should have deigned to offer you a position in his household!
I can scarce believe that I am not dreaming. How did it all come
about, and how have you thus gained his favour?"

"I am ashamed to say, sergeant, that I gained it by my presumption;
now that I know who he was, I may say by my insolence. A party
of us were having a mimic battle. We were acting as the regiment
of Turenne at the storming of La Motte. I was in command, and so
acting as Turenne, when a gentleman, who, by his appearance and
age, and by the fact that two troopers rode behind him, I took to
be a captain in the army, came up and questioned me as to what
we were doing. I told him, then he talked about Turenne. I said I
thought he was our greatest general. He, that Turenne was only a
learner in the art of war. I upheld him, and spoke of the battles
and sieges in which he had taken part. Then he asked me about myself,
and I told him my birth and bringing up, and he said he might be
of assistance to me, and would call here and see you."

"Well, well, it almost passes belief, Hector, that a boy like you
should have dared to enter into an argument with an officer, even
if only, as you believed, a captain. And to think that this has
come of it, instead of his having laid his whip across your back,
as you deserved. Your fortune is made, lad, that is, if you behave
yourself. Turenne is a great soldier; and more than that, from what
I have heard he is loved by his men more than any other general,
and they will do anything for him. His regiment here, though he was
but nineteen when he obtained his command, was admitted to be one
of the best drilled and the best disciplined of any in the service.

"He saw to everything himself, spent his whole time in drilling