by considerable; I think she is about nine and a half or three-quarters.  Her military rig, as Lieutenant-General, isn’t for business, it’s for dress parade, because the ladies made it.  They say they got it out of the Middle Ages—­out of a book—­and it is all red and blue and white silks and satins and velvets; tights, trunks, sword, doublet with slashed sleeves, short cape, cap with just one feather in it; I’ve heard them name these things; they got them out of the book; she’s dressed like a page, of old times, they say.  It’s the daintiest outfit that ever was—­you will say so, when you see it.  She’s lovely in it—­oh, just a dream!  In some ways she is just her age, but in others she’s as old as her uncle, I think.  She is very learned.  She teaches her uncle his book.  I have seen her sitting by with the book and reciting to him what is in it, so that he can learn to do it himself.

“Every Saturday she hires little Injuns to garrison her fort; then she lays siege to it, and makes military approaches by make-believe trenches in make-believe night, and finally at make-believe dawn she draws her sword and sounds the assault and takes it by storm.  It is for practice.  And she has invented a bugle-call all by herself, out of her own head, and it’s a stirring one, and the prettiest in the service.  It’s to call me—­it’s never used for anything else.  She taught it to me, and told me what it says:  ’It is I, soldier—­come!’ and when those thrilling notes come floating down the distance I hear them without fail, even if I am two miles away; and then—­oh, then you should see my heels get down to business!

“And she has taught me how to say good-morning and good-night to her, which is by lifting my right hoof for her to shake; and also how to say good-bye; I do that with my left foot—­but only for practice, because there hasn’t been any but make-believe good-byeing yet, and I hope there won’t ever be.  It would make me cry if I ever had to put up my left foot in earnest.  She has taught me how to salute, and I can do it as well as a soldier.  I bow my head low, and lay my right hoof against my cheek.  She taught me that because I got into disgrace once, through ignorance.  I am privileged, because I am known to be honorable and trustworthy, and because I have a distinguished record in the service; so they don’t hobble me nor tie me to stakes or shut me tight in stables, but let me wander around to suit myself.  Well, trooping the colors is a very solemn ceremony, and everybody must stand uncovered when the flag goes by, the commandant and all; and once I was there, and ignorantly walked across right in front of the band, which was an awful disgrace:  Ah, the Lieutenant-General was so ashamed, and so distressed that I should have done such a thing before all the world, that she couldn’t keep the tears back; and then she taught me the salute, so that if I ever did any other unmilitary act through ignorance