ith me so long; and secondly--and
this is more important--that Madame Martin is not the wife of your
seigneur, and that you owe no duty to her. The enterprise on which
we are going to start does not concern the cause for which we are
fighting. It is a private business, and there is no occasion
whatever for you to take part in it. You are free either to choose
an officer among yourselves; or to rejoin the army, find Monsieur
de la Rochejaquelein, and tell him that I sent you to him in order
that he might find a suitable leader for you, among the gentlemen
with him. I would rather that you talked the matter over among
yourselves, and came and gave me an answer, in half an hour."

"Will you tell us what we shall have to do, captain?" one of them
said.

"That I can hardly do, for I do not know myself. However, I think
it probable that the greater portion of the band would remain
outside the town. There are copses, down by the riverside, where
you could wait in safety until you were wanted. Possibly you might
not be wanted at all. Possibly you might be summoned to take part
in so desperate an enterprise as storming one of the prisons. Of
course it would be done at night, when we should have the advantage
of a surprise. I can tell you no more than that.

"Now, my last word is, I shall not think any the worse of you, if
you decide not to go with me."

It wanted five minutes of the time, when two of the boys returned
to where he was talking with Pierre and Andre.

"We have decided, captain. You told us, when you marched away from
Saumur, that Monsieur de la Rochejaquelein had approved of your
taking us, and therefore we shall feel that we are still doing our
duty to the cause. You have been kind, good, and thoughtful while
we have been with you. All those of our own age in the army envied
us who were of Cathelineau's scouts, and regarded our position as a
great honour. Even if we were willing to go back, we could not do
so, and tell the others that we had left you and our comrades when
you were about to undertake some perilous service.

"But we do not wish it. We all desire to remain with you, and to
follow wherever you may lead us, and to die in your service, if
need be."

Leigh shook them warmly by the hand.

"Bravely said, and I thank you heartily. I am proud of my scouts,
and am glad to see that my confidence in you is well founded. Call
the others up."

After thanking these also, Leigh addressed the whole of t