"About two hours, sir. His lordship sits late."
"Then—then—" continued George, with a little diffidence, "I wish you would tell me something about campaigning with the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene, and all about the siege of Bouchain."
Lance's strong, weather-beaten face was suddenly illuminated with a light that George had not seen on it before, and his soldierly figure unconsciously took a more military pose.
"'Tis a long story, sir," he said, "and I was only a youngster and a private soldier; it is thirty-five years gone now."
"That's why I want you to tell it," replied George. "All the books are written by the officers, but never a word have I heard from a man in the ranks. I have read the life of the great Duke of Marlborough, and also of Prince Eugene, but it is a different thing to hear a man tell of the wars who has burned powder in them."
"True, sir. And the Duke of Marlborough was the greatest soldier of our time. We have the Duke of Cumberland now—a brave general, sir, and brother to the King—but, I warrant, had he been at the siege of Bouchain and in the Low Countries, he would have been licked worse than Marshal Villars."
"And Marshal Villars was a very skilful general too," said George, now thoroughly wide awake.
"Certainly, sir, he was. The French are but a mean-looking set of fellows, but how they can fight! And they have the best legs of any soldiers in Europe; and I am not so sure they have not the best heads. I fought 'em for twenty-five years—for I only quitted the service when I came with my Lord Fairfax to this new country—and I ought to know. My time of enlistment was up, the great Duke was dead, and there had been peace for so long that I thought soldiers in Europe had forgot to fight; so when his Lordship offered to bring me, I, who had neither wife nor child, nor father nor mother, nor brother nor sister, was glad to come with him. I had served in his Lordship's regiment, and he knew me, because I had once— But never mind that, sir."
"No," cried George. "Go on."
"Well, sir," said Lance, looking sheepish, "I shouldn't have spoke of it, but the fact is that once when we were transporting powder from the magazine the wagon broke down and a case exploded. It was a miracle that all of us were not killed; three poor fellows were marked for life, and retired on two shillings a day for it. There were plenty of sparks lying around, and I put some of them out, and we saved the rest of the powder. That's all, sir."