"Under Divine Providence," said Moltke, devoutly raising his forage-cap.
"Under Divine Providence," repeated the Chancellor, touching the peak of his own.
He added, as Valverden, dismissed by a wave of the Chief's finger, his blue eyes blazing, his blond face aglow with triumph, set his borrowed spurs to the flanks of his late Captain's charger, and with a showy bound and demi-volte, galloped furiously away:
"He is as vain as Count Max, but seems to possess more character. I prophesy he will go far!"
Moltke agreed, slightly glancing after the flying horseman:
"Far—if Heaven preserve him from the clutches of such women as Adelaide de Bayard. Wouldst thou believe, Otto, the she-fiend spread her nets to catch that youngster, who out of dare-devilry prevailed on an officer of her acquaintance to take him to her house?"
"So!" Bismarck turned his large eyes on the withered eagle-face. "Did the meeting ripen into intimacy?"
Moltke replied:
"Sufficiently so to cause Valverden's family acute apprehension. One would suppose that she first revolted, then attracted, then charmed.... The Countess in the anguish of maternal solicitude wrote a letter to the Colonel of Valverden's regiment.... Fortunately the call to Active Service diverted the young man's thoughts elsewhere."
Bismarck said, smiling and smoothing his heavy gray mustache with his ungloved right hand: