r orders. It would be necessary, no doubt, to shoot a
few hundred of them before anything like discipline could be
established; and once a week the whole should be sent out to attack the
Germans so as to teach them to be steady under fire. In that way they
might be turned into decent soldiers."

"Lord bless you, sir, Government would never try that. There would be
barricades in the streets in no time, and as the soldiers are all
outside the walls the mob would upset the Government in a week."

"I am not at all saying it would do, but it is the only thing to make
soldiers of them."

"Well, sir, you will know where to come when things get bad. I don't
expect there will be any beer to be had, but I have been down with my
son Bob into the cellar for the last four nights. I could not trust the
French waiters, and we dug holes and have buried a couple of dozen kegs
of my best spirits, so if they make a clear sweep of the rest I reckon
we shall be able to keep that door open a goodish while."

"I shan't forget, and I hope that your spirits may escape the searchers,
but you know just at present we are not popular in Paris. They have got
an idea in their heads that we ought to have declared war against the
Germans on their behalf; why, Heaven knows, but you may be sure that all
the English places will be very strictly searched."

"Yes, I reckon on that, and we have got them twelve feet deep. It will
be a job to get them out as we want them, but there won't be anything
else to do and it will keep us in health."

Cuthbert had asked all the students to come in and smoke a pipe that
evening in his room, and had ordered supper to be sent in.

"I am going to have it there instead of one of the usual places," he
said, "because I don't think it is decent to be feasting in a public at
a time like this. I expect it is about the last time we shall have
anything like a supper. Things will be altogether beyond the reach of
our purses in another week. Besides, I hope we shall be outside before
long."

Arnold Dampierre was the first to come in.

"I am disgusted with the Parisians," he said, moodily.

"Well, yes, I am not surprised. It is not quite the spirit in which your
people entered on their struggle, Dampierre."

"No, we meant it; the struggle with us was to get to the front. Why, do
you know, I heard two or three of the National Guard grumbling in the
highest state of indignation, and why, do you think? Because they had to
s