I do not suppose that
he will himself tell us his exploits; but I shall soon learn all
about them from others. I am to meet his colonel this evening at
a dinner at the palace, and shall be able to give you the whole
history tomorrow."
"But I want the history now," Thekla said. "It is much nicer to
hear a thing straight from some one who has done it, than from any
one else."
"There is no story to tell," Malcolm said. "I had been promised my
lieutenancy at the first vacancy before I was at Mansfeld, and on
my return found that the vacancy had already occurred, and I was
appointed. I got my company the other day for a very simple matter,
namely, for swimming across the Rhine with a barrel fixed on each
side of me to prevent my sinking. Nothing very heroic about that,
you see, young lady."
"For swimming across the Rhine!" the count said. "Then you must
have been the Scottish officer who with a sergeant swam and fetched
the boat across which enabled the Swedes to pass a body of troops
over, and so open the way into the Palatinate. I heard it spoken
of as a most gallant action."
"I can assure you," Malcolm said earnestly, "that there was no
gallantry about it. It was exceedingly cold, I grant, but that was
all."
"Then why should the king have made you a captain for it? You can't
get over that."
"That was a reward for my luck," Malcolm laughed.
Pages:
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198