to get. The colonel could not understand at first my marrying a
Frenchwoman, but he nevertheless consented, saying that she would do
to teach the soldiers French, but that he advised me to wait till I
got to England. But having got the grant, it was a question of now or
never for me; so I made arrangements with the army chaplain, who fixed
the time and we were duly united. It cost us nothing, for neither the
parson nor clerk looked for any fee, neither were we troubled with any
wedding-cake, but simply took ourselves off for a day's merrymaking.

My wife's maiden name had been Marie Louise Claire, but owing to
Buonaparte's first wife having been Marie Louise too, she had been
compelled to drop that name and assume that of Clotilde; a
proclamation having been made that no one should be called Marie
Louise but the Empress, and so by that vain freak of Buonaparte's all
in France who were called Marie Louise had to change their names.

Of course before marrying her I had explained to my wife the course of
life she would have to put up with, and that at any moment we might
have to proceed from her native place, and even might be recalled to
England, but she did not mind the prospect of all this. And at length
the time arrived that we had to go, for orders were given, and that on
very short notice, that we were to prepare to resume our march. A
farewell had then to be taken of her parents, whom we expected never
to behold again, and this cast a slight shadow for a time over my
wife's countenance, but it quickly passed away within the next few
succeeding days.

CHAPTER XXIV.

The brigade quartered near Cambray -- Outrage on a native farmer
-- The perpetrators convicted and hanged -- Lawrence sent to
Valenciennes to learn the sword exercise -- March to Calais and
embarkation for Scotland -- Tedious voyage -- Kind reception by
the inhabitants of Bridlington -- Lawrence finds a silk dress
rather a superfluity on a campaign -- Shields -- Excursion over
the glass-works -- Final landing at Leith and march to Glasgow.

From St. Germain we proceeded to Cambray. We were billeted at a
village near Cambray called Aresne, where we had very good quarters
and found the people particularly kind, and after remaining there a
short time we were moved to a neighbouring village, where we got
equally good quarters.

But here another of those unpleasant things happened which often have
to occur tha