lack gelding,
'William of Nassau.' The Prince, sir, gave it me after Blenheim fight,
for I had my own legs carried away by a cannon-ball, just as I cut down
two of Sauerkrauter's regiment, who had made the Prince prisoner."

"Your own legs, sir!" said the Doctor. "Gracious goodness! this is more
and more astonishing!"

"No, no, not my own legs, my horse's I mean, sir; and the Prince gave me
'William of Nassau' that very day."

To this no direct reply was made; but the Doctor looked at Mrs. Dobbs,
and Mrs. Dobbs and the rest of the children at her eldest son, who
grinned and said, "Isn't it wonderful?" The Corporal to this answered
nothing, but, resuming his account, pointed to the other horse and said,
"THAT horse, sir--good as mine is--that horse, with the silver stirrups,
is his Excellency's horse, Captain Count Maximilian Gustavus Adolphus
von Galgenstein, captain of horse and of the Holy Roman Empire" (he
lifted here his hat with much gravity, and all the crowd, even to
the parson, did likewise). "We call him 'George of Denmark,' sir, in
compliment to Her Majesty's husband: he is Blenheim too, sir; Marshal
Tallard rode him on that day, and you know how HE was taken prisoner by
the Count."

"George of Denmark, Marshal Tallard, William of Nassau! this is strange
indeed, most wonderful! Why, sir, little are you aware that there are
before you, AT THIS MOMENT, two other living beings who bear these
venerated names! My boys, stand forward! Look here, sir: these children
have been respectively named after our late sovereign and the husband of
our present Queen."

"And very good names too, sir; ay, and very noble little fellows too;
and I propose that, with your reverence and your ladyship's leave,
William Nassau here shall ride on George of Denmark, and George of
Denmark shall ride on William of Nassau."

When this speech of the Corporal's was made, the whole crowd set up a
loyal hurrah; and, with much gravity, the two little boys were lifted up
into the saddles; and the Corporal leading one, entrusted the other to
the horse-boy, and so together marched stately up and down the green.

The popularity which Mr. Brock gained by this manoeuvre was very great;
but with regard to the names of the horses and children, which coincided
so extraordinarily, it is but fair to state, that the christening of the
quadrupeds had only taken place about two minutes before the dragoon's
appearance on the green. For if the fact must