The officers all shook hands with him warmly, and the colonel went on, “Macfarlane announced you as colonel, Hector, but surely you cannot have gained that rank?”
“I only obtained it two days ago. You see it is a good thing to be a prince's aide-de-camp. Turenne, wishing to give me every opportunity of seeing service, sent me to Enghien with a message asking him to employ me on his staff.”
“And you were at Rocroi?” the colonel exclaimed. “What is the real news of the battle? It was given out officially last night that we had won a victory, and there are all sorts of rumours this morning in the town—they say that three officers arrived last night with full details.”
“I was one of the three, colonel; and I have just now come from the palace after handing my despatches to the queen.”
“Then it was Enghien who made you colonel?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then, you must have done something marked, or you could never have got the rank. Why, he has half the young nobles of France in his train—he has not made them all colonels, I suppose?”
“No, I suppose not; but we started early the next morning, and therefore cannot say what promotions were made.”
“Still they made yours, Campbell. When did they do that?”
“Just after the fight was over.”