further consider today’s
increased knowledge in material science and its rapid development, the possibilities
seem endless, but so do the problems.

Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois,

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, 1950
This summer house lies embedded in the land-
scape; it sits on stilts to resist the annual floods
and to evoke a sense of detachment from the
surrounding area.

10 I NTRODUCTION
 Development trend complexity
The prevailing trend in façade technology is its increasing complexity. The range of
possibilities is expanding constantly and technical solutions become indicators for the
state-of-the-art: more and more ‘intelligent’ façades (10) are being developed with the
aim to increase the user’s comfort level. But since users need to undergo a process
of familiarisation with the new technologies, the question of their actual practicality
remains partially unanswered. Thus, some developments are being revised and a few,
however sensible with regards to substance, even disappear. Today we know of the is-
sues of double façades and can better judge their advantages and disadvantages. They
were built in quantities, but flawed conceptual designs or incorrect use and operation
damaged their reputation. When looking at proprietary technologies and systems, we
can see that these double façades do have historical predecessors; the Mediterranean
box-window (8) for example, or decentralised air-conditioning units, so called ‘fan coil
units’, which we have seen in older American high-rise façades.

7 8

Façade detail Farnsworth House, Plano, Illinois Historic façades in Bilbao

The detail consists of an inner flat steel angle-bracket, a clamped single In Mediterranean climates, glazed balconies serve as part
glazing without thermal insulation, and an outer finishing strip. As was cus- of the living space during transitional periods and as part
tomary in those days, no thermal bridges or drainage within the profiles were climatic buffer during summer.
provided. Because the house was used during the summer months only, this
was deemed unnecessary.

I NTRODUCTION 11
 Current topics in façade technology development include energy, user comfort, indi-
vidual façade expression (11) as well as adaption of existing façades. These topics
are all driven by the search for new solutions to create façades for varying functions,
climatic circumstances and geographic locations (12). The authors expect two major
trends to develop: further emphasis on technical developments with improved design
tools, manufacturing methods and system variants, as well as simplifying the façade by
integrating components and functions into façades that might be complex to design
but easy to manage.
However, exclusiveness does not exist in façade technology: there are no definite
right or wrong solutions. Façades always result from individual creative conceptions,
designed for a specific place, context and architectural concept. This book should be
viewed as a guide to analyse, consider and develop. It challenges the reader to stay
informed about new as well as conventional topics, to learn by observing, inquiring and
visiting construction sites.
Façade planning is an integral part of the design process that employs constant
feedback. It is a process based on progressive steps. This book is structured accord-
ing to this schematic: the chapter ‘From Wall to Façade’ discusses the development of
today’s façades and their typological classification; the chapter ‘Principles of Construc-
tion’ explains the interrelationship between the building structure and the façade sys-
tem; the chapter ‘Detailing and Tolerances’ broaches the issue of generating technical
details for the general solutions defined previously; topics such as integrated design
and building structure aspects of the façade are discussed in the chapter ‘Climate and
Energy’; the chapter ‘Adaptive Façades’ analyses how façades can adapt to changing
parameters; the section ‘Case Studies’ describes typical and special façade solutions
on the basis of selected projects.

9 10

Banco Mineiro de Produção, Belo Horizonte, oscar niemeyer, 1953 ARAG Tower, Düsseldorf, RKW Architektur +
The slim sections and single glazing have remained unchanged in Oscar Städtebau with Foster and Partners, 2000
Niemeyer’s administrative building because the local climate does not This well designed double façade is a shaft-box
necessitate thermal insulation. Air-conditioning units for cooling the interior system with individual box windows and cross-
space in summer are positioned according to the requirement of the indi- storey exhaust shafts within the glass façade.
vidual user.

12 I NTRODUCTION
 Four new, exemplary case studies were selected for this second and revised edition.
They explain four different construction methods that are in common use; particularities
are noted in the text. The case studies are meant to be transfered to a particular project
or problem. Thus, the rear-ventilated façade of the Concept House in Rotterdam, the
Netherlands, is an interesting example of façade cladding that could be similarly rea-
lised with many different materials in sheet or panel form. The second case study, the
State Archive Nordrhein-Westfalen in Duisburg, Germany, deals with a more traditional
single-skin solid masonry construction, which is particularly helpful as an example for
extensions to older buildings or restoration of historic buildings. Both examples are wall
constructions with windows, and therefore so-called punctuated façades.
The desire for transparency and façades with large glazed areas is addressed with
the other two case studies. The new building for the Department for Architecture and
Interior Design at the University of Applied Sciences in Detmold, Germany, was exe-
cuted with a post-and-beam façade; a suitable solution for buildings only a few storeys
high. The element façade of the Headquarters Süddeutscher Verlag in Munich is a
good example of a very modern high-rise façade, delivered as prefabricated elements
and assembled storey by storey. Following the punctuated façades of the examples in
Rotterdam and Duisburg with their loadbearing walls, these two curtain wall variants
offer an informative introduction into the design of façades which are placed in front of
the loadbearing structure of the building. In closing, the authors offer an outlook on the
future of façade technology and the possible lines of development.

11 12

Arab World Institute, Paris, Juscelino Kubitschek Complex,

Jean nouvel, 1989 Belo Horizonte, oscar niemeyer, 1951
South façade of the Arab World Institute with a North façade of a residential high-rise building from the fifties
technical interpretation of the Arabic sun screen with sun protection lamellas which can be adjusted for each
as an integrated-pane system. The blinds open flat individually. Lamellas of varying incline create a textured
and close depending on the angle of the sun. surface that changes the building’s appearance – from a
design point of view, a very modern façade.

I NTRODUCTION 13
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stranger, who lives so oddly and in such a queer place, has to do
with it?”

He laughed as the tall bay took a fence and landed once more in the
much-cut road.

“That’s it,” he continued. “It’s curiosity. I want to see the man who
has made those two, back there, fear him so.”

He had perhaps gone a mile and a half in a straight course, when

the fences began to thin; trees lined the roadside and grew in thick
clumps upon every hand; the ground looked rough and stony;
apparently no plow had ever broken it, no axe had ever been leveled
against the timber.

Heavy boughs, showing the first green of spring, hung so low that
Ezra was forced to bend low in his saddle in order to avoid them. He
was riding in this fashion when he was suddenly startled by a voice,
apparently only a few yards away, calling to him.

“Hullo, you, sir!”

Ezra drew in the bay and turned in his saddle. A tall, strongly-built
young man in long leather boots, and wearing a hat with a plume in
it, was standing beside a fallen horse.

“A moment of your time, if you please,” commanded this personage,

in a voice that was not to be denied.

“You have met with an accident, I see,” remarked Ezra, with a glance
at the prostrate beast. “Is he badly hurt?”

“I think he is all but finished,” replied the young man in the long
boots. “He was recommended to me as a nag of perfect quality; but
I have found none such in this sadly deserted corner of the earth.”
The speaker wore moustaches, something seldom or never seen in
those days. They were black, with spiky points, and he twisted at
them savagely.

“But I have found in my journeys through the world that good

horses are only grown where there are fine up-standing men to see
to them,” continued the stranger. He drew up his soft leather boots
and shifted his heavy sword belt, which bore a huge brass buckle.
Then he devoted his attention to the moustaches once more.

“You are not of the colonies, then?” inquired Ezra.

The other drew himself up haughtily and stared at the speaker.

“I trust, sir,” spoke he in a measured voice, “that I do not convey

that impression. I am Gilbert Scarlett, late of the Spanish service and
once of those of Hanover, Wurtemberg, Portugal and the Swiss. Also
two campaigns have I served with the Turks in Egypt, and once I
bore a commission from the Czar of Muscovy.”

Ezra regarded the other with wonderment. That so young a man

could have had so wide a military experience seemed extraordinary
indeed. But, in spite of the boastful tone and exaggerated manner,
there was that about the stranger that might make a doubter pause.

“I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Scarlett,” said Ezra Prentiss, politely.

“And I must say that I am rather astonished to see a man of your
parts in so unusual a place.”

“You might well be,” returned the other, slapping his boot-leg with
his riding-whip. “And truth to tell, I am a trifle astonished myself. But
matters between the Spanish and the French grew very monotonous
toward the last, below there in the Floridas and on the Gulf. They
made war very politely and saw to it that there was plenty of
breathing time between cannon-shots. So I took ship and came
north. They told me that the clouds were gathering here and that
there would be much credit for a man of my inches to gain, in one
way and another.”

“If you look for fighting,” said Ezra, soberly, “I fancy you’ll get your
fill of it before many days.”

The other laughed and leaned gracefully against a tree. He had thick
black brows, and he bent them at the young New Englander
jeeringly.

“Fighting!” mocked he. “Where is it to come from? Gage has an

army of veterans and dare not come out. This other man——”

“General Ward?” suggested Ezra, as the other hesitated.

“Yes—thanks. General Ward has gathered a rabble of peasants

which would tear off like sheep at the first sound of a heavy gun.”

“You are wrong,” cried Ezra warmly. “I saw them under fire. They
acted the part of men.”

“I’ve heard of that fight,” said the young man. “Pshaw! Such a thing
is not a test. Wait until they are forced to sleep out under the stars,
to mount guard in the wet, to obey popinjay officers, to keep hungry
bellies for days on end, to be sick without physic, to be cold without
clothing, to be beaten and asked to fight again. That will show the
color of their courage, sir. Your General Ward may be satisfied with
less; but nothing short of all I’ve mentioned would answer the needs
of an old campaigner.”

To hear him with his youthful face, and sprouting moustaches,

calling himself by such a name, caused Ezra to smile. Instantly the
face of Gilbert Scarlett changed.

“But it seems that I am wasting good time speaking with you,” said
he, coldly. “I find that men of experience are not understood by
colonials.” His hard, black eyes ran over the lines of the tall bay
horse which Ezra bestrode, and he proceeded, “That is a fair-looking
charger. Anyhow, it’s the best to be had at this time, I suppose. So
do me the favor to get down.”

Ezra looked at the speaker in some surprise.

“Perhaps you will explain,” said he.

“The situation is so plain,” proclaimed Gilbert Scarlett, “that I can

scarcely see the need of an explanation. But, since you ask for one,
here it is. My horse can go no farther. Yours can. So, as I have
urgent affairs to transact, I propose that we make an exchange.”

“It would seem that your military schooling has taught you to expect
the better of a bargain, if nothing else,” said Ezra quietly.

The other laughed.

“It would have been of very little value if it hadn’t,” said he. He once
more hitched at his sword belt, and this time the movement held the
elements of a threat. “But,” he went on, “that is neither here nor
there. We will come to the exchange at once, if you please.”

“I am glad that you mentioned that last,” smiled Ezra. “Suppose I

don’t please?”

The points of the spiky moustache went up and the heavy black
brows came down.

“In that event,” said Gilbert Scarlett, “I shall be forced to alter your
mind.”

A little earlier, Ezra had had before him a youthful, careless face, had
listened to boastful, empty speech and had smiled. But in an instant
all was altered. The face was now hard and lined; the careless
mouth was tight shut and cruel looking, the voice was sharp and
peremptory.
“Once more—and for the last time, mark you—I invite you to get
down.”

“I think your contempt for colonials has led you astray,” said Ezra,
still with a smile. “We do not give up our belongings so easily in this
part of the world.”

The man took a step forward, his breath seeming to hiss between
his teeth; then his sword flashed out of its scabbard. But at the
same instant Ezra’s long holster pistol came into play. The afternoon
light gleamed dully upon the steel barrel, as he supported it in the
hollow of his left arm.

“Before you display any of your deftness with the sword blade,”
spoke the young New Englander, coolly, “listen to a few words of
disinterested advice. I say disinterested, because it makes no
difference to me how you take it. But it would, perhaps, be a great
deal better for you if you reconsidered this matter. A gentleman of
your confessed military experience can no doubt play the sword with
accuracy. But don’t forget that a bullet travels faster—and don’t
compel me to start this one on its travels.”

The young stranger listened to this quietly-spoken warning with

varying expressions of face. At first it seemed that he would defy the
pistol; indeed he drew back his arm for a blow. Then he paused,
baffled; at last a comical look came upon his face, his point touched
the ground and he stepped back with a ringing laugh.

“For your advice I offer many thanks.” He took off his hat as he
spoke and its plume swept the earth. “And I will take it,” driving his
blade back in its sheath. “I have made a grave military blunder. In
what you call my contempt for colonials I overlooked the possibility
of your being armed. I admit defeat and pray you mercy.”

The situation was so quaint a one that Ezra also laughed. But he did
not take his eyes from the other, neither did his pistol go back to its
place in the holster.
“The situation remains as it was when I came up,” said the boy.
“Here you stand beside your fallen horse and off I go on my way to
Chelmsford.”

He touched the bay with the spur; but it had only taken a few steps
when Gilbert Scarlett once more lifted his voice. Ezra drew rein and
the man advanced.

“You are going toward Chelmsford?” inquired he.

“Yes,” returned Ezra.

“By this road?”

“If I can.”

“It always shows good quality in a soldier to be generous to a

defeated foe,” smiled the young man. He paused a moment and
studied Ezra carefully; and as he did so the latter noted an odd light
dancing in his eyes. “As I have said,” Scarlett resumed, “I have
urgent affairs that under other circumstances would require me to
press on. And as I can’t do this, I would ask you to grant me a
favor.”

“What is it?” asked Ezra.

“At Cambridge I was entrusted with a mission of more or less

importance,” spoke Scarlett easily. “And as the gentleman who so
entrusted me was most genial and generous, though to speak the
truth I did not know him from Adam’s elder brother, I would like to
see the matter carried through as contracted.”

He drew from his belt a packet of papers sealed with black wax.

“I was required to take this way and ride until I came to a certain
bridge,” said Scarlett. “Not far from this I was to come upon a house
where I was to stop and ask for a man by the name of Abdallah.
When I saw him I was to hand over these,” and the speaker held up
the packet.

At sight of the packet and Scarlett’s announcement that he had been

bidden to come that way, Ezra’s attention became fixed. The two
farmers had spoken of unknown riders who came and went to their
mysterious neighbor’s. But when the other mentioned the bridge and
the house not far from it, the boy’s eyes snapped with expectation.
However, when he spoke his voice was unconcerned enough.

“And now, I suppose, you want me to undertake to finish what you

have begun?” said he.

“If you will be so kind,” replied Scarlett, with a little bow. “It will not
take you out of your way, since you are going by this road, and it
will greatly relieve my mind.”

Ezra bent forward and took the papers in his left hand. Thrusting
them into the breast of his coat, he said with a laugh:

“It would show a sad lack of charity on my part to leave you in a

disturbed state of mind. A disabled horse and a long road are
calamities enough for any man.”

“I thank you,” said Scarlett. He tugged at his moustache with one

hand; the thumb of the other was stuck in his sword belt, his legs
were very wide apart, and the plumed hat was set well back upon
his head. “You are a ready youth and a generous one. Perhaps your
wit is not all that it will be in the years to come. Nevertheless, I say
that you are a ready youth. And further, I will add that you have the
makings in you of a most excellent soldier.”

Once more the long plume swept the ground as Ezra, with a wave of
the hand, rode away; and the last the boy saw of him he was
stripping the saddle from the fallen horse and apparently railing
against his ill luck in a most hearty fashion.
 CHAPTER III—TELLS HOW EZRA ENTERED THE
HOUSE OF ABDALLAH

“Rather an odd character, I should think,” mused the young New

Englander as he rode along. “A soldier of fortune from his own
account; and from my own observations, one ready enough to
provide himself with anything that he lacked. But he seemed rather
a good sort, for all,” with a laugh, “even if he did draw his blade on
me and afterward cast reflections upon my wit. I’m sure if I saw
more of him I’d come to like him.”

The pace was slow on account of the bad condition of the road; and
gradually the sun slipped downward in the west. At length, in a
gloomy, sunken place, Ezra came upon a forbidding-looking stream
flowing into a shattered dam.

A treacherous-looking bridge of unstripped timber crossed it; and a

little to the left was an abandoned mill with staring, empty windows;
its broken roof was covered with green moss, a wheel hanging
rotten and silent at its side.

“And some little way along I am to find a house by the roadside, am

I?” said the lad as he looked about upon this sullen picture. “Well, it
takes different tastes to make a world, of course; but I’d never have
thought that any one would select a spot like this for a dwelling-
place.”

Gingerly the bay picked its way across the bridge; the aged timbers
swayed and groaned; through the open seams between the planks,
the dark water could be seen flowing sluggishly along.
Just beyond the bridge the road took an abrupt bend; and as Ezra
rounded this he found himself in sight of the house.

He had only time to note that it was two stories in height and that
heavy shutters guarded all the windows, when there came a most
tremendous barking of dogs. Lion-like, three enormous mastiffs
leaped the low fence that ran about the house and rushed at horse
and rider.

The bay reared, his nostrils widening and his eyes shining with
fright. Ezra tightened the rein, spoke soothingly to him and at the
same time reached for his holster pistol. With wide jaws the great
beasts bounded forward; then came a sharp whistle and instantly
they paused, growling, indeed, and with savage eyes, but advancing
no farther.

From around one corner of the house came a man of commanding

stature and remarkable appearance. He was attired in a long, loose,
robe-like garment such as Ezra had seen in pictures of Eastern
peoples. His head was entirely bald, though the face was smooth,
unlined and gave few signs of age. His complexion was swarthy and
his eyes singularly large, dark and gentle-looking.

“I ask your pardon, young sir,” said this strange-looking personage

smoothly. “My poor beasts are a trifle unruly at times. But,”
reassuringly, “believe me, there is no harm in them.”

Ezra looked down into the bloodshot eyes and formidable jaws of the
brutes. He said nothing in answer to the man’s statement; but he
held to his own opinion, nevertheless.

The man advanced to the fence, and Ezra noted that he wore no
shoes. His feet were bound in sandals; also he was belted with a
thick cord into which was stuck an ancient-looking, leather-covered
book.
But the stranger’s most striking and noticeable feature was his soft
gentleness of manner. Ezra felt this the moment his eyes rested
upon the swarthy face; it were as though nothing could excite its
owner to anger or intolerance. And yet, for all that, as the boy gazed
at the strangely-clad one, that distinct feeling of repulsion came
upon him which we feel in the presence of those whom we naturally
distrust.

Here the man spoke to the dogs which still stood near at hand,
growling and casting savage looks at Ezra.

“Blood,” said he, gently, “go in, brave dog. Death, away with you.
Bones, be gone.”

The voice was soft, even purring; but the grisly names of the brutes
caused Ezra to shudder.

Obediently the animals turned and leaped into the enclosure once
more. And as they passed their master, Ezra noted that they
crouched and fawned.

“Only beaten dogs do that,” thought the boy. Then, as he surveyed

the man carefully, “I wonder just how much of this gentleness is real
and how much assumed?”

As the mastiffs vanished behind the house, the man turned to Ezra
once more.

“The road is seldom frequented,” said he, apologetically; “and so,

poor beasts, they are not accustomed to travelers.” The soft, dark
eyes examined Ezra with much attention; then the speaker went on,
“I sincerely trust that you have taken neither harm nor offense.”

“Not in the least,” replied Ezra readily. “My horse was a bit startled;
but that is all.”
Instantly the dark eyes went to the horse; its weary condition
seemed to excite the stranger’s sympathy.

“You have ridden far?” said he, gently.

“From Cambridge,” replied Ezra. “But it has taken several days.”

“And you are going——?” Here the other paused with undoubted
expectancy.

“Toward Chelmsford,” replied Ezra.

The man seemed baffled; he passed one hand over his shining bald
head as though in meditation. But the singular dark eyes never left
the boy’s face.

“This is rather an unusual way to select,” he said at last. “Rough and

indirect.”

“Perhaps so,” said Ezra. “But I had some small matters of business
hereabouts.”

An eager look came into the man’s face; he held up one hand with
an inquiring gesture.

“You were to ask for some one?” said he.

“Yes. For a gentleman of the name of Abdallah.”

“I am he,” said the other humbly. “Abdallah—son of Hamid—a poor

scholar, and a friend to all the world.”

Ezra took out the packet from the breast of his coat; riding close to
the fence he gave it into Abdallah’s hands.

“I thank you,” said the man. “I had been expecting you for some
days.”
His fingers pattered nervously upon the papers; it was plain to see
that he was all eagerness to tear them open that he might come at
their contents.

But he restrained himself; with calm eyes he looked at Ezra and

said:

“Perhaps it was part of your instructions that you bear back any
answer to these that might be necessary.”

Ezra hesitated for a moment. His first impulse was to make a plain
statement of the facts, to tell him how he met Scarlett by the
wayside, relate how the papers had been handed over to him, and
why. But second thought prompted him to take advantage of the
other’s mistake. What the lad had heard of Abdallah had interested
him exceedingly. If there were anything unusual in his transactions,
or anything against the public good, here was a most excellent
opportunity of throwing a light upon the matter.

So, like a flash, he made up his mind.

“I was given no instructions by the gentleman who entrusted me

with this errand,” said he, “save only that I was to hand the packet
to you.”

Abdallah nodded his head.

“It is well to be careful. I have always approved of such a method,”

spoke he.

The great dark eyes were fixed upon Ezra’s face; for all their
gentleness, the boy fancied that he caught an element of
speculation in them. But before he had time to note more, the man
proceeded:

“I am a reader of faces and you have a faithful look. You are of the
type that would be apt to do anything that he engaged to do.” He
tapped the papers upon the palm of one hand for a moment, as
though considering; then proceeded: “Will you carry the answer to
the person who gave these?” And the eyes narrowed.

“He was an utter stranger to me,” said Ezra. “I would not know
where to look for him.”

The man laughed softly and seemed satisfied.

“In matters like this,” said he, “it is not always wise to give names or
addresses. It might prove inconvenient. However, it does not matter.
I will so advise you as to the answer that you cannot well go astray.”

With that Ezra dismounted without more ado. Tying his horse to the
gate-post, he followed the man through a low, wide doorway into
the house.

The boy was open-eyed for something unusual. What he had heard
of Abdallah, and, indeed, the man’s personal appearance, led him to
be so; and he was not disappointed.

Without, the house was clumsy and ill-shaped, the product perhaps
of an uncouth workman of past generations. It was also neglected,
unpainted and weather-stained. The enclosure about it was yellow
with the weeds of a summer before.

But within all was different. The shutters did not admit a ray of light;
candles, set in queer twisted sconces of copper, burned behind rose-
colored shades of glass. Large mirrors glittered upon the walls; the
doorways were hung with rich draperies; a soft Turkey carpet and
rich rugs were upon the floor. Several broad couches covered with
crimson leather stood about.

And books were everywhere—upon shelves, upon tables and chairs;

faded scrolls covered with strange Oriental characters were scattered
about; queer manuscripts, musty and tattered, lay open to view
where some one had been lately consulting them.
On a broad, brick hearth stood a small furnace with a leather
bellows attached. Beside this were queer instruments and vessels of
metal and glass at whose uses the boy could only guess.

“Be seated, I beg of you,” spoke Abdallah, with grave courtesy. “It is
but a poor place to ask a guest; but to what there is, you are
welcome indeed.”

Ezra sat down upon one of the couches. It was soft and extremely
comforting to one who had been in the saddle since early morning.
And as he sat, his eyes went about the apartment wonderingly.

The man noted this and smiled. Ezra hastened to say:

“I ask your pardon. But there is not, I will venture to say, such
another place as this in all Massachusetts.”

Abdallah inclined his stately head gravely.

“No doubt you are right,” said he. “In this Western world the lore of
the East is all but unknown.” He sighed and shook his head. “All is so
new. The men, the customs, the very country. They have no leisure
for employment of a deeper sort.”

Ezra looked at the speaker curiously.

“I have heard but little of the unusual sciences of the East,” said he,
“and have read very little more. I have no doubt but that they are
wonderful and interesting; and I am pleased to meet with a
gentleman so learned in them.”

Abdallah made a gesture of protest.

“You give me too much credit,” said he, gravely. “I am but a poor
scholar. ’Tis true that some of the mysteries of life have been made
known to me. But that is all. I am a struggling student as yet, and
cannot hope to be more until years of labor have been gone
through.”

Glass vessels containing liquids stood upon a shelf. They were long
necked and yet with squat, round bodies; their contents were of
amber, purple, jade and other rich colors and they twinkled and
flashed in the subdued light of the candles.

“You practice the art of healing, sir, I perceive,” suggested Ezra,

looking at these.

But Abdallah shook his head.

“I am fairly well versed in the business of a leech,” he replied. “But I

give but little time to it.”
 Illustration: “YOU PRACTICE THE ART OF HEALING,
SIR”

Here Ezra caught an odd, muffled, lingering sound. It was low and
indistinct. Thinking it was something outside—a bird, a small animal
or such—he paid no attention to it. But at the same time he noticed
a peculiar expression upon the face of Abdallah, and he also saw the
look which the man flashed at him.

“To be a surgeon, or even an apothecary in such a lonely place,

would profit mankind or myself very little,” proceeded the man in his
usual tone of grave gentleness.
He smiled at the boy, who nodded a reply. Again the odd sound was
repeated. It was murmurous and lingering, rising and falling in a
measured sort of way.

“It is within the house,” Ezra told himself. “And it is the voice of
some one in conversation.”

But he felt the dark eyes of the Oriental fixed upon him and his face
never changed. The sound, apparently, was one that Abdallah would
prefer to have unheard; so Ezra’s face held nothing but polite
interest in the other’s remarks.

“I suppose you are quite right,” said the boy. “And so,” with the
suspicions of the farmers well in mind, “you devote your time solely
to the study of your philosophy?”

“Entirely so,” replied Abdallah, suavely. “It is a great science, and to

get even the rudiments of it, one must spare neither one’s self nor
time.”

Again came the murmurous sound. Whoever the talkers were, they
seemed to be deep in some discussion. As Ezra watched he saw the
habitually gentle look leave the eyes of the Oriental; the pleasant
mouth tightened and grew hard, the long-fingered brown hands
clenched.

“I will ask your pardon,” said Abdallah in his smooth voice. That he
was filled with a bitter anger was plain; but he held himself
wonderfully in control. He bent his head in a salaam of much dignity;
then drawing aside some hangings that concealed a doorway, he
disappeared.

Ezra settled back more comfortably into his easy seat.

“Master Abdallah evidently does not lead the lonely life that my
friends of a short time ago supposed,” said he. “If these are not
regular inmates of his house, they are persons over whom he
professes some control; at least his manner said as much.”

There was a huge clock in the room that ticked with steady, solemn
regularity. Now and then a candle sputtered or leaped behind its
rose-colored shade. But these were the only sounds that Ezra heard.

“Whoever it was, he has silenced them,” smiled the boy. “Behind

that soft manner, our friend has a temper of his own. I saw that
from the first.”

But another moment proved that Abdallah’s was not the only temper
in the house. Suddenly the silence was split by a heavy voice,
thundering:

“What do you mean, sir? What do you mean by addressing me in

that manner?”

A quick, excited murmur followed. Then the heavy voice was heard
once more.

“I know we are in his house. I am perfectly aware of it. But that

does not deprive me of the right to protect myself from impudence.”

Abdallah’s voice was then heard; but it was pitched so low that Ezra
could not catch the words. After a moment the heavy voice came
again.

“Of course, sir, that puts a different face upon the matter. But you
should have warned us to moderate our tones. Remember, I am
Major Buckstone of His Majesty’s Artillery, and I permit no man to
hector me.”

“Hush-h-h-h!” came another voice. And then there was a silence.

“It seems that Major Buckstone is a person quite ready and

competent to regulate his own affairs,” smiled the boy. Then his
brows puckered thoughtfully as he continued: “And the fact that he
is of His Majesty’s Artillery makes him a gentleman of whom I should
take more than ordinary notice.”

On the whole, as he thought the situation over, all the persons

concerned were of great interest to him and to the cause of the
colonies. Here was a stranger, an Oriental, who received mysterious
communications from equally mysterious horsemen. And here, also,
were British officers making his house a place of resort and carrying
on conversations which would not allow of being overheard.

“Decidedly,” said Ezra, “it has an interesting look. And I am quite

pleased that I chanced to come this way and overtake Master
Scarlett as I did.”

His thoughts had run this far when once again the mighty voice of
Major Buckstone was heard.

“But, sir,” it cried, “I disagree with you. I utterly disagree with you.
You may have your own ways of doing these things. If so, you are
perfectly welcome to them. But I am a soldier, sir; an officer in His
Majesty’s Artillery, and I am accustomed to do things in my own
way.”

A soft protest followed, but the thunderous major cut it short.

“If this gentleman has been trusted thus far, he can be trusted
further,” he declared. “Why should we remain concealed in the
houses of our friends? It is preposterous!”

A sharp moving about of furniture followed as though some one had

pushed back a heavy chair; then footsteps were heard, the hangings
parted and a burly, red-faced man entered the room.
 CHAPTER IV—TELLS WHAT BEFELL EZRA THEREIN

Directly behind the red-faced man came Abdallah, and a small,

weazened-looking youth, with the face of a ferret and the covert
manners of a fox.

That Abdallah was not pleased with the situation was very evident.
There was an angry light burning in the dark eyes; and though his
manner was as suave as ever, his voice, as he spoke, had gained
distinctly in sharpness.

“This,” said he, addressing Ezra, who had arisen, “is a gentleman
who insisted upon making your acquaintance.”

Major Buckstone laughed loudly, and held out his hand to the boy.

“And that is the plain truth,” spoke he, with great heartiness of
manner. “I am a bluff soldier, young sir, and I am always delighted to
see those who do their work out in the open.”

As he said this, his eyes went quickly to Abdallah and the ferret-
faced young man. It was the latter who made answer.

“In a time like this, Major Buckstone,” said he, “there is work of all
sorts to be done for His Majesty, the King. You have your place—we
have ours.”

“And you will pardon me for saying it, I’m sure,” said Abdallah, also
addressing the major, “but your place is decidedly not here.”

The words were softly spoken; but, for all, there was behind them
the bitter resentment of a man not accustomed to being crossed.
Major Buckstone drew himself up, and saluted formally.

“Sir,” he made reply, “you have complimented me highly. You are

quite right. This is not my place. In plain words, a man of my quality
should never have been detailed upon such duty.”

The ferret-faced youth, his eyes full of alarm, furtively tugged at the
speaker’s sleeve; then he whispered some words of caution. But the
burly soldier shook him off impatiently.

“I understand you very well, Jason Collyer,” said he with ponderous

disdain. “But as I have told you many times in this last twenty-four
hours, I will pay no heed to you. I have my own way of conducting
my own business, and that I will persist in.”

Abdallah made a sign to the ferret-faced youth, and the latter fell
back from the plainspoken major. Then the two drew together at a
far corner of the room and consulted in whispers. The major turned
to Ezra once more.

“You have ridden from Cambridge, I understand,” said he.

“I have,” replied the lad, briefly.

“It has been a week since I passed through the rebel lines,” said the
officer. “I was in disguise,” in a tone of great disgust. “Much rather
would I have been in full uniform, and at the head of two regiments
of hardy fellows.” Then in another tone, “But what news?”

“The papers, I should think,” and Ezra nodded toward Abdallah,

“would tell you everything.”

“Everything of this nature,” and the burly speaker gestured about

him in great contempt. “But I want to have as little to do with spying
and ferreting as possible. What I want to know is: what has General
Gage done to break the preposterous condition at Boston, that the
rebels call a siege?”
“Nothing, sir,” replied the boy.

The great, red face grew grim, and the heavy round head wagged
from side to side.

“British prestige will suffer for this,” said the major, solemnly. “It will
suffer the world over.” Then with a tightening of his jaws, “Come,
then, tell me what the rebels have done. I’ll warrant they have been
active enough.”

Ezra smiled.

“You are right in that,” said he. “Never were men more busy before.
Not a day goes by but that something is done. Earthworks are
thrown up, companies are enlisted, stores are gathered, noted men
of the colonial wars are offering their swords and their experience.”

This last caused Major Buckstone to grow grimmer than ever.

“And tough fighters, those same rascals are,” said he. “I’ve fought
shoulder to shoulder with them, and I know their mettle.”

Then little by little he drew from the boy all the details of what had
passed, to the colonists’ credit, since the day that the column under
Lord Percy had been driven pell-mell into Boston. But the boy
shrewdly neglected to mention anything that would show the real
and pitiful weakness of the colonial force. He did not tell how the
slackly-disciplined farmers grew tired of the dull routine of the siege
and left for their homes in droves. He did not tell how General Ward
had written to the Provincial Congress declaring that if this was not
somehow stopped he would soon be left all alone. Nor did he say
that for sheer want of men, Boston Neck was at times almost
unguarded—Boston Neck, the most important avenue of all out of
the beleaguered city.

Major Buckstone listened to the rosy story of the colonists’ prowess;

his thick iron-gray brows were drawn together in a frown.
“I understand that they have Putnam from Connecticut with them,
and that tall fellow John Stark, of New Hampshire, too. Well, they
are both nasty fighters; I’ve seen them in the thick of it many a
time. The only way to beat such fellows is to prevent them from
making a fair beginning.”

Here Abdallah came forward. His dark eyes had grown calm once
more; and there was a gentle smile upon his lips.

“In that, Major Buckstone, you are perfectly right,” said he. “Once
these men get a fair start in the conducting of a war it will be most
difficult to put them down. And to prevent them is our mission.”

The major growled out an angry exclamation. But Abdallah

proceeded smoothly.

“When the military force has shown itself to be incompetent,” said

he, “such as we step in.” He paid no attention to the glowering look
that the major directed upon him for this criticism of the army. “Our
work is of such a nature——”

The ferret-faced youth thrust out a thin, large-knuckled hand and

tugged at Abdallah’s robe.

“Our work and its nature is well known to us all,” remarked he, with
a sharp look at Ezra. “So there is nothing to be gained by talking
over it, that I can see.”

Abdallah smiled.

“Right,” said he, “though it is somewhat late in the evening for us to

think of becoming secretive. Major Buckstone has seen fit to——”

“We have been all over that, also,” said the major, brusquely. “As I
have said before, this lad has been entrusted with other and perhaps
cleaner business of the King than this. And I can see no harm in
speaking openly before him.”
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