, it's unlucky I shot that fellow," he exclaimed, half
aloud; "I don't want to meet any of that picket again while this
war lasts."

Unpleasant visions of himself, spitted neatly upon a Uhlan's
lance, rose up and were hard to dispel. He wished Frossard's
troops had not been in such a hurry to quit Morteyn; he wondered
whether any other troops were between him and Saarbrueck. The
truth was, he should have left the country, and he knew it. But
how could he leave until his aunt and uncle were ready to go? And
there was Lorraine. Could he go and leave her? Suppose the
Germans should pass that way; not at all likely--but suppose they
should? Suppose, even, there should be fighting near Morteyn? No,
he could never go away and leave Lorraine--that was out of the
question.

He lighted a match and moodily burned Molly's letter to ashes in
the fireplace. He also stirred the ashes up, for he was
honourable in little things--like Ricky--and also, alas!
apparently no novice.

Dorothy's letter lay on the table--her third since she had left
for Paris. He opened his knife and split the envelope carefully,
still thinking of Lorraine.

"MY OWN DEAR JACK,--There is something I have been
trying to tell you in the other three letters, but I
have not succeeded, and I am going to try again. I shall
tuck it away in some quiet little corner of my page; so
if you do not read carefully between every line, you may
not find it, after all.

"I have just seen Lady Hesketh. She looks pale and
ill--the excitement in the city and that horrid National
Guard keep our nerves on edge every moment. Sir Thorald
is away on business, she says--where, I forgot to ask
her. I saw the Empress driving in the Bois yesterday.
Some ragamuffins hissed her, and I felt sorry for her.
Oh, if men only knew what women suffer! But don't think
I am suffering. I am not, Jack; I am very well and very
cheerful. Betty Castlemaine is going to be engaged to
Cecil, and the announcement will be in all the English
papers. Oh, dear! I don't know why that should make me
sad, but it does. No, it doesn't, Jack, dear.

"The city is very noisy; the National Guard parade every
day; they seem to be all officers and drummers and no
men. Everybody says we gained a great victory on the 2d
of August. I wonder whether Rickerl was in it? Do you
know? His regiment is the 11th Uhlans. Were they ther