Armandwatchedthelittlesceneinutteramazement。HehadbeeninEnglandoverayear，andyethecouldnotunderstandtheseEnglishmen。Surelytheywerethequeerest，mostinconsequentpeopleintheworld，Herewerethesemen，whowereengagedatthisverymomentinanenterprisewhichforcool-headedcourageandfoolhardydaringhadprobablynoparallelinhistory。Theywereliterallytakingtheirlivesintheirhands，inallprobabilityfacingcertaindeath；andyettheynowsatchaffingandfightinglikeacrowdofthird-formschoolboys，talkingutter，sillynonsense，andmakingfoolishjokesthatwouldhaveshamedaFrenchmaninhisteens。Vaguelyhewonderedwhatfat，pompousdeBatzwouldthinkofthisdiscussionifhecouldoverhearit。Hiscontempt，nodoubt，fortheScarletPimpernelandhisfollowerswouldbeincreasedtenfold。
Thenatlastthequestionofthedisguisewaseffectuallydismissed。SirAndrewFfoulkesandLordAnthonyDewhursthadsettledtheirdifferencesofopinionbysolemnlyagreeingtorepresenttwoover-grimyandoverheatedcoal-heavers。TheychosetwocertificatesofsafetythatweremadeoutinthenamesofJeanLepetitandAchilleGrospierre，labourers。
“Thoughyoudon\'tlookatalllikeanAchille，Tony，“wasBlakeney\'spartingshottohisfriend。
Thenwithoutanytransitionfromthisschoolboynonsensetotheseriousbusinessofthemoment，SirAndrewFfoulkessaidabruptly：
“Tellusexactly，Blakeney，whereyouwillwantthecarttostandonSunday。“