stle stood, but it crept noiselessly into
the whitewashed cottage, one night, and the soldier's two daughters were
stricken down. This was the beginning of terrible trouble to the veteran
of Waterloo. Not that he minded watching, for he was used to standing
sentry all night, and as for nursing, he had seen plenty in the
hospital; but to see his daughters suffering--that was what he could not
bear!

And worst of all, between medicines and necessaries for the sick, the
three months' pension was quite used up, and when the old soldier's
nursing had pulled through the fierceness of the fever, there was
nothing but black bread left in the house--and black bread was almost
the same as no bread at all to the dainty appetities the fever had left;
and that was what he had to think of, and think of, as he sat in the
cottage door.

"Bah!" said the old soldier, with something more like a groan than was
ever heard from him while his wounds were being dressed, "I could face
all the armies of Napoleon better than this!"

And he sat more and more in the cottage door, as if that could leave the
trouble behind; but it stood staring before him, all the same, till it
almost shut the rosebush and the bees out of sight. But one morning a
tremendous surprise came to him like a flash out of the sky! He heard
the sound of galloping troops, and he pricked up his ears, for that
always made him think of a cavalry charge.

"Who goes there?" he cried; but without answering his challenge the
sound came nearer and nearer, and a lackey in full livery dashed up to
the door, and presented him with a note sealed with the blood-red seal
of the castle arms. It was an invitation to dine at the castle with a
company of noblemen and officers of the army. His lordship, who had also
fought at Waterloo, had just learned that a comrade was living on his
estate, and made haste to do him honor, and secure a famous guest for
his dinner party.

The old soldier rose up proudly, and gave the lackey a military salute.

"Tell his lordship," he said, "that I shall report myself at
headquarters, and present my thanks for the honor he has done me."

The lackey galloped off, and the veteran pushed his chair over with his
wooden leg, and clattered across the cottage floor.

"Ho, Peggy!" he cried, "did I not say that luck comes and trouble flies
if you only face the enemy long enough? This is the beginning of good
things, I tell you! A hero of Waterloo, and fit to dine