“As it will be some time before I shall rejoin my regiment, may I ask you to appoint Captain de Thiou as second colonel?  He has now served as senior captain of the regiment for three years.  He aided me heartily and cordially in organizing it.  He has seconded me throughout in a manner of which I cannot speak too highly, and distinguished himself greatly at Freiburg, and on every occasion in which we have been in contact with the enemy.  I think it very desirable that there should be an officer of rank superior to the others while I am away; and both for the sake of the regiment, and as a reward for the merit and conduct of Captain de Thiou himself, I should be very glad were he promoted and should feel that the regiment would in no way deteriorate during my absence.”

“Certainly, Campbell, I will carry out your recommendation.  He has fairly earned his promotion, and as you say, it is better in your absence that the regiment should be led by an officer of rank above the others, and not by a captain having but a very slight seniority to some of them.  Doubtless you will be saying goodbye to the officers tonight.  I authorize you to inform de Thiou that he will be placed in orders tomorrow morning as second colonel of the regiment.”

“I did not think that we were likely to be back in Paris before next winter, master,” Paolo said rather discontentedly when Hector told him that they were to start early next morning.

“Nor did I, Paolo, and I should very much rather have remained with the regiment; but as the marshal is good enough to consider that my presence there may be of advantage to him, I have of course nothing to say against it.”

There was great regret among the officers when they heard that their colonel was not going to lead them, but all were pleased that de Thiou, who was a general favourite, had obtained promotion.  That officer was at once surprised and gratified at the news, for it was not often that men without strong family interest rose to the rank of colonel.

“I know that this is your doing,” he said gratefully.  “I never expected to get above my present rank, and I am sure that I should never have done so had it not been for you.”

“You thoroughly deserve it, de Thiou, for it was by your support that I was enabled, when I first joined, to introduce reforms, and get the officers to take upon themselves more work and responsibilities, and thus make the regiment what it is.  I hope I shall rejoin before the end of the campaign.  This may be the last, for now that they have begun the peace conference at Munster, something must surely come of it sooner or later, for all parties must be thoroughly sick of this long and terrible war, which has ruined Germany and impoverished France, and from which neither party, after nigh thirty years of fighting, has gained any material advantage.  At any rate it will be a great satisfaction to me to know that