“If Cranstoun means that I prefer entering the place with a whole head rather than a bare skin, I honestly confess that such is my peculiar taste,” answered De Courcy, significantly smiling.

“Nay, nay De Courcy, you are too severe on poor Cranstoun,” said Captain Granville with provoking sympathy—­“that unfortunate bear skin affair should not be revived again, and so immediately in the theatre near which it occurred.

“Particularly when we consider from what difficult-tie he was released” said Middlemore, who even under the cannon’s mouth could not have forborne his inveterate habit.

“It is the sight of the old place that has stirred up his bile,” remarked Captain Molineux.  “Usually good tempered as he is, he would not have taken offence at De Courcy’s unmeaning remark at any other moment.”

“A very nice adventure that—­I frequently think of it,” said Villiers, adding his mite to the persiflage all appeared determined to bestow upon the touchy grenadier.

“Yes, quite an ice adventure,” chimed in Middlemore, with the low chuckling laugh that betrayed his consciousness of having something not wholly intolerable.

But Cranstoun, now that his ludicrous disaster had been brought up, was not to be shaken from the imperturbability he ever adopted when it became a topic of conversation among his companions.  Drawing his lengthy legs after him with slow and solemn precision, he continued to whistle a Scotch air, in utter seeming abstraction from all around, and in his attempt to appear independent and perfectly at his ease, nearly ran down the pretty girl alluded to by De Courcy, who stood in the door way curtseying graciously, and welcoming each of the British officers, as they passed into the house.

“Bread, eggs, milk, fruit, cider, and whatever the remains of yesterday’s meal afforded, were successively brought forward by the dark eyed daughter of the farmer, who, as De Courcy had remarked, seemed by no means indisposed towards the gay looking invaders of her home.  There was a recklessness about the carriage of most of these, and even a foppery about some, that was likely to be any thing but displeasing to a young girl, who, French Canadian by birth, although living under the Government of the United States, possessed all the natural vivacity of character peculiar to the original stock.  Notwithstanding the pertinacity with which her aged father lingered in the room, the handsome and elegant De Courcy contrived more than once to address her in an under tone, and elicit a blush that greatly heightened the brilliant expression of her large black eyes, and Villiers subsequently declared that he had remarked the air of joyousness and triumph that pervaded her features on the young aid-de-camp promising to return to the farm as soon as the place had been entered, and leisure afforded him.

“But the particulars of the flag, De Courcy,” said Captain Granville, as he devoured a hard boiled turkey egg, which in quantity fully made up for what it wanted in quality.  “When you have finished flirting with that unfortunate girl, come and seat yourself quietly, and tell us what passed between the General and the—­officer who bore it.  Why, I thought you had a devil of an appetite just now?”