el Tempe
called them forward and, shaking hands with them, congratulated
them on the promotion which, he said, they had well earned. The men
gave a hearty cheer; for the young English lads were general
favorites, for their good temper and willingness to oblige.

Directly the men were dismissed, the colonel again called the lads
to him.

"I am sorry to lose you," he said, "but of course it is for your
good. Come with me, at once, to General Cambriels. I will introduce
you, and you had better ask for four days' leave. You can get the
railway in four hours' ride from here. You will have no difficulty
in finding a place in some of the commissariat cities going to
fetch stores. If you start tonight, you can catch a train before
morning, and be in Dijon quite early. A couple of days will be
sufficient to get your uniforms made, and to buy horses.

"Your cousin will go with you. I gave him leave, last night, to
start upon our arrival here. He is not so strong as you are; and
the surgeon says that he must have rest, and quiet. He is quite
worn out.

"Now, pile your rifles--you will not want them any more--and come
with me. I have said good night to the general, but he will excuse
me."

Still bewildered, the boys did as they were ordered. As they were
piling their rifles, they heard a loud blubbering. Looking round,
they saw Tim Doyle, weeping most copiously.

"What is the matter, Tim?"

"Matter! Your honor, ain't yer going to lave us? What am I going to
do, at all?"

The boys hurried away, without reply--for Colonel Tempe was waiting
for them--and, on the way to headquarters, mentioned Tim's grief at
parting with them.

The general received the lads most kindly and, at once, granted
them four days' leave to go to Dijon, to procure uniform.

Colonel Tempe then said:

"You do not want orderlies, do you, general?"

"I do, indeed," the general answered. "I have about a dozen cavalry
men, of different regiments, who form my escort and act as
orderlies; but they are my entire force of cavalry."

"I have an Irishman in my corps, general, who only joined to be
near these young fellows. He was brought up among horses; and you
have only to put him in a hussar uniform, and he would make a
capital orderly, and would act as servant to your new staff
officers."

"By all means," the general said; "send him over, in the morning.
We will make a hussar of him, in half an hour; we have got a few
uniforms in store."

What a