e charge of the horses we ride. When we go on you will
follow quietly with the horses that you are now leading. It will be
impossible for you to keep up with us."

Then they placed themselves at the head of their escort of dragoons, the
lackeys fell in behind them, and they started at a fast pace.

"Do you know where the first relays are?" one of the officers asked the
sergeant in charge of the escort, after they had ridden three or four
miles.

"The first is at Rethel, monsieur, the second at Rheims, the third at
Chateau-Thierry, the fourth at Meaux."

"Then we will ride on at once. You have your orders?"

"Yes, sir."

Whereupon the three officers quickened their pace. The distance to be
traversed was about a hundred and thirty miles, and as they had five
horses, including those they rode, each stage would average about
twenty-six miles.

"Now, gentlemen," de Penthiere said, "it seems to me that it would be
a pity to founder fifteen good horses in order to gain an hour on this
journey. The queen has already received news of the victory, or at least
she will receive it some time today, therefore the details we bring are
not of particular importance. It is now eight o'clock. If we were to
gallop all the way we might do it in twelve hours. The roads in many
places will be bad, and we must stop for meals at least three times;
with the utmost speed we could hardly be in Paris in less than fifteen
hours. Her majesty will scarce want to read long despatches at that
time, and may take it that we ourselves will need a bath and a change of
garments, and the services of a barber, before we could show ourselves
in court. Had we been bearers of the original despatch, we might have
gone in splashed from head to foot. As it is, it seems to me that if we
present ourselves with our papers at seven in the morning we shall have
done that which is necessary. What do you both say?"

"I agree with you, de Penthiere. It would be a sore pity to injure good
horses by galloping them at the top of their speed, to say nothing of
knocking ourselves up. Had we been sent off from the field of battle I
should have said, spare neither the horses nor ourselves. But indeed it
seems to me that tomorrow morning will be quite early enough for us
to present ourselves and our despatches. To tell you the truth, I have
never ridden a hundred and thirty miles or so at the pace of a courier.
I should say let us go at a reasonable pace, and get into Pari