Captain Pond. "Monstrous! And you tell us he has
done this without orders and no one has interfered!"

"I don't see what there is to fret about, savin' your presence," the old
sergeant persisted. "And, any way, 'twon't take the man three days at the
outside to cart off the old buildings. Allow another four for getting in
the new material--"

"Seven days! seven days! And Great Britain engaged at this moment in the
greatest war of its history! Oh, Doctor, Doctor--these professionals!"

Sergeant Topase shrugged his shoulders, and, concluding that his duties as
a cicerone were at an end, edged away to the gatehouse for his breakfast.

"Oh, these professionals!" ingeminated Captain Pond again, eyeing the
breach and the dismantled married quarters. "A whole seven days! And for
that period we are to rest exposed not only to direct attack, but to the
gaze of the curious public--nay, perchance even (who knows?) to the paid
spies of the Corsican! Doctor, we must post a guard here at once!
Incredible that even this precaution should have been neglected! Nay,"--
with a sudden happy inspiration he clapped the Doctor on the shoulder,--
"did he say 'twould take three days to level this sorry heap?"

"He did."

"It shall not take us an hour! By George, sir, before daylight to-morrow
we'll run up a nine-pounder, and have this rubbish down in five minutes!
Yes, yes--and I'd do it to-day, if it weren't the Sabbath."

"I don't see that the Sabbath ought to count against what we may fairly
call the dictates of national urgency," said the Doctor. "_ Salus patriae
suprema lex_."

"What's that?"

"Latin. It means that when the State is endangered all lesser
considerations should properly go to the wall. To me your proposal seems
a brilliant one; just the happy inspiration that would never occur to the
hidebound professional mind in a month of Sundays. And in your place I
wouldn't allow the Sabbath or anything else--"

A yell interrupted him--a yell, followed by the sound of a scuffle and,
after a moment's interval, by a shout of triumph. These noises came from
the roofless married quarters, and the voice of triumph was Lieutenant
Clogg's, who had stepped inside the building while his seniors stood
conversing, and now emerged dragging a little man by the collar, while
with his disengaged hand he flourished a paper excitedly.

"A spy! A spy!" he panted.

"Hey?"

"I caught him in the act!" Mr. Clogg thrust the pap