sembly a few minutes ago, and
they had to rush off in a hurry, for I felt that it would be awkward for
you were you to come in when they were all so excited."

"Yes, I was glad myself when I found that they were gone. I regard every
soldier in the regiment as my friend, and would shake hands with them
now as heartily as I did when I went away near four years back, but I
myself felt that it would be somewhat embarrassing were I greeted by
them wine cup in hand. Here are twenty pistoles; say that I left them
here for them to drink my health on my promotion, but that I shall be
so busy during the day or two that I remain in Paris that I shall not be
able to pay another visit here. Now let us have a quiet talk together,
and give me all the news of the regiment."

"Perhaps, colonel--"

"Oh, you need not call me colonel, MacIntosh, when you and I are
together alone. I am what I was--Hector Campbell, the lad to whom you
showed so much kindness for his father's sake. Yes, I will tell you one
or two of my adventures, and you shall come round to me tomorrow morning
at seven o'clock at the Hotel Conde, and we will stroll out together,
and sit down in the gardens of the Palais Cardinal, and you shall then
tell me about the regiment, who have gone, and what changes there are."

"That will be best," the sergeant said. "We did hear something of how
you were made captain. Turenne was good enough to tell the colonel, and
so some of it came down to us, but of course it was very little. The
men would like to hear all about it and about this battle at Rocroi, at
which, of course, you must have in some way distinguished yourself to be
appointed colonel at your age."

Hector gave him a full account of the battle. "The special thing for
which I was promoted," he said, at the finish, "was that, the night
before, it struck me that there might be an ambush set in the copses
in the hollow between the two armies. So far as I could see, no efforts
whatever had been made either to occupy the woods or to find out if the
enemy had done so; so I went with my servant, who is a capital fellow,
and we made our way into them, and discovered a regiment of musketeers
hidden there. Of course I reported the fact to General Gassion, and
he told the prince. So, before attacking the enemy's lines, the prince
charged right along the wood and destroyed the musketeers there. If he
had not done so, they would have taken him in rear when he was hotly
engaged with