h two officers and an escort of
six troopers. He looked at their accoutrements and horses, and
nodded his head approvingly.

"You will do very well," he said. "I can tell you that the gloss
of your uniforms will not last long, in Flanders."

The other officers were Captain Fromart, who acted as the duke's
secretary, and Lieutenant d'Eyncourt. Mike fell in with the
escort, behind which also rode the body servant of the duke, and
the two cavalry men who were the servants of his officers.

Once beyond the limits of the town, the party broke into a trot.
The duke rode on ahead, evidently in deep thought, and the five
officers followed in a group.

"I see, messieurs," d'Eyncourt said, "that only one of you has
brought a servant with him."

"We only arrived in Paris a week ago," O'Neil said. "Our own
regiment had left, and we did not care to ask for two soldiers
from another regiment, as these might have turned out badly. We
thought it better, therefore, to delay until we joined the army,
and wait till we could obtain a couple of good men from one of the
cavalry regiments there. As it is, Monsieur Kennedy's servant can
look after the three of us, and, I have no doubt, two of the
soldiers of the escort will not object to earn a few livres by
looking after our horses on the way."

"I think you are right," the other said. "If one gets a good man,
a soldier servant is invaluable. If, as is often the case, he is a
bad one, well, one is far better without him. It is curious how
men who have been smart soldiers, when in the ranks, are apt to go
to the bad when they become servants. They have more time on their
hands, are free from most of the parades, have no sentry duty to
perform, and the consequence is that they become slovenly and
careless, and in nine cases out of ten give way to drink at every
opportunity. If Mr. Kennedy's servant is really a good one, you
will be better off, with a third of his services, than you would
be with the whole of that of an ordinary soldier servant.

"You have just returned from England, have you not? The duke told
Captain Fromart that you were among those who were captured in the
Salisbury, but that you had made your escape. He gave no
particulars, for indeed, the duke is not given to much speech. As
a general he is splendid, but it would be more pleasant for his
staff if he were to unbend a little."

"Yes, we managed to give them the slip," O'Neil said, "thanks to
Monsieur Kennedy and