show whether the appointment was agreeable to him, or otherwise.

Half an hour later the marshal mounted and, with his party, rode
back to the palace. After he had dismounted, Lindsay and Fergus
rode across to their quarters. Karl Hoger was standing at the
entrance, holding his horse. He saluted as the two officers came
up.

"I will go in and see if dinner is ready," Lindsay said. "I told
Donald that we should be back at half-past one, and it is nearly
two now, and I am as hungry as a hunter."

Fergus led the way to the stable, and pointed out to the trooper
the two stalls that the horses were to occupy; for each room in the
officers' quarters had two stalls attached to it, the one for the
occupant, the other for his orderly.

"I suppose you have not dined yet, Karl?"

"No, sir, but that does not matter."

"I don't want you to begin by fasting. Here are a couple of marks.
When you have stabled the horses and finished here, you had better
go out and get yourself dinner. I shall not be able to draw rations
for you for today.

"After you have done, come to the main entrance where I met you and
take the first corridor to the left. Mine is the fifth door on the
right-hand side. If I am not in, knock at the next door to it on
this side. You will see Lieutenant Lindsay's name on it.

"You need not be in any hurry over your meal, for I am just going
to have dinner, and certainly shall not want you for an hour."

On reaching Lindsay's quarters Fergus found that dinner was
waiting, and he and Lindsay lost no time in attacking a fine fish
that Donald had bought in the market.

"That is a fine regiment of yours, Drummond," Lindsay said.

"Magnificent. Of course, I never saw anything like it before, but
it was certainly splendid."

"Yes. They distinguished themselves in the campaigns of Silesia
very much. Their colonel, Grim, is a capital officer--very strict,
but a really good fellow, and very much liked by his officers.
However, if I were you, I should be in no hurry to join. I had two
years and a half in an infantry regiment, before Keith appointed me
one of his aides-de-camp, and I can tell you it was hard
work--drill from morning till night. We were stationed at a
miserable country place, without any amusements or anything to do;
and as at that time there did not seem the most remote chance of
active service, it was a dog's life. Everyone was surly and ill
tempered, and I had to fight two duels."

"What about?