in the wagon, a map of Bellevue and
Meudon upon a large scale, with every house marked upon it.

"It is going to be a dark night," the officer said, as they hurried
away, "and we shall have snow before midnight."

Another hour or two was spent in purchasing various articles, taken
from the French villas. Darkness had come on, and Ralph told the
officers that he should not return until the next morning to
Versailles; and that if the articles to be entrusted to his care
for delivery were put in rough cases--of which there were plenty,
which had come full of stores--and brought by ten o'clock in the
morning, carefully directed, it would be in sufficient time.

"Will you give us leave to sleep in one of the villas, upon the
farther side of the road?" Ralph asked the officer in command. "My
boy has never seen a shot fired, in earnest; and I should like him
to be able to say he had watched the fire of the forts, round
Paris."

"If you sleep there," the colonel said, "you must not light a fire,
or show a light, or you would bring the fire of a hundred guns upon
us."

"I will be very careful, sir," Ralph answered. "Will you kindly let
an orderly go with us, to pass us through the sentries? For, as
it's dark now, they would not let us pass."

The colonel gave the order, and an orderly went with them. They
stopped at the wagon, and each took out a large bundle.

"We shall want our blankets, tonight," Ralph said. "It is bitterly
cold.

"Would you like a glass of brandy, to help keep it out, my man?"

The soldier smiled an assent, drank off a glass of brandy, and then
accompanied them to the villa. Short as was the distance, they were
challenged twice, and the sign and counter-sign had to be
exchanged. They reached the deserted villa, threw down the bundles
in a corner; and then the orderly said good night, and left them to
themselves.

Chapter 16: A Desperate Attempt.

"So far, so good, Percy!" Ralph said, when they heard the street
door slam, as the orderly left. "Hitherto we have had the most
extraordinary good fortune and, as it's going to snow--for I felt a
few flakes, as we came along--I look upon it as good as done."

"It will take away from us risk of being hit, but I don't see that
it will make much difference in our risk of being drowned," Percy
said. "I own, Ralph, I am a great deal more afraid of that, than of
the other."

"But it does, Percy. It makes all the difference in the world. We
had agr