The only impatience felt was
for the news of the first victory.

Captain Barclay sent down several casks of wine, for the use of the
passing troops; and his wife went down, each day, to assist at the
distribution. In the evening she and Milly scraped old rags, to
make lint for the wounded. The Lycee was still closed--as it was
found impossible to get the boys to attend to their studies--and
Ralph and Percy spent their time in watching the trains go past,
and in shouting themselves hoarse.

Captain Barclay did not share in the general enthusiasm and, each
morning at breakfast, he looked more and more grave as, upon
opening the papers, he found there was still no news of the
commencement of hostilities.

"What difference does it make, papa?" Ralph asked, one day; "we are
sending fresh troops up, every hour, and I do not see how a few
days' delay can be any disadvantage to us."

"It makes all the difference, Ralph, all the difference in the
world. We had a considerably larger standing army than the
Prussians, and had the advantage that the main body of our troops
were very much nearer to the frontier than those of the Prussians.
If things had been ready, we ought to have marched two hundred
thousand men into Germany, three or four days--at latest--after the
declaration of war. The Germans could have had no force capable of
resisting them. We should have had the prestige of a first
success--no slight thing with a French army--and we should also
have had the great and solid advantage of fighting in an enemy's
country, instead of upon our own.

"The German reserves are far greater than our own. We know how
perfect their organization is, and every hour of delay is an
immense advantage to them. It is quite likely now that, instead of
the French invading Germany, it will be the Prussians who will
invade France."

The boys were but little affected by their father's forebodings. It
was scarcely possible to suppose that everyone could be wrong;
still more impossible to believe that those great hosts which they
saw passing, so full of high hope and eager courage, could be
beaten. They were, however, very glad to sit round the table of an
evening, while Captain Barclay opened a great map on the table,
explained the strength of the various positions, and the
probability of this or that line of attack being selected by one or
the other army.

Day after day went by until, on the 2nd of August, the news came at
last. The fir