"And monsieur thirsts for more; the desperate encounter and the bloody
sword; for high place and Court favor."

"Is it too great an ambition?" Ellerey demanded. "Do we not all from
the bottom rung of the ladder look eagerly toward the top--the student
to the masters of his profession, the apprentice to the seat of his
employer? Why should not a soldier look for high favor at Court?"

"Such favor must be won, Captain Ellerey."

"I am willing to win it."

"Patience. You shall not always find those fastnesses deserted, those
riots quelled when you arrive. This is the waiting time, the preparing
time, and there are difficulties in the way of promotion. Let me ask
you, are you loved in your regiment?"

"Neither loved nor hated."

"And in the city?"

"I have few friends. A Captain of Horse does not command them."

"That is not the reason. It is because you are a foreigner," De
Froilette answered. "You are welcome to fight this country's battles,
welcome to get killed in them, but you must not participate in any
rewards. If Sturatzberg could do without us, how many foreigners would
wake tomorrow in the city, think you?"