way after she had become the wife of another; and so for twelve years
she had continued to receive her quarterly income. She had established
herself in a pretty little house near Dover, where several old friends
of her father resided, and where she had plenty of pleasant society
among the officers of the regiments stationed there. Although far from
rivaling Portsmouth or Plymouth in life and bustle, Dover was a busy
town during the time of the great war. The garrison was a large one,
the channel cruisers often anchored under the guns of the castle, and
from the top of the hills upon a clear day for months a keen lookout
was kept for the appearance from the port of Boulogne of the
expedition Napoleon had gathered there for the invasion of England.

The white sails of the English cruisers as they sailed up or down the
channel were clearly visible, and occasionally a privateer could be
seen making its way westward with a prize it had picked up off Texel.
Military and naval matters were the sole topics of conversation, and
by the time he was fifteen Ralph had fully determined to follow in his
grandfather's footsteps and to become a soldier. Having passed almost
all her life among military men Mrs. Conway had offered no objections
to his wishes, and as several of her father's old friends had promised
to use their influence on his behalf, there was little doubt that he
would be enabled to procure a commission as soon as he reached the
regulation age.

It was not often that the postman called at Mrs. Conway's with
letters; for postage was expensive, and the people in those days only
wrote when they had something particular to say. Mrs. Conway had just
made breakfast when Ralph came in with a letter in his hand.

"Here is a letter for you, mother; but please don't open it until you