ple. He was
just as buoyant, just as keen as his friend, but the leaven of
sentiment raised his sporting instincts to perhaps a higher plane of
self-devotion.

"Well, now, to recapitulate," he said, in turn following with his finger
the indicated route on the map. "Tony and I and the coal-cart will await
you on this spot, at the corner of the towpath on Sunday evening at nine
o'clock."

"And your signal, Blakeney?" asked Tony.

"The usual one," replied Sir Percy, "the seamew's cry thrice repeated at
brief intervals. But now," he continued, turning to Armand and Hastings,
who had taken no part in the discussion hitherto, "I want your help a
little further afield."

"I thought so," nodded Hastings.

"The coal-cart, with its usual miserable nag, will carry us a distance
of fifteen or sixteen kilometres, but no more. My purpose is to cut
along the north of the city, and to reach St. Germain, the nearest point
where we can secure good mounts. There is a farmer just outside the
commune; his name is Achard. He has excellent horses, which I have
borrowed before now; we shall want five, of course, and he has one
powerful beast that will do for me, as I shall have, in addition to
my own weight, which is considerable, to take the child with me on
the pillion. Now you, Hastings and Armand, will have to start early
to-morrow morning, leave Paris by the Neuilly gate, and from there make
your way to St. Germain by any conveyance you can contrive to obtain. At
St. Germain you must at once find Achard's farm; disguised as labourers
you will not arouse suspicion by so doing. You will find the farmer
quite amenable to money, and you must secure the best horses you can get
for our own use, and, if possible, the powerful mount I spoke of just
now. You are both excellent horse-men, therefore I selected you amongst
the others for this special errand, for you two, with the five horses,
will have to come and meet our coal-cart some seventeen kilometres
out of St. Germain, to where the first sign-post indicates the road to
Courbevoie. Some two hundred metres down this road on the right there is
a small spinney, which will afford splendid shelter for yourselves and
your horses. We hope to be there at about one o'clock after midnight
of Monday morning. Now, is all that quite clear, and are you both
satisfied?"

"It is quite clear," exclaimed Hastings placidly; "but I, for one, am
not at all satisfied."

"And why not?"

"Because it is a