the neighbouring town,--"if
you please, sir, I wish you'd speak to Master Robert. He's past my
powers."

"I've no doubt of it," thought the Captain, but he only said, "Well,
what's the matter?"

"Night after night do I put him to bed," said Sarah, "and night after
night does he get up as soon as I'm out of the room, and says he's
orderly officer for the evening, and goes about in his night-shirt,
and his feet as bare as boards."

The Captain fingered his heavy moustache to hide a smile, but he
listened patiently to Sarah's complaints.

"It ain't so much _him_ I should mind, sir," she continued, "but he
goes round the beds and wakes up the other young gentlemen and Miss
Dora, one after another, and when I speak to him, he gives me all the
sauce he can lay his tongue to, and says he's going round the guards.
The other night I tried to put him back in his bed, but he got away
and ran all over the house, me hunting him everywhere, and not a sign
of him, till he jumps out on me from the garret-stairs and nearly
knocks me down. 'I've visited the outposts, Sarah,' says he; 'all's
well,' And off he goes to bed as bold as brass."

"Have you spoken to your mistress?" asked the Captain.

"Yes, sir," said Sarah. "And missis spoke to him, and he promised not
to go round the guards again."

"Has he broken his promise?" asked the Captain, with a look of anger,
and also of surprise.

"When I opened the door last night, sir," continued Sarah, in her
shrill treble, "what should I see in the dark but Master Robert
a-walking up and down with the carpet-brush stuck in his arm. 'Who
goes there?' says he. 'You owdacious boy!' says I. 'Didn't you
promise your ma you'd leave off them tricks?' 'I'm not going round the
guards,' says he; 'I promised not. But I'm for sentry-duty to-night.'
And say what I would to him, all he had for me was, 'You mustn't speak
to a sentry on duty.' So I says, 'As sure as I live till morning, I'll
go to your pa,' for he pays no more attention to his ma than to me,
nor to any one else."

"Please to see that the chair-bed in my dressing-room is moved into
your mistress's bedroom," said the Captain. "I will attend to Master
Robert."

With this Sarah had to content herself, and she went back to the
nursery. Robert was nowhere to be seen, and made no reply to her
summons. On this the unwary nursemaid flounced into the bedroom to
look for him, when Robert, who was hidden beneath a table, darted
forth, and pr