t him go from her; but she had, all along,
recognized that it was for the best that he should leave her. That
he should grow up as a petty laird, where his ancestors had been
the owners of wide estates, and were powerful chiefs with a large
following of clansmen and retainers, was not to be thought of.
Scotland offered few openings, especially to those belonging to
Jacobite families; and it was therefore deemed the natural course,
for a young man of spirit, to seek his fortune abroad and, from the
days of the Union, there was scarcely a foreign army that did not
contain a considerable contingent of Scottish soldiers and
officers. They formed nearly a third of the army of Gustavus
Adolphus, and the service of the Protestant princes of Germany had
always been popular among them.

Then, her own cousin being a marshal in the Prussian army, it
seemed to Mrs. Drummond almost a matter of course, when the time
came, that Fergus should go to him; and she had, for many years,
devoted herself to preparing the lad for that service. Nevertheless,
now that the time had come, she felt the parting no less sorely; but
she bore up well, and the sudden notice kept her fully occupied with
preparations, till the hour came for his departure.

Two of the men rode with him as far as Leith, and saw him on board
ship. Rudolph had volunteered to accompany him as servant, but his
mother had said to the lad:

"It would be better not, Fergus. Of course you will have a soldier
servant, there, and there might be difficulties in having a
civilian with you."

It was, however, arranged that Rudolph should become a member of
the household. Being a handy fellow, a fair carpenter, and ready to
turn his hand to anything, there would be no difficulty in making
him useful about the farm.

Fergus had learnt, from him, the price at which he ought to be able
to buy a useful horse; and his first step, after landing at Stettin
and taking up his quarters at an inn, was to inquire the address of
a horse dealer. The latter found, somewhat to his surprise, that
the young Scot was a fair judge of a horse, and a close hand at
driving a bargain; and when he left, the lad had the satisfaction
of knowing that he was the possessor of a serviceable animal, and
one which, by its looks, would do him no discredit.

Three days later he rode into Berlin. He dismounted at a quiet inn,
changed his travelling dress for the new one that he carried in his
valise, and then, af