an field officer.

"It was most admirably managed, Fergus," he said, when the tale was
finished; "and your making for Vienna, instead of for the frontier,
was a masterly stroke. Of course your finding a friend there was
most fortunate; but even had you not done so, I have no doubt you
would have got through, somehow. I think the best idea of all was
your taking the post horses, and then getting a fresh suit of
clothes from the postmaster.

"I am glad you ordered the major's suit of clothes to be sent back
to him. I should have liked to have seen his face when he found
that not only his uniform, but his prisoner, had disappeared.

"It will be a good story to tell the king. He has sore troubles
enough on his shoulders, for the difficulties are thickening round;
and although Frederick is a born general, he really loves peace,
and quiet, and books, and the society of a few friends, far better
than the turmoil into which we are plunged.

"The French are going to open the campaign, in the spring, with an
army of a hundred thousand men. Russia will invade the east
frontier with certainly as many more, perhaps a hundred and fifty
thousand. They say these rascally Swedes, who have not a shadow of
quarrel against us, intend to land fifty thousand men in Pomerania;
and that Austria will put two hundred and fifty thousand in the
field. Even tempered and self relying as the king is, all this is
enough to drive him to despair; and anything that will interest him
for an hour, and make him forget his difficulties, is very
welcome."

The marshal asked many questions for, as he said, the king would
like to know all the ins and outs of the matter; and he knew that
Fergus would much rather that the story should be told the king by
another, than that he should be called upon to do so.

"I hope the horse came back safely, Lindsay?" Fergus asked, as they
left the marshal's apartments.

"Oh, yes! He went back with the convoy of wounded, and he is now
safe in Keith's stable. The other is, of course, at the count's. I
sent your things back at the same time, and when we returned here I
packed everything up and sewed them in a sack. They are all in the
storeroom."

"What has become of Karl? Did he get safely back?"

"Yes; but he had a nasty sabre wound he got in the charge, and he
was in hospital for six weeks. The king gave him a handsome
present, on the day after he came in; and would have given him a
commission, if he would have ta