mped up and
down, they swore terribly, they were ready to cry from sheer rage.

Major Tempe, alone, uttered no remark during the whole narration.
When it was concluded, he sat silent for a minute or two; with his
lips pressed together, and a look of deep indignation on his face.
Then he rose, and said in a solemn tone:

"As sure as the sun shines, and as sure as my name is Edward Tempe,
so sure shall that schoolmaster, of Grunsdorf, be hung before
tomorrow morning!

"Lieutenant Ribouville, order the assembly to be sounded, and form
the men here in hollow square.

"Messieurs Barclay, you will fall in with your company."

A little surprised--and hurt that the commandant had said no word
of commendation to them, for the service they had performed--the
boys hurried off to their quarters, to get their rifles.

"Sure, Master Ralph, and what is the matter, at all?" Tim Doyle
said, as they entered. "Sure the major, honest man, must have gone
off his head, entirely! Scarcely had we finished our male, and
began to smoke the first pipe in aise and comfort, when the bugle
blows for parade.

"'Confound the bugle!' says I, and I shoved me pipe aside, and put
on my belt and fell in.

"Hardly had we begun the maneuvers when your honors arrived and
said a word, private, to the major. The words weren't out of your
mouth before he dismisses us from drill.

"'Botheration!' says I, 'is there no pace for the wicked?'

"Back I comes again, and takes off me belt and piles me firelock;
and before I had got three draws at me pipe, and was just beginning
to enjoy the creetur when, crack! and there goes the assimbly
again. Sure and the major, honest man, has lost his head entirely;
and it's a pity, for he is an illegant man, and a good officer,
says I."

"Come along, Tim," Ralph said, laughing, "else you'll be late for
parade. You will hear all about it in time, I have no doubt."

In five minutes the men were all assembled in a hollow square, two
deep, facing the officers in the center The men saw at once, by the
faces of Major Tempe and the officers, that something very serious
had happened; and they had no sooner taken their places than there
was a deep hush of expectancy, for it was evident that the
commandant was about to address them.

"My men," he said, after a pause of a minute or two, "a great
calamity has happened; and a still greater one would have happened,
had we not providentially received warning in time. It had bee