Lyons, four days before I arrived here? I will
tell you the story."

CHAPTER THIRD. EDUCATION AND ADVENTURES OF THE CHEVALIER GRAMMONT BEFORE
HIS COMING TO THE SIEGE OF TRINO

"This," said Matta, "smells strongly of romance, except that it should
have been your squire's part to tell your adventures."

"True," said the Chevalier; "however, I may acquaint you with my first
exploits without offending my modesty; besides, my squire's style
borders too much upon the burlesque for an heroic narrative.

"You must know, then, that upon my arrival at Lyons--"

"Is it thus you begin?" said Matta. "Pray give us your history a little
further back. The most minute particulars of a life like yours are
worthy of relation; but above all, the manner in which you first
paid your respects to Cardinal Richelieu: I have often laughed at it.
However, you may pass over the unlucky pranks of your infancy, your
genealogy, name and quality of your ancestors, for that is a subject
with which you must be utterly unacquainted."

"Pooh!" said the Chevalier; "you think that all the world is as ignorant
as yourself; you think that I am a stranger to the Mendores and the
Corisandes. So, perhaps I don't know that it was my father's own fault
that he was not the son of Henry IV. The king would by all means have
acknowledged him for his son, but the traitor would never consent to it.
See what the Grammonts would have been now, but for this cross-grained
fellow! They would have had precedence of the Caesars de Vendome. You
may laugh if you like, yet it is as true as the gospel: but let us come
to the point.

"I was sent to the college of Pau, with the intention of being brought
up to the church; but as I had quite different views, I made no manner
of improvement: gaming was so much in my head, that both my tutor and
the master lost their labour in endeavouring to teach me Latin. Old
Brinon, who served me both as valet-de-chambre and governor, in vain
threatened to acquaint my mother. I only studied when I pleased, that is
to say, seldom or never: however, they treated me as is customary with
scholars of my quality; I was raised to all the dignities of the forms,
without having merited them, and left college nearly in the same
state in which I entered it; nevertheless, I was thought to have
more knowledge than was requisite for the abbacy which my brother had
solicited for me. He had just married the niece of a minister, to whom
every one cr