letter; for I had a
great fear that you might marry and settle down, altogether, in
Germany; but now that the estate is yours, and you are the head of
your clan, I feel sure that you will, at any rate, spend a part of
your time among your own people."

A second letter reached Fergus at the beginning of October; in
answer to his from the camp in front of Dresden, in the middle of
July, which had been delayed much on its way, owing to the rapid
marches of the army, until it had shaken itself free from its
pursuers after the battle of Liegnitz. It began:

"I congratulate you, my dear Fergus, congratulate you with all my
heart; and if there is just a shadow of regret that you should not
have married and settled here entirely, it is but a small regret,
in proportion to the pleasure I feel. It is not even reasonable,
for when I consented to your going abroad to take service in
Prussia, I knew that this would probably end in your settling down
there altogether; for it was hardly likely that you could win a
fortune that would admit of your coming back to live here.

"Of course, had your estate at that time been restored to you, you
would probably not have gone at all; or if you had done so, it
would have been but to stay for a few years, and see service under
your cousin Keith, and then return to live among your own people.
As it was, there was no reason why you should greatly wish to
return to Scotland, where you were landless, with no avenues open
to employment. However, what you tell me, that the count and
countess are willing that you should spend some months here, every
year, is far better than I could have expected or even hoped; and,
as you may imagine, quite reconciles me to the thought of your
marrying abroad.

"In all other respects, nothing could be more satisfactory than
what you tell me. Your promised wife must be a charming young lady,
and her father and mother the kindest of people. Of course, your
worldly prospects will be vastly beyond anything that even my
wildest dreams have ever pictured for you, and in this respect all
my cares for you are at an end.

"It will be delightful, indeed, to look forward to your homecoming
every year; and I consider myself in every way a fortunate woman. I
am sure that I shall come to love your Thirza very dearly.

"The only question is, when is the first visit to take place?
Everyone says that it does not seem that the war can go on very
much longer; and that, wonderful