'And to others, Carl?'
'Death, perhaps.'
'Why so gloomy in an hour like this?' asked his friend.
'Life, Heinrich, is, alas! so full of the unforeseen!'
'Of course; but life has pleasant things in store for you yet. You have been having some gloomy dream of our Ernestine again.'
'I have not,' replied Charlie, with a sad smile.
'All will yet be well and happy for you both. My sister does not require to look for wealth or position. These she had already, and the Baron of Grünthal is lower in rank than a Grafine of the family of Frankenburg,' he added so proudly, that there was much in his tone and bearing which reminded Charlie of the Countess, his mother.
'This brigade will deploy into line, and throw forward skirmishers from the flank of each regiment,' were now the orders of General Von Zastrow; 'the other brigades will deploy in succession.'
And, on the spur, his aides-de-camp went skurrying hither and thither to the commanders of battalions to have the requisite formation completed with as little delay as possible.
'Take courage, Carl,' said Heinrich; 'my dear sister shall yet be your wife—or the wife of no one else.'