"Only----" Here they looked at each other, and Red Hair said, "Shall we?" and Black Hair said, "Yes"; and they both came closer to me. "Will you promise," said Red Hair, "that you will treat as confidential anything we say to you?" "So long as it is nothing dangerous to the State," I said, rather proud of myself for thinking of it. "We want to fight for our country," Red Hair began. "No one wants to fight more," Black Hair put in. "And we're very strong," Red Hair continued. "I won a cup for lawn-tennis at Devonshire Park," Black Hair added. "But----" said Red Hair. "Yes," I replied. "Don't you believe in some women being as strong as men?" "Certainly," I said. "Well, then," said Red Hair, "that's like us. We are as strong as lots of men and much keener, and we want you to be kind to us and let us enlist." "We'll never do anything to give ourselves away," said Black Hair; but, bless her innocent heart, she was giving herself away all the time. Every moment was feminine. The rum thing is that, although I had been conscious of something odd, I never thought they were girls. Directly I knew it, I knew that I had been the most unobservant ass alive; for they couldn't possibly be anything else. "My dear young ladies," I said at last, "I think you are splendid and an example to the world; but what you ask is impossible. Have you thought for a moment what it would be like to find yourselves in barracks with the ordinary British soldier? He is a brave man and, when you meet him alone, he is nearly always a nice man; but collectively he might not do as company for you." "But look at this," said Red Hair, showing me a newspaper-cutting about a group of Russian girls known as "The Twelve Friends," who have been through the campaign and were treated with the utmost respect by the soldiers. "And there's a woman buried at Brighton," said Black Hair, "who fought as a man for years and lived to be a hundred." "And think of Joan of Arc," said Red Hair. "And Boadicea," said Black Hair. "Well," I said, "leaving Joan of Arc and Boadicea aside, possibly those Russians and that Brighton woman looked like men, which it is certain you don't!" "Oh!" said Black Hair, who was really rather peculiarly nice. "Then why didn't you spot us before?" One for me. "I have no doubt I should have done so in a moment more," I said. "The fact is"--what cowards we are!--"I was preoccupied when you came in." Black Hair looked adorably as if she didn't believe it. "But anyway," I went on, "we must be serious. What would your people say?" "We left word," said Red Hair, "that we were going off to do something for our country. They won't worry. Oh, please be kind and help us!" Here all four of their beautiful eyes grew moist. I could have hugged both of them, especially perhaps Black Hair, but I kept an iron hand on myself.