side of the road."

"Has he any Germans quartered upon him?"

"Twenty or thirty men," the priest said. "The schoolroom is full of
them."

"Do you know which is his room?" Major Tempe asked. "It would be a
great thing, if we could get at him without alarming the enemy. I
have thirty men here, but I do not want to have a fight in the
village, if I can help it."

"I know his house," the priest said. "The schoolroom is at the side
of the house, and his sitting room and kitchen on the ground floor
of the house itself. There are three bedrooms over. His room is in
front of the house, to the right as you face it."

"Thank you," Major Tempe said. "Have you a ladder?"

"There is one lying on the ground by the wall, to the left. I hope
you do not intend to shed blood?"

"No," Major Tempe said, grimly. "I think that I can promise that
there will be no blood shed--that is to say, unless we are attacked
by the Prussians.

"Good night, and thank you. I need not say that--for your own
sake--you will not mention, in the morning, having seen us."

The commandant now rejoined his party, and they advanced to the
house indicated. He then chose ten men to accompany him; ordering
the rest to remain at a distance of twenty yards, with their rifles
cocked, and in readiness for instant action. The ladder was then
brought forward by the men selected, and placed against the window.

Major Tempe had, before starting, provided himself--from the
carpenter of the village--with an auger, a small and fine saw, a
bottle of oil, and a thin strip of straight iron. He now mounted
the ladder and, after carefully examining the window--which was of
the make which we call, in England, latticed--he inserted the strip
of iron, and tried to force back the fastening. This he failed in
doing, being afraid to use much force lest the fastening should
give suddenly, with a crash. He had, however, ascertained the exact
position of the fastening.

Having, before mounting, carefully oiled the auger and saw, he now
applied the former; and made a hole through the framework at the
junction of the two sides of the window, just above the fastening.
Introducing the saw into this hole, he noiselessly cut entirely
round the fastening, with a semi-circular sweep, to the junction of
the window below it; and as he did so, the window swung partially
open, by its own weight. He now descended the ladder again, took
off his boots; and ordered two of the men to do the sam