d told them that he had obtained a good light-covered wagon, with
springs, which had been used for the removal of furniture. The
price was a thousand francs.

"If you like," he said, "to come round with me now; my servant
shall take the horses round there, put them in, and bring the wagon
here; and he can then take your horses back with him to my stables.

"Please to write me a paper--signed by the name on your German
pass--saying that you have bought my horses of me, and have sold me
yours. Put down any figures you like as having passed between us.
You are upon a very perilous expedition and, in case of anything
happening to you, it would be well for me that nothing, beyond a
mere business transaction, could be traced between us."

At seven o'clock the next morning they started. The distance was
only thirty miles, but the roads were terribly slippery from the
deep snow, now trampled flat by the immense traffic of the army. It
was five in the afternoon when they reached the first sentries, at
the entrance to Versailles. The pass was sufficient, and they went
on uninterrupted. Percy drove, and Ralph sat beside him.

The town swarmed with officers and soldiers, of all ranks. No one
paid them any attention, and they drove through the Place d'Armes
and on to the marketplace; where they knew there were many inns,
frequented by the market people. Here--as they expected--they found
it impossible to get a bed; but they had no difficulty in obtaining
permission for the wagon to stand in a yard, and were lucky enough
to get stable room for the horses. They went into the town and
bought four blankets; and as, at starting, they had filled the
wagon two feet deep with straw, they had--in spite of the cold
weather--every hope of passing a comfortable night.

Dinner was the next thing and, that over, they strolled about until
nine o'clock. It was a singular sight, this army of invaders
comfortably quartered in the ancient capital of France. The palace,
the statues in front of it, everything told of the glories of
France; every park around, every little palace was infinitely
associated with its sovereigns; and here, in the midst of these
memorials, the German invaders stalked carelessly, drank in the
cafes, or feasted in the hotels, as if the place had belonged to
them from time immemorial. Afar off, in the quiet of the evening,
could be heard the distant boom of the guns round the beleaguered
city.

There were several things w