comfort rustled loudly while they
placed themselves in restful postures. "I used to find it a capital
time to think, Punch."

"What about?"

"The old days when I was a boy at school, and the troubles I had had.
Then I used to question myself."

"How did you do that?"

"How did I do that? Why, I used to ask myself questions as to whether I
hadn't done a very foolish thing in enlisting for a soldier."

"And then of course you used to say no," cried Punch. "Anybody could
answer that question. Why didn't you ask yourself some good tough
questions that you couldn't answer--regular puzzlers?"

"I always found that puzzle enough, Punch," said Pen gravely; "and I
have never been able to answer it yet."

"Well, that's a rum un," said Punch, with a sort of laugh. "You have
often called me a queer fellow. You do puzzle me. Why, of course you
did right. You are not down-hearted because we have had a bit of a
venture or two? It's all experience, and you like it as much as I do,
even if I do grumble a bit sometimes because it's so dull. Something's
sure to turn up before long, and--What did you do that for?"

"Pst!" whispered Pen; and Punch was silence itself, for he too caught
the hurrying of many feet, and low voices in eager converse coming
nearer and nearer; and the next minute there was the heavy thump as of a
fist upon the door, which was thrust open so roughly that it banged
against the wall.

And then midst the sounds of heavy breathing and the scuffling of feet
as of men bearing in a heavy burden, the room below seemed to be rapidly
filling up, and the door was closed and barred.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE.

THE ROYAL VISITOR.

The two lads grasped hands as they listened in the intense darkness to
what seemed to be a scene of extreme excitement, the actors in it having
evidently been hurrying to reach the cottage, which they had gained in a
state of exhaustion; for those who spoke gave utterance to their words
as if panting and breathless with their exertions, while from their
whispering it seemed evident that they were afraid of being overheard.

The two listeners dared not stir, for the least movement would have
betrayed them to those below, and before many minutes had elapsed they
felt certain that the present invaders of the cottage were strangers.

All at once some one gave vent to a piteous sigh and an ejaculation or
two as if of pain; and this was followed by what sounded to be words
that we