riors, he found his disguise was perfection. However, my
father only disguised when on some secret mission from King Louis, for
it does not become a gentleman to accept a box on the ears from
anybody unless it is in the service of his sovereign.

I remember my father saying also these tours as a common man taught
him he must ever afterward ride carefully through the streets of
villages and towns. He was deeply impressed by the way in which men,
women, and children had to scud for their lives to keep from under the
hoofs of the chargers of these devil-may-care gentlemen who came like
whirlwinds through narrow crowded streets. He himself often had to
scramble for his life, he said.

However, that was many years back, and I did not fear any such
adventures in my prospective expedition. In such a case I would have
trembled for what might happen. I have no such philosophy of temper as
had my father. I might take the heel of a gay cavalier and throw him
out of the saddle, and then there would be a fine uproar. However, I
am quite convinced that it is always best to dodge. A good dodger
seldom gets into trouble in this world, and lives to a green old age,
while the noble patriot and others of his kind die in dungeons. I
remember an honest man who set out to reform the parish in the matter
of drink. They took him and--but, no matter; I must be getting on with
the main tale.

CHAPTER XXVI

On Saturday night I called the lads to my room and gave them their
final instructions.

"Now, you rogues," said I to them, "let there be no drinking this
night, and no trapesing of the streets, getting your heads broke just
at the critical moment; for, as my father used to say, although a
broken head is merrily come by, a clear head's worth two of it when
business is to be transacted. So go to your beds at once, the two of
you, if there's any drinking to be done, troth it's myself that'll
attend to it."

With that I drove them out and sat down to an exhilarating bottle,
without ever a thought of where the money was to come from to pay for
it. It is one of the advantages of a public house frequented by the
nobility that if you come to it with a bold front, and one or two
servants behind your back, you have at least a clear week ahead before
they flutter the show of a bill at you and ask to see the colour of
your gold in exchange for their ink and paper.

My father used to say that a gentleman with money in his pocket might
eco