best, and wanted to be with him, for she was afraid of their glittering muskets, as she remembered how terrible they looked only the day before, when the noise of their guns, and deafening hurrahs had almost frightened her to death; but they were kind to her, and she afterwards loved them very much, for she said the whole of the twenty-first regiment was her father, as they called her their child, and took care of her. [Illustration] The old Guard then took little Mary to live with him, and she learned to sew and play with her doll, which he had bought for her; and delighted in filling his canteen with water, and polishing his epaulettes; she would also sing and dance with him; which pleased him very much, for he loved no body but her; as he was a great many miles from his home, and had marched all the way with the army. [Illustration] At other times, when the old Guard was not with her, she amused herself by rambling through the fields gathering wild flowers, or climbing the mountains to see the army in the valley below. At length the regiment was ordered home, and took little Mary with them. She suffered many hardships in travelling so great a journey, for sometimes she had to walk a long way, or ride on a baggage waggon, which was no better than a cart; and in crossing the Alps, they frequently slept on the cold ground, without any fire or even their suppers; and as the mountains were covered with snow and ice, poor little Mary passed many bitter nights and tedious days; and often thought of the peaceful and happy home she had lost for ever; but the old Guard was kind to her, and often carried her on his back or in his arms a great way: and after many lone weeks, during which time a great number of the poor soldiers died from suffering and toil, they arrived in France. [Illustration] By this time she had grown up to be a fine girl; she always lived with the regiment, and had almost forgotten her papa and mama, and the battle. The old Guard had never tried to find any of her friends, for he thought they were all killed when the village was destroyed; at any rate nobody had ever enquired for her; and they had no hopes of finding out who she was or who her parents were. While the regiment stayed in France they were quartered near a large city, where Mary used to buy fruit and flowers for herself, and many things to please the Old Guard. She was delighted with the town, and wished to live there very much; upon which the regiment agreed to send her to a boarding school, where she soon became acquainted with many little girls who were amiable and kind, and much amused with her stories about the army, particularly the battle and her journey across the Alps. [Illustration]