nto our enemies, by that gentle and
weak-minded King Henry VI, Duke Richard of Gloucester, on this, his
second expedition unto this place--his first having miscarried--sent
unto the garrison a messenger, under a flag of truce, to demand the
surrender of Berwick, unto the army of its rightful owner. Whilst he
was gone, the army went into camp; for although it was still early in
the day, our leader had decided, in case the Scots did refuse to
surrender--which, in all probability, would be their reply--that we
were not to begin the attack until the morrow, in order that his army
might have an opportunity to rest after their long, hard, march.

Oh, such a delightful evening did follow that long and weary day of
labour. We were among that magnificent border scenery, where nature
doth seem so busy with her work of carving herself into most fantastic,
and yet admirable, ruggedness. How, in the evening, doth she cast her
beauteous, drooping, eye aslant across her work; and her gentle breath
dies out in hushed and satisfied, yet modest, admiration. The setting
sun did seem to paint a hill, then step a vale and touch another with
its golden brush.

Here may be seen many a place where nature's liquid emery hath ground
the rocks asunder, and still some sparkling remnant goes trickling down
the groove.

On this evening Harleston and I did take our usual walk through the
camp and, as the night was glorious, it did tempt us to stray further
from headquarters than might be considered safe. In fact, past the
outposts did we go, and sat us down upon a hill that had seemed bolder
than its comrades, so that we might the better see the surrounding
country.

As we sat there, our backs were turned towards the camp, and our faces
were tinted with the fading colors of the western sky. To right and
left were hills and hollows of varying height and depth, but all having
in common, shrubs and trees in unfailing irregularity, growing side by
side, above and beneath each other, in the same disorder as had their
seeds been flung there by the hand of the hurrying angel which did sow
the whole of the earth's broad face. At our feet, and betwixt us and
the sister to the hill on which we now were seated, was a smooth and
undeceiving mirror, set, with bashful caution, between these obscuring
hills, that nature's pardonable vanity might not with ease be gazed
upon by the ignorant eye of man.

"I wonder when we shall be back at Windsor," said S