ed tightly round his
arms and legs; a handkerchief was thrust into his mouth, and
fastened there by a cord going across the mouth and tied behind the
head and, before the bewildered man fairly knew what had happened,
he was lying bound and gagged by the roadside.

One of the franc tireurs now ran back, to tell the commandant that
the men could advance; while the other--selected specially because
he understood a little German--put on the spiked helmet of the
captured sentry, and began to walk up and down, in readiness to
repeat the cry of "All well," should it be passed round.

The whole company were now moved up. Ten men were left at the point
where the sentry was posted, to cover a retreat; or to assist the
sentry, in case of any party coming out to relieve guard, and so
discovering the change which had taken place. The others, led by
the commandant, proceeded forward until opposite the priest's
house, in which lights were still burning; for it was not, as yet,
ten o'clock.

Major Tempe, accompanied only by two men--and by Ralph Barclay, to
interpret, if necessary--now went cautiously up to the house. The
light was in a room on the ground floor. To this Major Tempe
advanced and, looking in, saw the priest sitting reading, alone. He
tapped very gently at the window; and the priest, looking up, gave
a start upon seeing an armed man looking in at the window.

Major Tempe put his finger to his lips, to enforce the necessity
for silence, and made signs to him to open the window. After a
moment's hesitation the priest rose from his seat, came to the
window, and unfastened it; taking great precautions against noise.

"Are you French?" he asked, in a whisper.

"Yes; a commandant of franc tireurs."

"Hush, then, for your life," the priest said, earnestly. "The
village is full of Prussians. The officer, with a soldier as his
servant, is upstairs. He arrived in a state of fever; and is,
tonight, quite ill. The soldier is up with him. I believe the
sergeant, who is at the inn, is in command for to-night. A soldier
was dispatched, this evening, to ask for another officer to be sent
out.

"What can I do for you?"

"I only want you to tell me in which house the schoolmaster lives.
He is a traitor, and has betrayed us to the Prussians. It is owing
to him that they are here."

"He has a bad name, in the village," the priest said; "and we had
applied to have him removed. He lives in the third house from here,
on the same