ndrew Forbes in the
dull grey of the early morning to go and witness that terrible sword
fight in the Park; and he could hardly repress a shudder as he seemed to
see the German's blade flashing and playing about his father's breast,
till the two thrusts were delivered, one of which nearly brought the
baron's career to a close.

Nothing could have been kinder than the treatment the young guest
received from the officers; but nothing could have been more painful to
the lad, and again and again he wished himself away as the dinner
dragged its slow length along, and he sat there feeling lonely, occupied
toward the end almost entirely with thoughts of his father, Andrew's
false charge about him being generally uppermost, and raising the
indignant colour to his cheeks.

"I wonder where he is now," he thought, "and what he is doing?"

Then once more about what delight his mother would feel if the colonel's
ideas came to pass, and Sir Robert came back in triumph.

"Oh, it's too good to be true," thought the boy; but he clung to the
hope all the same.

The only time when he was relieved from the pressure of his sad thoughts
was when the conversation around grew animated respecting the
probabilities of the country being devastated by civil war; but even
then it made his heart ache on Andrew Forbes's account, as he heard the
quiet contempt with which the elder officers treated the Pretender's
prospects, the colonel especially speaking strongly on the subject.

"No," he said, "England will never rise in favour of such a monarch as
that. It is a mad business, that will never win support. The poor
fellow had better settle down quietly to his life in France. The reign
of the Stuarts is quite at an end."

"Poor old Drew," thought Frank. "I wish he could have heard that; but
he would not have believed if he had."

Then the officers went on talking of the possibility of their regiment
being called upon for active service, and the boy could not help a
feeling of wonder at the eager hopes they expressed of having to take
part in that which would probably result in several of those present
losing their lives or being badly wounded.

"I wonder whether I shall be as careless about my life when I am
grown-up and a soldier?" he thought.

The regular dinner had long been over, and the members of the mess had
been sitting longer than usual, the probability of the regiment going
into active service having supplied them with so much