safety of the Rhine provinces than he could do were he to remain there
with his small army until the Imperialists, having chased the Swedes out
of the country and reduced northern Germany, turned their whole forces
against him."

"I see, Monsieur Campbell," the cardinal said, turning the subject,
"that you have been five days coming here from Mayence. It is a very
different rate of speed to that at which you traveled from Rocroi."

"It is so, your eminence; but on that occasion the Duc d'Enghien had
placed relays of his best horses all along the road, so that we were
enabled to travel without making a halt."

"And moreover, my dear colonel," Mazarin said, "Turenne, far from urging
you to haste, was desirous of getting so far before he received my
answer as to render it impossible for me to recall him."

"I cannot think that your eminence would do that. It is a grand
enterprise, and almost without precedent in point both of daring and in
the great advantages to be gained from it."

"And Turenne thought that by sending you, you would be able to assist
him in persuading me to regard it favourably. Well, well, it is
certainly too late to recall him now. He has taken the responsibility
upon himself, and must stand or fall by the result. And now in the
first place are you going to hurry back again or are you going to remain
here?"

"My regiment is one of those that he has taken with him, sir, and as I
could not hope to overtake him he has requested me to remain here until
I receive orders from him."

"We shall be gainers so far," the cardinal said cordially, "and I am
sure that from your knowledge of the country and of Turenne's methods
your advice upon military matters will be of great service to us. I must
now go and report to the queen this sudden change in the situation, and
if she disapproves of it I shall tell her that if she will but listen
to you, you will convert her to the view that this escapade of the
marshal's is all for the best, and seems likely indeed to retrieve the
position that has been caused by the treachery of Bavaria."

During his stay in Paris Hector soon found that intrigue was more
rampant than ever. The Duke of Beaufort and others who had been
implicated in the plot on Mazarin's life had been pardoned and had
returned to Paris, and as the lesson that had been given them had taught
them prudence, they were now openly on good terms with the court. They
were secretly, however, intriguing with