nned on it with the words, "This is a coward, a
very bad soldier, and one who has been whipped four times;" and he was
then drummed out of the barracks, and I never saw anything of him
again, which I was not sorry for, as he gave me more trouble than all
the rest of my men put together.

The reason of our stay in and about Paris so long was to see Louis
XVIII. thoroughly fixed again and in power on his throne. The armies
being now moved into winter quarters chiefly in cantonments, our
brigade took its route to St. Germains, which lies ten or twelve miles
to the north-west of Paris on the River Seine, where we remained
quartered a few months.

It was owing to this long stay, and my happening to see a young woman
who gained my affections, that it fell out that I first then thought
of marriage. For outside the barrack-gate where we were quartered was
a movable stall, which was spread out in the day with fruit, spirits,
tobacco, snuff, &c., and was cleared away at night. This was kept by
the woman whom I afterwards made my wife. Her father was a gardener
in business for himself, and this was the way in which he disposed of
most of his goods. My first introduction was through my going to
purchase a few articles that I wanted from her, and it very shortly
became a general thing for me to dispose of the chief of such time as
I had to spare at the stall; and thus the attachment was formed of
which I am happy to say I never afterwards repented.

I happened to be at the stall one day when I saw a soldier of the
Twenty-Seventh Regiment, which was stationed at the barracks as well
as ours, deliberately take half a pound of tobacco which was already
tied up off the stall and attempt to get off with it. But that didn't
suit me, so I pursued and overtook him, and delivered him over to his
own regiment to dispose of as they thought best after I had told them
the circumstances. I told them too that I didn't wish to prosecute him
myself, so I never heard anything more of him. I took the tobacco,
however, back to my intended, who of course was pleased, as what young
woman would not have been under the circumstances we were then in? And
so our courtship went on; but for a very little while, for once we
were enamoured of one another we were not long in making things all
square for our union.

I made my intentions known to my captain, who I knew would not object,
and he signed my paper to take to the colonel, whose permission I had
next