u are in search must be sober, honest, and truthful.
Are you particular whether he is Huguenot or Catholic?"

"As to the last, not a bit. I should like him to be as sober as soldiers
in general are, and if he confined himself to taking his wine when I did
not require him, it would not be very important, provided that he is
not talkative when in liquor. As to his honesty, he would have no great
temptation so far as I am concerned, but I certainly should not wish
to lose him by his being strung up by the provost marshal for robbing
citizens. As to his truthfulness, providing he did not lie to me, it is
a point on which I should not be particular."

There was a general laugh.

"And as to his age?" the officer asked.

"If I could find all the qualifications that I require, I should not be
particular about that; but I think that for choice I would take a lad of
from sixteen to twenty."

"In that case I fancy that I know a lad who might suit you," one of the
other officers said. "He is a brother of my groom, and I may own that he
has been of no little trouble to him. The boy is an orphan, and having
no other friends so far as I know, he has attached himself to his
brother, and for the past two years, wherever he has gone Paolo has gone
too. He earns a little money by doing odd jobs--running messages, and so
on, helps his brother to clean the horses; and with an occasional crown
from me, and what he earns otherwise, it cannot be said that he costs
his brother anything in money; but in other respects he is always
getting him into trouble, for he is a very imp of mischief. Two or three
times his brother has obtained places for him, but he always comes back
at the end of a week, and sometimes sooner, with bitter complaints from
his master that he has set the household in a turmoil with his tricks
and ill conduct. Many a thrashing has he had, but they do him no good."

The others laughed.

"There is no doubt that Paolo is a perfect young imp," one of them said,
"but he is as sharp as a needle. I have no doubt that if he could be
tamed he would make a most useful lad. As it is, I certainly would not
recommend anyone who cares for his peace of mind to have anything to do
with him."

"I will see him anyhow," Hector said. "I think that I would rather have
a sharp boy than a man. Being but a boy myself, I could appreciate and
put up with more in the way of mischief than a man could."

"I will tell my groom to bring him round