reputation myself that way, I should be
glad that my young cousin should be able to hold his own well, when
we get to blows with the enemy. So I and Van Bruff have taken him
in hand, and for the last three weeks he has made such progress
that this morning, when we had open play, it put me on my mettle to
hold my own. So, what with that and his regimental work, his hands
are more than full; and indeed, he could not get through it, had he
to attend here in the evening; and I know that as soon as he has
finished his supper he turns in for a sound sleep, till he is woke
in time to dress and get to the fencing school, at ten. Had there
been a longer time to spare, I would not have suffered him to work
so hard; but seeing that in a few days we may be on the march to
the frontier, we have to make the most of the time."

"He has done well, Keith, and his zeal shows that he will make a
good soldier. Yes, another three days, and our messenger should
return from Vienna; and the next morning, unless the reply is
satisfactory, the troops will be on the move. After that, who
knows?"

During the last few days, the vague rumours that had been
circulating had gained strength and consistency. Every day fresh
regiments arrived and encamped near the city; and there were
reports that a great concentration of troops was taking place, at
Halle, under the command of Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick; and
another, under the Duke of Bevern, at Frankfort-on-the-Oder.

Nevertheless, the public announcement that war was declared with
Austria, and that the army would march for the frontier, in three
days' time, came as a sudden shock. The proclamation stated that,
it having been discovered that Austria had entered into a secret
confederacy with other powers to attack Prussia; and the king
having, after long and fruitless negotiations, tried to obtain
satisfaction from that power; no resource remained but to declare
war, at once, before the confederates could combine their forces
for the destruction of the kingdom.

Something like dismay was, at first, excited by the proclamation. A
war with Austria was, in itself, a serious undertaking; but if the
latter had powerful allies, such as Russia, France, and Saxony--and
it was well known that all three looked with jealousy on the
growing power of the kingdom--the position seemed well-nigh
desperate.

Among the troops, however, the news was received with enthusiasm.
Confident in their strength and disc