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absence, and left next day for the south. An hour later, Colonel

Tempe and Ralph were in the train, upon their way to Orleans--Tim,

again in his hussar uniform, and half wild with delight--being,

with Colonel Tempe's orderly, in charge of the horses.

Colonel Tempe, as Ralph was not mounted, had offered to lend him

one of his own; but Ralph had refused it, unless the colonel would

sell it, as he said he should be always afraid of getting the

animal shot, unless it was his own. Seeing that Ralph was

determined upon this score, the colonel had reluctantly agreed to

take the sum he had paid for the horse. Ralph's only other purchase

in Tours was a fur greatcoat.

"And now, colonel," Ralph said, when the train had started, "we

have time to talk--tell me, what chances have we of success?"

"Between ourselves, Barclay," Colonel Tempe said, "I do not think that

our prospects are brilliant. In my opinion, Aurelles de Paladine--or

rather Gambetta, for it was he who ordered the advance--made an immense

mistake in attacking Von der Tann when he did. Of course, he drove him

back, and took Orleans; but what was the use of that? Absolutely nothing.

He was not strong enough to push his advantage; but the movement served

to draw the attention of the Germans to his force, and Prince Frederick

Charles--who was marching south from Metz--has been hurried towards

Orleans, and has now united his forces with those of Von der Tann and

the Duke of Mecklenburg; so that, although we have received large

reinforcements--for the whole of the army of the east is up, now--the

Germans have been equally reinforced, and are quite as strong as we are.

"We ought never to have attacked, until we were ready to follow up

our advantage at once. It was nothing short of madness; yet what

can you expect, with a civilian acting as commander-in-chief? I

believe that we shall make a tough fight of it, but I can hardly

hope that our new levies can prove a match for the veterans of

Frederick Charles."

"When do we begin, do you think?"

"In two or three days at latest. You have not seen a great battle

yet, Barclay."

"No," Ralph said, "nor shall I see much of it, now; for the country

is so perfectly flat that it will be impossible to get anything

like a general view of it. Do you know, colonel, I feel a good deal

more comfortable than I did during my last journey between Tours

and Orleans; for although I thought that we should manage, somehow,

to get through into Paris; still, I could not conceal from myself

that it was a very serious undertaking.

"How bitterly cold it is."

"It is, indeed," Colonel Tempe assented. "Being upon the staff we

shall, no doubt, manage to get a roof of some sort over our heads;

but for the sentries it must be terrible. The tents d'abri--if the

men can scrape away the snow, and get an armful of straw to lie

on--are snug enough; the men lie close together, and share their

blankets."

Half an hour after arriving at Orleans, Colonel Tempe and Ralph

were riding out upon the north road; followed by Tim Doyle, and the

colonel's orderly. The frost was keen, but the afternoon was bright

and clear; and as they cantered along the road--beaten flat and

hard, with the enormous traffic--their spirits rose, and Ralph

regretted that Percy was not there to share in his enjoyments.

Colonel Tempe shook his head when the wish was mentioned.

"No, no, Barclay, it is far better as it is. You are young enough,

in all conscience, for this iron work of war; your brother has done

far more than a man's share already, and will find it difficult

enough to go back as a schoolboy. He has escaped thus far, almost

by a miracle; but he was looking shaken, and worn. I am glad that

he is not here."

Three hours' riding took them to the little village near which

General Chanzy was quartered. The Sixteenth Corps lay to the left

of the French army, facing the Germans; who held the line of

villages of Guillonville, Terminiers, and Conier. It was already

dark when they arrived. The general's quarters were in a chateau, a

quarter of a mile distant from the village. When they reached it,

they were at once shown in; and found General Chanzy leaning over a

map, which he was trying to examine by the light of a solitary

candle.

"How are you, colonel?" he asked, shaking hands with him

heartily--for they were old friends. "I am very glad you have come.

There is plenty to do, and few to do it; at least, very few indeed

who know anything about their work.

"Who have you here?"

"Allow me to introduce Captain Barclay, general. Freysinet has

attached him to your staff. He served with me in the Vosges,

distinguished himself greatly, and won his lieutenancy and the

Cross. Since then he has been into Paris. No doubt you saw the

account of his swimming the Seine, with his brother."

"Of course, of course," General Chanzy said, warmly. "I am very

glad to have you with me, Captain Barclay. You will not be long

before you are at work, for the affair is just beginning. I have

just got news that there has been some sharp fighting, today, at

Beaurre la Rolande."

"With what results, sir?" Colonel Tempe asked.

"We gained a great deal of ground, in the morning," General Chanzy

said; "but they brought up reinforcements, and no material

advantage is claimed.

"And now," the general went on, "as to quarters, you must shift for

yourselves. Beds are out of the question; but you will find some

empty rooms upstairs and, fortunately, there is a little straw in

the stable. The outhouses are extensive, and you will be able to

get your horses under shelter. I should advise you to see about

them, at once. In an hour we shall have something to eat. I cannot

call it dining.

"Captain Barclay, will you kindly see to these matters? I shall be

glad to go through this map, at once, with Colonel Tempe."

Ralph at once obeyed the order, much pleased with his new

commander. General Chanzy was a man to inspire confidence in all

those who served under his orders. He was a young man, for a

general; but was very bald, and had a quiet and thoughtful air

which made him look older than he was. He was a man of few words;

and had a sharp, steady look which seemed to master, at once, the

important points of anything that was said to him. When he smiled,

the whole of his face seemed to light up.

"Just the man to serve under," Ralph thought to himself. "Cool,

self possessed, and with an eye that will see a weak point in a

moment.

"Is my orderly still at the door?" he asked a soldier in the

passage.

"Yes, sir; two orderlies, with the four horses."

"Can you get me a light of any sort?" Ralph asked. "I want to go

round to the stables, and get the horses somewhere in shelter."

"I will get you a lantern, sir," the man said. "But I fear that you

will find the place all crowded; but of course, you can turn some

of them out."

The orderly accompanied Ralph, with a lantern, across the yard; Tim

and Colonel Tempe's orderly following. Round the yard were many

cavalry horses, tied to pegs; driven in close by the wall of the

stables, so as to give them some little shelter from the intense

cold. The poor animals stood, side touching side, for warmth.

The orderly opened the door of one of the stables; and Ralph

entered, and looked round by the light of the lantern. The horses

were ranged together in the stalls, as closely as they could stand;

while the rest of the area was completely covered with cavalry

soldiers, some sitting up smoking and talking, others already

wrapped in their cloaks and stretched at full length.

A sergeant, seeing the marks of Ralph's rank, at once rose to his

feet and saluted.

"I have two horses here, sergeant; my own, and one of Colonel

Tempe's. General Chanzy told me I should find room here, but it

does not look like it."

"I will turn two of these horses out, sir," the sergeant said.

"Is there no other place?" Ralph asked.

"They are all as full as this, sir."

"There is a little shed, down at the end of the garden," one of the

men said. "I noticed it this afternoon. The door was locked. I

looked in, and it seemed a cow shed. I don't know whether anyone is

there. I will go down with you, sir, and show you the way, if you

like."

The shed was soon found, and the soldier forced the door open with

his sword bayonet. The place had, as he supposed, been a cow shed;

but the walls and roof were in good order, and the ground hard.

"This will do first rate, your honor," Tim said. "There is room for

all four horses, if they squeeze a bit; and for Jacques here, and

myself. I suppose, your honor, there will be no harm in knocking up

some of this woodwork, to make a bit of a fire? It's too dark to

look for sticks, tonight; and they would be so damp, from the snow,

that the smoke would choke the bastes entirely--to say nothing of

us."

"Well, under the circumstances, Tim, I agree with you; but don't do

more damage than you can help, and only make enough fire to make

the water hot for coffee, and so on. You will be warm enough, here,

with the four horses. You must go and see if you can get them some

forage."

"But how about your honor's and the colonel's dinner?" Tim asked.

"I haven't drawn rations; but I have got plenty of bread and meat,

in the haversack. I got them at Tours, for I thought there wouldn't

be much to be had here."

"Thank you for thinking of it, Tim, but we dine with the general.

When you have got the horses comfortable, and lit your fire, one of

you bring up our cloaks to the house. Keep the horses' saddles on,

with loosened girths. We may want them suddenly, at any moment of

the night."

The next morning, General Chanzy said to Ralph:

"I should recommend you, Captain Barclay, to spend an hour studying

this map; and getting up, from these lists, the exact position of

our forces. When you think you have mastered them, ride through the

whole of the positions occupied by the corps and, without exposing

yourself, gain as good an idea as you can of the country beyond.

Tomorrow you may have to ride straight to certain points, with

orders; and it may save important time if you are thoroughly

acquainted with the ground, and position."

After a couple of hours' study of the staff map, so as to know

every little by-lane and hamlet, for ten miles on either side,

Ralph mounted his horse and went for a long ride. When he returned,

Colonel Tempe told him that General Chanzy was gone over to General

D'Aurelle's quarters, to arrange the details; and that the attack

was to take place the next day.

At five o'clock the general returned; and Colonel Tempe and the

chief of his staff were occupied with him, for two hours, in

drawing up the specific orders for each corps. Colonel Tempe had

not been out, all day; and he therefore offered his horse to Ralph,

in order that Ralph's own might be fresh for the next day.

Four staff officers set off in various directions with the

dispatches; and Ralph congratulated himself upon having been upon

the ground he was now traversing once before that day as, even with

that previous acquaintance, it was hard work to find the way

through the darkness, from the snow altering the general appearance

and apparent distance of each object. Thanks, however, to his ride

of the morning, he reached the various corps to which he was

dispatched without any serious mistakes in his way; and got back to

headquarters by eleven o'clock.

Tim was waiting up for him.

"Sure, your honor, and it's a mighty cold night. I've got a pot of

coffee on the boil in the stables."

"Thank you, Tim. I will just go in and make my report to the

general, and then go off to bed. Bring the coffee into my room. We

shall be up early, for we fight tomorrow."

"Do we, now?" Tim said, admiringly. "And it's about time; for we

should be all frozen into skeletons, if we were to wait here doing

nothing much longer. Bad luck to the weather, says I."

At ten o'clock the next morning the French troops were in motion,

the objects of their attack being the villages of Guillonville,

Terminiers, and Conier. The country was extremely flat and, for an

hour, they saw no bodies of the enemy. A few videttes, only, were

seen. These galloped off hastily, the moment they caught sight of

the heavy masses of the French debouching from the wood. Ralph was

riding, with the rest of the staff, behind the general.

"That is Terminiers," Colonel Tempe said, pointing to a house or

two at a distance, on the plain.

As he spoke, a puff of smoke came from the houses.

"There is the first shell," was the general exclamation.

In another instant the missile burst near some infantry, at two

hundred yards to the right.

"Take orders to that battery, there, to take position on that

little eminence to the left there, Captain Barclay. Tell them to

keep the guns a little back among the trees, and to open sharply

upon Terminiers."

It was just twelve o'clock now and, in five minutes, there was a

roar of cannon along the whole length of both lines. For half an

hour the combat continued a mere artillery duel. The shells fell in

all directions; cutting the dry branches from the trees, tearing up

the ground, and leaving deep black gashes in the white snow;

crashing through a wall or, occasionally, exploding among the

troops.

"Their fire is slackening a little," General Chanzy said. "It is

time to be pushing forward.

"Lieutenant Porcet, take my orders to the colonel of that regiment