hat the tide of war would
for the present flow. After staying therefore a day or two with his
regiment, where his relation of the events he had witnessed caused
the greatest excitement and interest, Malcolm obtained leave from his
colonel to escort Thekla to Nuremberg.

In order that they might pass in perfect safety across the intervening
country Munro gave him an escort of twelve troopers, and with these he
journeyed by easy stages to Nuremberg, where the worthy syndic of the
clockmakers and his wife gladly received Thekla, and promised to treat
her as one of their own daughters.

Here Malcolm took possession of his arms and valises, which he had sent,
upon starting for Prague, to the care of Jans Boerhoff; not indeed that
he needed the armour, for the suit which Wallenstein had given him was
the admiration and envy of his comrades, and Munro had laughingly said
that since Hepburn had left them no such gallantly attired cavalier had
ridden in the ranks of the Scottish brigade.

There were many tears on Thekla's part as her young protector bade her
adieu, for there was no saying how long a time might elapse before she
might again see him, and Malcolm was sorely tempted to tell her that
he had her father's consent to wooing her as his wife. He thought it,
however, better to abstain from speaking, for should he fall in the
campaign her grief would be all the greater had she come to think of
him as her destined husband, for her hearty affection for him already
assured him that she would make no objection to carrying out her
father's wishes.

Shortly after rejoining his regiment Malcolm received a communication
from the Swedish chancellor expressing in high terms his approbation of
the manner in which he had carried out his instructions with regard to
Wallenstein, and especially for the great service he had rendered
the cause by warning the Duke of Saxe-Weimar of the trap which the
Imperialists had set for him.

The death of Wallenstein was followed by a short pause in the war. It
had entirely frustrated all the plans and hopes of the Protestants, and
it caused a delay in the movement of the Imperialists. The emperor, when
he heard of Wallenstein's death, heaped favours and honours upon the
three men who had plotted and carried out his murder, and then appointed
his son Ferdinand, King of Hungary, to the chief command of the army,
with General Gallas as his principal adviser.

The Duke of Lorraine marched with an ar