hat you mean. I know every word goes to him
that's dropped from every general officer's mouth. I don't say he's not
brave. Curse him! he's brave enough; but we'll wait for the _Gazette_,
gentlemen. God save her Majesty! she'll do us justice."

The _Gazette_ did not come to us till a month afterwards; when my general
and his officers had the honour to dine with Prince Eugene in Lille; his
highness being good enough to say that we had brought the provisions, and
ought to share in the banquet. 'Twas a great banquet. His grace of
Marlborough was on his highness's right, and on his left the Mareschal de
Boufflers, who had so bravely defended the place. The chief officers of
either army were present; and you may be sure Esmond's general was
splendid this day: his tall noble person, and manly beauty of face, made
him remarkable anywhere; he wore, for the first time, the star of the
Order of Generosity, that his Prussian Majesty had sent to him for his
victory. His Highness, the Prince of Savoy, called a toast to the
conqueror of Wynendael. My lord duke drank it with rather a sickly smile.
The aides de camp were present; and Harry Esmond and his dear young lord
were together, as they always strove to be when duty would permit: they
were over against the table where the generals were, and could see all
that passed pretty well. Frank laughed at my lord duke's glum face: the
affair of Wynendael, and the captain-general's conduct to Webb, had been
the talk of the whole army. When his highness spoke, and gave--"_Le
vainqueur de Wynendael; son armee et sa victoire_," adding, "_qui nous
font diner a Lille aujourdhuy_"--there was a great cheer through the hall;
for Mr. Webb's bravery, generosity, and very weaknesses of character
caused him to be beloved in the army.

"Like Hector, handsome, and like Paris, brave!" whispers Frank Castlewood.
"A Venus, an elderly Venus, couldn't refuse him a pippin. Stand up, Harry.
See, we are drinking the army of Wynendael. Ramillies is nothing to it.
Huzzay! Huzzay!"

At this very time, and just after our general had made his
acknowledgement, some one brought in an English _Gazette_--and was passing
it from hand to hand down the table. Officers were eager enough to read
it; mothers and sisters at home must have sickened over it. There scarce
came out a _Gazette_ for six years that did not tell of some heroic death
or some brilliant achievement.

"Here it is--Action of Wynendael--here you are, gener