ust of
bread this morning I have not touched anything today."

"It is fortunate that we are better off than usual," de Thiou said. "We
had the luck to buy a pig from one of Weimar's troopers. The cavalry get
the best of it, for though there are orders against pillaging, there is
no doubt that a good deal of it goes on; and, marching as we have been,
there is no one to see that orders are strictly carried out. However, we
have benefited by it this afternoon."

Accompanying de Thiou, Hector was surprised to find that at a short
distance in front of the spot where the regiment was bivouacked a large
arbour had been erected.

"I did not notice this as I rode in," he said.

"It was not even thought of then, colonel; it was begun a few minutes
after you rode up, and the men have worked right willingly, and
fortunately there was a copse hard by. I may say that it was the
men's own idea. I had given orders that a table should be made of any
materials that came to hand, and one of the men started the idea of
building an arbour over it, and as many hands make quick work it has, as
you see, been constructed in little over half an hour."

As the evening was warm the front of the arbour had been left open.
Inside, a rough table had been constructed of empty casks, planks taken
from the bottom of the waggons, and a couple of doors from cottages
near, while powder barrels served as seats.

"Now, colonel, will you take the head of the table?" de Thiou said.

"Certainly not, de Thiou. I am your guest upon this occasion, so do you
take that place, and I will sit upon your right hand."

"I only wish that we could have given you a dinner like those you so
often gave us at St. Denis."

"I shall enjoy it as much as if it were a royal feast," Hector said,
seating himself; "for indeed since I escaped from Ingoldstadt some ten
days ago I have been living on black bread, sausage, and cheese."

The meal was a joyous one, for at the assault of Rothenburg on the
previous day several barrels of wine had been captured by the soldiers
of the regiment. These had been bought from them by the officers, who
had feared that some of the men might drink to excess, and so damage the
reputation which the regiment had obtained for sobriety and discipline.
One of these had been broached, and this and the pork afforded an
excellent supper even though the bread was of the worst possible
quality. When the meal was over, de Thiou stood up and proposed the