tte which were accepted gratefully. He made the same offer to
John, who shook his head saying that he did not smoke. The captain took
two or three deliberate puffs, and contemplated Weber who had made
himself comfortable on the stool.

"Military duty?" he asked. "If so, Scott's concern is my concern too."

"That is quite true, Captain Colton," said Weber, respectfully. "As Mr.
Scott is under your command you have a right to know what message I
bring."

"Knew you'd see it," said Colton, taking another puff at his cigarette.
"There! Germans have ceased firing!"

"And our men begin!" said John.

The moment the distant German thunder ceased the French reply, nearer at
hand and more like a rolling crash, began. It would continue about an
hour, that is until nightfall, unless the heavy clouds and falling snow
brought darkness much earlier than usual. The flakes were coming faster,
but the three were protected from them by the rude board shelter. John
again glanced anxiously at Weber. He felt that his news was of serious
import.

"I saw your friend Lieutenant Philip Lannes about three weeks ago at a
village called Catreaux, lying sixty miles west of us," said Weber. "He
had just made a long flight from the west, where he had observed much of
the heavy fighting around Ypres, and also had been present when the
Germans made their great effort to break through to Dunkirk and Calais.
I hear that he had more than a messenger's share in these engagements,
throwing some timely bombs."

"Was he well when you saw him?" asked John. "He had not been hurt? He
had not been in any accident?"

"He was in the best of health, bard and fit. But his activities in the
_Arrow_ had diminished recently. Snow, rain, icy hail make difficulties
and dangers for aviators. But we wander. He had not heard from his
mother, Madame Lannes, or his sister, the beautiful Mademoiselle Julie,
for a long time, and he seemed anxious about them."

"He himself took Mademoiselle Julie back to Paris in the _Arrow,"_ said
John.

"So he told me. They arrived safely, as you know, but Lannes was
compelled to leave immediately for the extreme western front. The
operations there were continuous and so exacting that he has been unable
to return to Paris. He has not heard from his mother and sister in more
than two months, and his great anxiety about them is quite natural."

"But since the retreat of the Germans there is no danger in Paris save
from an occasional b