avalier's departure drew near. A town was to
be named in which he was to reside at a sufficient distance from the
theatre of war to prevent the rebels from depending on him any more;
in this town he was to organise his regiment, and as soon as it was
complete it was to go, under his command, to Spain, and fight for the
king. M. de Villars was still on the same friendly terms with him,
treating him, not like a rebel, but according to his new rank in the
French army. On the 21st June he told him that he was to get ready to
leave the next day, and at the same time he handed him an advance on
their future pay--fifty Louis for himself, thirty for Daniel Billard,
who had been made lieutenant-colonel in the place of Ravanel, ten for
each captain, five for each lieutenant, two for each sergeant, and
one for each private. The number of his followers had then reached one
hundred and fifty, only sixty of whom were armed. M. de Vassiniac, major
in the Fimarcn regiment, accompanied them with fifty dragoons and fifty
of the rank and file from Hainault.

All along the road Cavalier and his men met with a courteous reception;
at Macon they found orders awaiting them to halt. Cavalier at once wrote
to M. de Chamillard to tell him that he had things of importance to
communicate to him, and the minister sent a courier of the Cabinet
called Lavallee to bring Cavalier to Versailles. This message more than
fulfilled all Cavalier's hopes: he knew that he had been greatly talked
about at court, and in spite of his natural modesty the reception he had
met with at Times had given him new ideas, if not of his own merit, at
least of his own importance. Besides, he felt that his services to the
king deserved some recognition.

The way in which Cavalier was received by Chamillard did not disturb
these golden dreams: the minister welcomed the young colonel like a man
whose worth he appreciated, and told him that the great lords and ladies
of the court were not less favourably disposed towards him. The next day
Chamillard announced to Cavalier that the king desired to see him, and
that he was to keep himself prepared for a summons to court. Two days
later, Cavalier received a letter from the minister telling him to be at
the palace at four o'clock in the afternoon, and he would place him on
the grand staircase, up which the king would pass.

Cavalier put on his handsomest clothes, for the first time in his life
perhaps taking trouble with his toilet