and she told them that
they must take it and repay her when they could. O'Grady, who fully
intended to come back, had no hesitation about accepting the money, but
Paul wished that they could manage without it; however, he yielded when
the former observed, "You don't suppose that we can get on without money
in France more than in any other country, and if we intend to starve we
had better have remained prisoners."

In the afternoon Jaques drove the cart into the court-yard, and backed
it up to the door by which they had entered. Rosalie came up to the
midshipmen; her eyes were red with crying; still she looked very pretty.

"I have come to tell you that it is time for you to go; you will follow
out the directions you have received as nearly as possible."

It had been arranged that they should go on in the cart till dark, and
then walk as far as they could on foot during the night, concealing
themselves in some secluded spot in the day-time. If they were
discovered, they were to plead fatigue for resting; they were not to
court observation, though they were not to dread it, if it could not be
avoided. They were, however, on no account to enter a town, by night or
by day, if they could help it. No one, indeed, could have arranged a
more perfect plan than Miss Rosalie had done. There's nothing like the
wits of an honest clear-sighted woman when people are in trouble, to get
them out of it.

Rosalie had provided them with wallets well filled with food, so that
they need not for some days stop at any village to procure food--not,
indeed, till they were well to the north of the line of road the Brest
prisoners passed.

Both the midshipmen were very, very sorry at having to part from
Rosalie, and O'Grady felt more in love with her than ever; still they
must be away. Her uncle gave them a kind embrace, and she accompanied
them down-stairs, and kissing them both as if they were young brothers
going to school, hurried them into the cart. It was loaded with sacks
of corn going to the mill to be ground, with several span new sacks to
fill with flour. There was a clear space formed by placing two sacks
across two others, with the empty sacks thrown over the inner end. Into
this they crept. They could look out from behind the loose sacks, and
as the cart drove out of the court-yard they could see Rosalie watching
them with her apron to her eyes. They drove rapidly on, though more
than once Jaques stopped and talked to