g, then?" Christine asked.

"I was thinking of dressing Percy, and myself, in the clothes of
young peasants; and putting Tim into something of the same sort,
with a great bandage round his face. Then I should say that we were
two lads, from some place near the frontier, who had come here to
meet our uncle; who had had his jaw shattered, in battle. That
would explain Tim's not being able to talk at all; and as to looks,
he is red enough for a German, anywhere."

"Yes," Christine said, "that would do, very well; but of course,
you would be liable to be asked for papers."

"Of course," Ralph said, "but we must risk something."

"I have an idea," Christine said, suddenly, clapping her hands. "I
have some cousins living at Wiesbaden. These are three boys, and I
am sure they would do anything for me. I will go out to Wiesbaden,
tomorrow, and ask them to lend me their papers, just for one day.
Wiesbaden is not your way, at all; but for that very reason you
would get out more easily there, and be less likely to be
suspected, or followed. You could cross the Rhine somewhere near
Saint Goar.

"I shall have to tell some sad stories to my cousins, and coax them
a great deal. Still, I daresay I shall succeed; and then you can go
boldly across the bridge, and into the railway station, and take a
ticket for Wiesbaden. You can have an envelope, ready directed, and
put the papers into the post there."

"The very thing, Christine. You are a darling!" Ralph exclaimed,
catching her by the waist and kissing her, before she had time to
think of resistance.

"I shan't do anything at all for you," Christine said, laughing and
blushing, "if you misbehave in that way."

"I couldn't help it, Christine--not even if your mother had been
looking on.

"And now, about our clothes."

"I couldn't buy them," Christine said. "I never could go into a
shop and buy men's clothes."

The thing was so evident that, for a moment, the boys' looks fell.
Then Christine said, coloring very much:

"There is a box, in my room, of Karl's things. He is my cousin, you
know; and he was working as a gardener, here, till he had to go out
in the Landwehr--so, of course, he left his things here, for us to
take care of. He is about your size. I will take out one suit--it
won't hurt it--and you can put it on, and go out into the town, and
buy the things for all three of you."

"Capital!" the boys exclaimed. "It couldn't be better."

Ten minutes afterwards, R