ays it is brain fever," the nurse said. "He only said it might
be some days, before the crisis came; and that he could not give
any decided opinion, at present. But he seemed to have hope."

"Thank God, at least, for that!" Ralph said, earnestly.

Percy, turning his head round again, caught sight of Ralph.

"Ah, there is that schoolmaster again! If no one else will hang
him, I will do it, myself. Let me get at him!"

And he again made desperate efforts to get out of bed.

"You had better go, sir," one of the sisters said, urgently. "The
sight of you makes him worse, and you can do him no good."

Seeing that it was so, Ralph reluctantly left the room; his only
comfort being that Percy was as carefully tended, and looked after,
as it was possible for him to be. He had scarcely returned to his
room, when an officer was shown in.

"I daresay you hardly remember me," he said. "I came here with you,
last night."

"I am very glad to see you again, and to thank you for the trouble
you took," Ralph said. "I was too sleepy to do so, last night."

"Not at all," the officer answered. "However, I am here with a
message from the general, now. He would have asked you to dine with
him but, hearing of the state of your brother, he could not ask you
to leave him for so long a time; but he would be glad if you would
come to see him, for an hour, this evening. He wishes to know how
you managed to pass through the German lines; and he also desires
to be informed, as far as you can give such information, of the
number and position of the enemy.

"What surprises us all, more than anything, is that the dispatches
are dated the morning of the thirteenth instant; and you were
picked up, by the Farcey, upon the evening of the sixteenth. It
seems incredible that you should have done the distance, and
managed to get through the German lines, in the time. Only one
other messenger has got through; and his dispatches were more than
ten days old, when they reached us, and had been forestalled by
some pigeons. Your news is six days later than any we have
received."

"We slept, on the night of the thirteenth, at Montargis," Ralph
said; "on the fourteenth at Melun, on the fifteenth at Versailles;
and last night--as you know--here."

"I must not get the information before the general," the officer
said, with a laugh. "It is half-past six, now. The general dines at
seven. At what time will you be with him? Shall we say nine?"

"I will be th