第 28 页

dispatches will be ready; written, of course, so as to fold up in

the smallest possible compass.

"Captain Verre, will you see that two of the best horses in my

stable are put into boxes, in the train that leaves at six tomorrow

morning."

The boys now rose to leave.

"Good morning," the minister said. "All the letters of

recommendation, the dispatches, and the money will be ready when

you come, in the morning."

The boys, on going out, held a long consultation over their

disguises. Examining the papers, they found that one was for two

persons of the same name--Isaac Kraph and Aaron Kraph--father and

son; the father, as described in the pass, forty-five years old,

the son eighteen. This pass they determined to use.

The task of changing Percy into a Jew boy, of eighteen, was

evidently an easy one. His clear complexion was the only

difficulty, and this could be readily disguised. Ralph's disguise

was a more difficult one; and there was a considerable debate as to

whether he had better go as a red Jew, or a dark Jew. The latter

was finally determined upon as, otherwise, the contrast between the

supposed father and son would be too striking.

They then went to their tailor, and found their uniforms ready.

They at once put them on, as the peculiarity of the purchases they

intended to make was so great that, had they been in their civilian

dress, it was certain that they would have been regarded with

suspicion; and would have, perhaps, had difficulty in obtaining

what they wanted.

Their first visit was to a hairdresser's shop. Rather to the

astonishment of the proprietor, they told him that they wished to

speak to him in a private room; and still more to his astonishment,

when the door was closed, they told him that they wanted their hair

dyed quite black. The hairdresser could hardly believe his ears.

The boys had both brown, wavy hair--Percy's being the lightest--and

that two young officers of the staff should, at such a time, desire

to dye their hair struck the man almost dumb with astonishment.

Ralph smiled.

"No wonder you are surprised, but we have an important mission to

carry out, and it is essential that we should be completely

disguised. We are going as spies into Von der Tann's camp. This, of

course, is in the strictest confidence."

The hairdresser was at once struck with the importance of the

occasion.

"You want an instantaneous dye?" he asked.

"Certainly," Ralph said, "and one that will last, at any rate, for

a week."

There was no difficulty whatever in complying with the request and,

in ten minutes, the boys' heads were raven in their blackness.

"Now," Ralph said, "I want my brother's hair--which is fortunately

very long--to be completely frizzled; and I want a pair of the

tongs you do it with, so as to be able to do it for ourselves."

This also was easy enough.

"Now," Ralph went on, "for myself, I want my hair to be very long;

to come down over my ears on to my collar, all the way round."

"But the only way to do that is to have a wig specially made for

you."

"Not at all," Ralph said. "I could not put on a wig, even if you

had one just as I want it, ready. The parting always shows, if it

is narrowly looked at. I want some long flat bands of hair, like

those you use for chignons. It must be black, to match my hair as

it is now; but put a few streaks of gray into it. I must have a

band of this hair, long enough to go round the head, from just

above one ear to just above the other. If you part my hair, just at

the place where the band is to go; brush the hair up; put the band

of artificial hair on, with shoemaker's wax, or something else to

hold tight; then brush the hair back again over the band, it would

be absolutely impossible to see it was not all natural. Then cut

the long hair so as to lie on my coat collar, frizzle it and the

natural hair, and I will defy the keenest-eyed Prussian to see

anything wrong about it."

As soon as the hairdresser understood exactly what Ralph wanted, he

entered heartily into his plans; and several of the short flat

bands of black hair, used for chignons, were sewn on to a band.

This was fastened on to Ralph's head, in the way he had suggested;

the long tresses were cut to the required length; the tongs were

used on them, and on the natural hair; and plenty of oil put on

and, in an hour, his headdress was perfect--an immense bush of

frizzly hair. The cloth was taken from round his neck and, as he

looked at himself in the glass, he joined heartily in Percy's shout

of laughter.

"But, Ralph, how are you to go out in your uniform, and that head

of hair?"

"Dear me," Ralph said, "I had quite forgotten that. Go to the

tailor's, Percy, and tell them to send the suit I changed there in

here, directly."

Percy went off for the clothes, and Ralph then went on:

"Now I want a black or grayish beard, whiskers, and mustache."

"I have not got such a thing," the hairdresser said, "but I know a

man who keeps them. I will get it for you, in a quarter of an

hour."

In a few minutes Percy returned, with a boy with Ralph's clothes.

In a short time they were ready to start.

"You do look a strange object, Ralph."

"Never mind, Percy, there are plenty of strange objects here. No

one will notice me."

Then saying that they would call in again in half an hour, for the

beard, they went to a chemist's; from whom--after some talk--they

obtained a mixture to give a slightly brown tinge to their faces.

They now dived into the back streets of the town, found a

second-hand clothes shop, and speedily got the articles they

required. Ralph had a long greatcoat, with a fur collar; and a pair

of high boots, coming up to his knees and to be worn over the

trousers. A black fur cap completed his costume. Percy had a black

cap, made of rough cloth, with a peak and with flaps to come down

over the ears; an old greatcoat, with fur round the pockets and

collar; a bright-colored handkerchief, to go two or three times

round the neck; and high boots like those of Ralph.

They then returned to the hairdresser, and Ralph insisted that the

beard and mustache should be fastened on not only in the ordinary

manner--with springs--but with cobbler's wax.

"My life," he said, "might depend upon the things not slipping, at

any moment."

They now went home. The moment that they entered their rooms, Ralph

exclaimed:

"Why, we have forgotten all about Tim!"

"So we have," Percy said. "He was to have met us in front of the

railway station at nine o'clock and, of course, he has no idea

where to find us. I will go there. Very likely the poor fellow is

waiting still."

Percy hurried off; and found Tim, as he had expected, sitting upon

the steps going up to the railway station. He jumped up, with a cry

of joy, upon seeing Percy.

"The Vargin be praised, Mister Percy! I began to think that you

must have been sent off somewhere, without time to warn me; and I

couldn't, for the life of me, make out what to do."

"We have not gone, Tim," Percy said, not wishing to hurt the

attached fellow's feelings, by telling him that he had been

forgotten; "but we are starting tomorrow. I will tell you all about

it, when we get in. We have been to see Monsieur Gambetta, this

morning and, do you know, we met Colonel Tempe last night, and are

stopping in his rooms."

So saying, he walked along at a quick pace towards their lodgings;

Tim occasionally glancing a puzzled look at him. By the time they

reached the room, Ralph had stained his face and hands, and was

busy dressing in his disguise. His back was to the door, when they

entered; but he had heard the Irishman's voice on the stair.

"Well, Tim, how are you?" he said, turning round.

"Holy Vargin!" ejaculated Tim, dropping into a chair, and crossing

himself with great fervor "Sure, I'm bewitched. Here's an ould

gentleman, wid a wonderful head of hair, has been staleing Mister

Ralph's voice."

The two boys went off in a shout of laughter at Tim's genuine

terror.

"Sure, I'm bewitched, entirely," he went on. "He laughs for all the

world like Mister Ralph. Did ye iver see the like?

"What is it all, Mister Percy dear?"

Percy had by this time taken off his cap; and Tim, as he looked him

fairly in the face, gave another start.

"By the mother of Moses!" he exclaimed, in terror, "we're all

bewitched. Mister Ralph's turned into an ould man, with a furze

bush of hair; and Mister Percy's beautiful hair has all turned

black, and shriveled itself up. Am I turning, myself, I wonder?"

and he looked into the glass, to see if any change had taken place

in his own abundant crop of red hair.

The boys were laughing so that they could not speak for some time,

and Tim sat gazing at them in speechless bewilderment. At last

Percy, by a great effort, recovered himself; and explained to him

the whole circumstances of the case. The Irishman's astonishment

ceased now, but his dismay was as great as ever.

"Then is it alone you're going?" he said, at last. "Are you going

into danger again, without taking me with you? You'd never do that,

surely, Mister Ralph?"

"I am very sorry, Tim, to be separated from you," Ralph said; "but

it is quite impossible for you to go with us. If you understood

French and German as well as we do, the case would be different;

but as it is, the thing is absolutely impossible. You know how

great a trouble it was to disguise you, before; and it would treble

our anxieties and difficulties. Not only that; but even if, in the

face of every possible danger, we got you into Paris with us, there

would be great difficulty in getting you out. Gambetta will give

orders for us to be allowed to come out, in the first balloon; but

it is by no means easy to get places in balloons, and it is

unlikely in the extreme that we should be able to bring you out

with us. So there you would be, shut up in Paris and separated from

us, for months.

"No, no, Tim, the matter is altogether impossible. You stay quietly

here and, in ten days or a fortnight--if all goes well--we shall be

back again with you."

"And is it in a balloon you're thinking of coming out, Mister

Ralph; flying like a bird through the air? Och, wirra, wirra! I'll

never see yees again."

"Nonsense, Tim, there's no danger in a balloon. If getting in were

no more dangerous than getting out, there would not be much peril

in the matter."

"Ah, Mister Ralph dear, how can you be risking your life, and the

life of your brother in that way? Shooting at a Prussian, or

getting shot at, is all well enough; or going among them with your

hair all puffed out, and your face painted brown, and the hair

growing all over your face before its time, I say nothing against;

but flying through the air, in a balloon, is just tempting the good

Providence. I know what it will be. You'll be just touching against

a cloud, and tumbling out, and breaking yourselves into

smithereens; and nothing to take home to your dear father and

mother, not to mention Miss Milly," and Tim fairly blubbered with

grief, at the thought.

The boys had great difficulty in pacifying the attached fellow; at

last, with a face expressive of mournful resignation, he agreed to

remain with Colonel Tempe until they returned; or until their

prolonged absence rendered it likely that they would not return at

all--Tim evidently making up his mind that the latter contingency

would happen. In that case, as Tim--now his corps had ceased to

exist--need no longer serve, he expressed his determination to

return to Dijon; and to stay with Captain Barclay until the end of

the war--as he should not, he said, have the heart to fight any

more, when his masters were both killed.

While the conversation had been going on, the boys had continued

their toilettes. The preparation which they had obtained gave them

an olive complexion; and their transformation was now so complete

that the boys would have passed each other unknown, even had they

looked steadily at each other. Ralph, especially, was utterly

unlike himself.

They now told Tim to go out and get his breakfast, and to return in

two hours' time; and then started themselves, rounding their

shoulders, and so narrowing their chests as much as possible. Ralph

stopped at an optician's, bought a pair of slightly-colored

spectacles, and put them on.

It was now twelve o'clock--the preparations having taken them three

hours--and they went to the cafe where they were to meet Colonel

Tempe, to breakfast. He was already there, and they walked up to

the table where he was sitting.

"These seats are engaged," Colonel Tempe said, shortly.

The Barclays sat down at the next table; and called, in a foreign

accent, for two glasses of beer. Then they spoke together, for some

little time, about a journey from Saint Malo which they had just

made; and Ralph then turned to Colonel Tempe, still speaking French

with a strong foreign accent.

"Pardon me, colonel," he said, "we have just arrived from England.

We have a very large quantity of army shoes, and I should feel

under a great obligation if you could inform me who is the proper

person to whom to apply."

Colonel Tempe at once informed them, adding:

"If your shoes are good ones, and the price fair, and you can

deliver them soon, you will not have to wait long; for they are

greatly wanted."

"We have also some harness, for artillery horses," Ralph added.

"I do not know about that," the colonel said; "but you will obtain