And he called me not 'young sir,' but Captain Hugo Gottfried." "How long has he known you ?" said the Chief Councillor of State.

For so by his habit I knew him to be.
"Half an hour, or thereby," answered I.
"God help this kingdom!" cried the old man, tripping off, flirting his hand hopelessly in the air--"if he had known you only ten minutes you would have been either Prime-Minister or Commander-in-Chief of the army." It was in this strange fashion that I entered the army of the Prince of Plassenburg, a service which I shall ever look back upon with gratitude, and count as having brought me all the honors and most of the pleasures of my life.
Half an hour or so afterwards the blowing of trumpets and the thunder of the new leathern cannon announced that the Princess and her train were entering the palace.

The Prince came down to greet them on the threshold in a new and magnificent dress.
"The Prince's officer-in-waiting to attend upon his Highness!" cried a herald in fine raiment of blue and yellow.
I looked about for the man who was to be my superior in my new office--that is, if Prince Karl should prove to have spoken in earnest.
"The Prince's orderly to attend upon him!" again proclaimed the herald, more impatiently.' I saw every eye turn upon me, and I began to feel a gentle heat come over me.

Presently I was blushing furiously.

For I was still in my riding-clothes, and even they had not been changed after the adventure of the Brick-dust Town.