“Will you give a poor orphan lad a small piece of money, sir?”

The hand of Uncle John, ever generous, immediately went into his pocket, and he placed a franc in the boy’s hand.

At that moment one of the hotel officials, perceiving the two dirty lads, and mistaking them for street urchins, approached.

“Were these little beggars annoying you, sir?” he said to Uncle John.  “I’ll have them kicked into the street.”

“Oh, let them alone,” said Uncle John, but the official, mumbling that it was against the rules of the hotel, summoned a porter and ordered him to throw the lads out.

“Are you going to let them kick us out, Uncle John?” asked Chester, in English.

Uncle John turned quickly, and walked straight up to him.  Stooping he gazed searchingly into his face and then turned to Hal.  With an exclamation he waved aside the porter and grasped each lad by the arm.

“You young rascals!” he said.  “Don’t you know you have worried your mothers nearly to death.  You’ll come with me now.”

He led them to the elevator, and soon the two lads were once more in their mothers’ arms.

“Well,” said Uncle John, when the greetings were over, “I don’t think you will get away from us again.  We’ll sail for America at once.”

“I am afraid,” said Chester slowly, “that we cannot go.”

“Cannot go?  And why not, sir?”

“Because,” replied Chester, “I believe that Hal and I shall return immediately to the front, and rejoin General French and his heroic British troops.”

Both Mrs. Paine and Mrs. Crawford cried out in alarm, and Uncle John looked at the two lads with disappointment when Hal said: 

“Chester is right.”

But Uncle John was nothing if not a diplomat.

“We won’t discuss it now,” he said, with a wave of his hand.  “To-morrow we will talk the matter over.”

This suited all concerned.

“And that decision having been reached,” continued Uncle John, “let’s all go down to dinner!”

THE END.