ed.

The next morning the troops started, as usual, at daybreak. They
were to make but a short march, for they had no longer any occasion
for speed, and they had made the hundred and fifty miles at a very
rapid pace; but when they halted, Frederick with the cavalry rode
straight on into Erfurt.

"Don't wait to put on your uniform now," Keith said to Fergus, on
his return from the royal quarters; "dinner is waiting; and I am
ready, if you are not. Lindsay is going to dine with me, too."

"Well, Lindsay," the marshal said, as the latter entered, "you see
the advantages of this young fellow being able to speak German
well. If you had been taken prisoner at Lobositz, you would have
been fast in Spielberg at present; and you see he is now able to
undertake perilous missions, and peril means promotion."

"I quite see that, marshal," Lindsay said with a smile; "but though
I can get on with French fairly enough, my tongue doesn't seem to
be able to form these crack-jaw German words; and you see, marshal,
it is not the only one that does not. I think, sir, that bad as my
German is, it is not much worse than your own, and you have been
here much longer than I have."

The marshal laughed.

"You are right. I cannot say half a dozen German words; but you see
I have not had your motive for acquiring it, and cannot very well
get promotion. And again, it would not do for me to speak better
German than the King of Prussia; who, beyond a few words necessary
for animating his troops on occasion, knows very little German
himself. For general work here French is amply sufficient, because
every officer speaks it; but as you see, German is very useful,
too, to a young officer who wishes to push himself forward, and is
willing to undertake special work of this kind."

"But even then, marshal, he would have no advantage over a Prussian
officer who speaks French."

"It depends a good deal upon the Prussian officer. The greater
portion of them are mere machines--splendid fighting machines, no
doubt; but of no great use outside their own work. Anyone could
detect, with half an eye, nineteen out of twenty of them; dress
them how you would, disguise them as you like. They step the
regulation length, bring their foot down in the regulation way, are
as stiff as if they had swallowed a ramrod. They have neither
suppleness nor adaptability. They are so accustomed to obey that
they have almost lost the power of originating, and would be taken