ulenfurst; who,
with his wife and daughter, were delighted to see him, for he had
now been absent from Dresden since Frederick had marched against
Soubise, thirteen months before.

"We heard from Captain Lindsay," the count said, "when the army
arrived here, some three weeks since, that you were wounded, but
not gravely; also, that for valour shown in defending the king,
when he was attacked by three Russians, you had been promoted to
the rank of major, upon which we congratulate you heartily. And now
that you have come, I suppose your king will soon be dashing away
with you again.

"What a man he is, and what soldiers! I can assure you that
sometimes, when I read the bulletins, I am inclined to regret that
I was not born two days' journey farther north. And yet, in spite
of his fierce blows at all these enemies, there is no sign of peace
being any nearer than when you dropped down to our rescue, some
twenty-seven months ago. 'Tis a terrible war."

"It is, indeed, count. Certainly, when I crossed the seas to take
service here, I little thought how terrible was the struggle that
was approaching. If we had known it, I am sure that my mother would
never have let me leave home."

"She must be terribly uneasy about you," the countess said. "Do you
hear from her often?"

"She writes once a month, and so do I. I get her letters in
batches. I know that she must be very anxious, but she says nothing
about it in her letters. She declares that she is proud that I am
fighting for a Protestant prince, so hemmed in by his enemies; and
that the thoughts and hopes of all England are with him, and the
bells ring as loudly at our victories, through England and
Scotland, as they do at Berlin."

"If we of Saxony had understood the matter sooner," the count said,
"we should be surely fighting now on your side; and indeed, had not
Frederick compelled his Saxon prisoners to serve with him, had he
sent them all to their homes, there would have been no animosity
and, as Protestants, the people would soon have come to see that
your cause was their own. Most of them do see it, now; for whenever
the enemy have entered Saxony, they have plundered and ill treated
the people, especially the Protestants.

"Are your horses still alive?"

"Yes, count, and well, save that one was wounded at Zorndorf; but
for that he cannot blame me, for it was his own doing. When
Seidlitz charged into the midst of the Russians, he passed close to
us; and Tur