h 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 h