"Ah! Mr. Lumsden, I think," he said; "I am glad to see you. I fear I have kept you waiting. Yes, I see it is twenty minutes past the hour. Let me waste no time, then. Sit down at the table there." Sir John seated himself at the opposite side of the table, gave the lad one quick glance, and said: "Without beating about the bush, are you willing, Mr. Lumsden, to undertake an important and possibly dangerous mission?" "Certainly, sir." The answer came without a moment’s hesitation, and the general seemed pleased. Then, observing a look of surprise on Jack’s face, he went on: "You wonder at my selecting you? I happened to overhear yesterday an eloquent address in Spanish by an officer of the 95th, and when I came to enquire of Colonel Beckwith, he told me that Mr. Lumsden’s knowledge of Spanish had already proved useful. That is how it happened, Mr. Lumsden." He gave the young officer a friendly smile, and Jack’s cheeks flushed with pleasure as the general continued: "You are the man I’ve been looking for. What I want you to do is out of your regular duty, but then a knowledge of Spanish is out of the usual officer’s acquirements, more’s the pity. Do you know French also?" "A little, sir; just well enough to understand what is said and to make a shift to reply." "That’s well. Now I suppose you have some sort of notion of what my intentions were in marching from Lisbon, eh?" "We’ve talked it over at mess, sir," said Jack with a smile. "Naturally. Well, if you’re to be of use to me, and I think you will be, I must take you into my confidence. What I want, Mr. Lumsden, is information—information that I can rely on." At this point he rose from his chair and resumed his restless pacing to and fro. "I started to join forces with the Spaniards, but they haven’t put themselves into communication with me. I don’t know their plans; I don’t know what their Government is aiming at. I am in entire ignorance of the numbers or the situation of the enemy. The Spaniards seem to be living in a fools’ paradise; talk very big about their own armies, and very small about the enemy; keep us short of supplies, and shorter still of news. I do know that a fortnight ago General Blake’s Spanish army in the north was beaten, and now a Mr. Vaughan has brought me news that General Castaños has been routed at Tudela; which means that his co-operation with me is out of the question. Do you see what I am driving at?" "You mean, I think, sir, that as the Spaniards are beaten, the French are free to attack you."