the king, and a slight
flush arose to his pale cheek. Standing up, he bowed kindly to
the adjutants, and passed out among the generals, who saluted him
respectfully, and pressed back to make way for their king. The king
walked silently through their ranks, and then turning his head, he said:

"Gentlemen, let us see what yesterday has left us. Assemble your
troops."

The generals and staff officers hurried silently away, to place
themselves at the head of their regiments, and lead them before the
king.

The king stood upright, his unsheathed sword in his right hand, as in
the most ceremonious parade. The marching of the troops began, but it
was a sad spectacle for their king. How little was left of the great
and glorious army which he had led yesterday to battle! More than twenty
thousand men were either killed or wounded. Thousands were flying and
scattered. A few regiments had been formed with great trouble; barely
five thousand men were now assembled. The king looked on with a firm
eye, but his lips were tightly compressed, and his breath came heavily.
Suddenly he turned to Count Dolmer, the adjutant of the Grand Duke
Ferdinand of Brunswick, who had arrived a few days before with the
intelligence of a victory gained at Minden. The king had invited him to
remain, "I am about to overpower the Russians, remain until I can give
you a like message." The king was reminded of this as he saw the count
near him.

"Ah," he said, with a troubled smile, "you are waiting for the message
I promised. I am distressed that I cannot make you the bearer of better
news. If, however, you arrive safely at the end of your journey, and
do not find Daun already in Berlin, and Contades in Magdeburg, you can
assure the Grand Duke Ferdinand from me that all is not lost. Farewell,
sir."

Then, bowing slightly, he advanced with a firm step to the generals.
His eyes glowed and flashed once more, and his whole being reassumed its
usual bold and energetic expression.

"Gentlemen," he said, in a clear voice, "fortune did not favor us
yesterday, but there is no reason to despair. A day will come when we
shall repay the enemy with bloody interest. I at least expect such a
day; I will live for its coming, and all my thoughts and plans shall be
directed toward that object. I strive for no other glory than to deliver
Prussia from the conspiracy into which the whole of Europe has entered
against her. I will obtain peace for my native land, but it sh