s not enough to keep out all the German bullets. Still
men fell, though not as fast as before. Captain Anderson assigned Hal
to direct the fire of the British in the front of the first floor and
Chester in the rear. The captain took command of the second floor
himself.

The three were everywhere encouraging the men, seemingly being all
over their respective stations at once. Occasionally, as a man fell,
Hal or Chester would step into the breach and hold the place until
relieved by another soldier.

Noon came and went, and still the fighting continued. Apparently, thus
far, the Germans had not conceived the idea of battering the house to
pieces with their big field guns. Evidently they thought they could
take it without this trouble.

And now darkness drew on. The German fire had played havoc with the
defenders, but, if they had suffered severely, the enemy's loss,
exposed as they were to the grilling fire from the house, had been
enormous.

Night fell, and with it came a lull in the firing. Hal took advantage
of this respite to hurry upstairs for a word with Captain Anderson. As
they conversed in low tones, they were startled by an outcry from the
floor below.

Hurriedly descending the stairs, they beheld the cause of the
commotion. Struggling in Chester's arms was a man in civilian garb.

"I caught him just as he was about to open the front door," Chester
explained.

The man's struggles were soon quieted, and he stood before Captain
Anderson, pale and trembling.

"What are you doing here?" demanded the latter.

"I was hiding in the cellar," said the man in a shaking voice. "When
you English burst in I didn't know what to do. I remained in my
hiding-place until there was a lull in the fighting. I was afraid I
would be killed if I was found, so I tried to get out the first time I
thought I had a chance."

Captain Anderson looked at him queerly.

"Surely you are not a German?" he asked.

"No, sir," was the reply, "I am French."

"Then what need had you to be afraid of us?"

"Well, you see, sir," was the nervous reply, "I am a peace-loving man.
I don't want to fight, and I won't fight if I can help it."

"A nice specimen of a Frenchman, to be sure," said the captain, with a
sneer. "If you are such a peace-loving man, how does it happen we find
you here? Why haven't you fled with the rest of the old women and
children?"

"Well, you see, sir," quavered the man, "I have been hiding here. I
was afraid th