“I can assure you,” Malcolm said earnestly,
“that there was no gallantry about it.
It was exceedingly cold, I grant, but that was all.”
“Then why should the king have made you a captain
for it? You can’t get over that.”
“That was a reward for my luck,” Malcolm
laughed. “`Tis better to be lucky than to be
rich, it is said, and I had the good luck to discover
a boat concealed among the bushes just at the time
when a boat was worth its weight in gold.”
For an hour Malcolm sat chatting, and then took his
leave, as he was going on duty, promising to return
the next day, and to spend as much of his time as
possible with them while they remained in the city.
For the next two months the Green Brigade remained
quietly at Maintz, a welcome rest after their arduous
labours. The town was very gay, and every house
was occupied either by troops or by the nobles and
visitors from all parts of Northern Europe. Banquets
and balls were of nightly occurrence; and a stranger
who arrived in the gay city would not have dreamt
that a terrible campaign had just been concluded,
and that another to the full as arduous was about
to commence.
During this interval of rest the damages which the
campaign had effected in the armour and accoutrements
of men and officers were repaired, the deep dents
effected by sword, pike, and bullet were hammered
out, the rust removed, and the stains of blood and
bivouac obliterated; fresh doublets and jerkins were
served out from the ample stores captured from the
enemy, and the army looked as gay and brilliant as
when it first landed in North Germany.
Malcolm spent much of his spare time with the Count
and Countess of Mansfeld, who, irrespective of their
gratitude for the assistance he had rendered them
in time of need, had taken a strong liking to the
young Scotchman.
“You are becoming quite a court gallant, Graheme,”
one of his comrades said at a court ball where Malcolm
had been enjoying himself greatly, having, thanks
to the Countess of Mansfeld, no lack of partners,
while many of the officers were forced to look on
without taking part in the dancing, the number of ladies
being altogether insufficient to furnish partners
to the throng of officers, Swedish, German, and Scottish.
Beyond the scarf and feathers which showed the brigade
to which officers belonged, there was, even when in
arms, but slight attempt at uniformity in their attire,
still less so when off duty. The scene at these
balls was therefore gay in the extreme, the gallants
being all attired in silk, satin, or velvet of brilliant
colours slashed with white or some contrasting hue.
The tailors at Maintz had had a busy time of it, for
in so rapid a campaign much baggage had been necessarily
lost, and many of the officers required an entirely
new outfit before they could take part in the court
festivities.
