“Well, MacIntosh,” Hector said as he entered the cabaret, “have you
made up your mind? The castle is a strong one, and I mean to make it
stronger. The air is good and so is the wine, and I am sure that you
will find the duties pleasant.
“If you go I think it would be as well that you should take a couple of
your old comrades--you said there were many of them in Paris--with you,
to act as your sergeants, drill the tenants, and see that all goes on in
order. It will be pleasant for you to have two of your old friends with
whom you can talk over past times.”
“I had decided to accept your offer, Hector; but certainly this would
have decided me had I not already made up my mind. That was the one
drawback, that I should be among strangers, but with two of my old
friends I should not feel lonely. There is Sholto Macfarlane, he was in
my troop. He lost a hand from his musket bursting three years ago, and
now makes his living by helping the boatmen unload at the quays. Then
there is Kenneth Munroe. He was invalided after a bad attack of fever in
Flanders, and now teaches the broadsword exercise at a fencing master's
place at St. Denis. They would both jump at the offer if they only got
free lodgings and keep.”
“Then that is settled, MacIntosh. I am heartily glad of it. Now the
sooner you get down there the better.”
“Well, I can go at once. Sergeant Morrison is taking his discharge at
the end of the week. He is a married man with a helpful little wife. I
was telling him of the offer that you had made me, and he asked me what
I would take for the cabaret. It is a good business, and having a wife
he could manage it better than I can. I said that if he had a fancy for
it I would rather that he took it than another; and he would do better
than a Frenchman would, for the lads would not care for the place unless
it was kept by one of the regiment. He asked me what were the profits. I
told him.
“'Then I am afraid that you would want a bigger sum than I could pay,
MacIntosh,' he said. 'I have been a saving man, especially since I first
thought of marrying, and I have laid by half my pay for the last eight
years; but that would not go far towards the purchase of the place, for
your profits in a year are as much as my savings of eight years.' So I
said to him, 'Well, we will get the place valued. You will want half the
money that you have saved to stock it well, the other half you shall pay
me down; and I will give you five years to pay the rest, you paying me a
tenth part every half year.'
“Well, sir, we struck a bargain on that. The place has been valued, and
on Saturday evening Morrison will come straight in and take it over. He
is a popular man in the regiment; and as he is only just leaving it he
is known to them all, while there are not above a quarter of the men who
knew me as a comrade in the old days.”
They then had a long talk over the sergeant's new duties, and Hector
gave him a plan of the new fortifications that he had drawn out,
together with full instructions how they were to be carried out.
“The steward will arrange all about the tenants coming to work, and the
proportion of labour that each will have to give. As I have told you, he
will manage all details of that kind, look after the indoor retainers,
and see to the food. You will have entire control of the garrison,
of the tenants who will come to drill, and of the works on the
fortifications. You will find the steward a very pleasant and agreeable
young man. He will take his meals with you. I have chosen a room for
you, and you can have another near it for your two sergeants. You can
pay them at the same rate as sergeants of the regiment receive, and
I need hardly say that the position will be a good deal better. As
commander of the garrison and castellan of the castle you will be called
Captain MacIntosh, and as such you will be named in my letter appointing
you to the post, and I propose that you shall receive the pay of
captain.”
“The pay is immaterial, lad, I have been nigh twelve years here, and
have laid by enough to keep me comfortably all my life, and as, so far
as I can see, there will be nothing to spend down there, I don't know
what I should do with pay.”
“That is nonsense, MacIntosh. You must draw the pay, and spend it as
you like, or save it. You must remember that I may be killed in the next
battle I go into, and as I have no heirs the king will give the fief
to someone else. The newcomer might like myself have some friend who he
might appoint castellan.”
“It would make no difference,” the other said. “In addition to what I
have saved I shall have the price of the cabaret.”
“That is not to the point, MacIntosh. The steward has instructions to
hand you your money monthly, while the garrison will be paid weekly. If
you choose to throw the money into the fosse, that is your own business,
mine is to see that my castellan is paid. I am going over at noon
today to St. Denis, where my regiment is quartered, but will ride in on
Saturday. You must buy three horses for yourself and your sergeants; get
good serviceable animals.. I have told the steward to repay you their
cost when you arrive there; he has monies of mine in hand for all
purposes.”
Hector then went round and had a chat with Colonel Maclvor, and returned
to the auberge, where the troopers and Paolo had the horses already
saddled. He mounted and rode with them to St. Denis, putting up at an
hotel. He found where the regiment of Poitou were stationed and at once
proceeded there on foot. Two or three officers were chatting together in
the barrack square, while some sergeants were drilling the companies.
He at once went up to them. “Gentlemen,” he said, “I must introduce
myself to you. I am Colonel Campbell; I have the honour to command the
regiment. I shall be glad if you will order the officer's call to be
sounded and send orderlies off at once to the lodgings of the officers
and ask them to assemble. To whom have I the pleasure of speaking?”
The senior officer introduced himself and the others. Report had told
them that their new colonel was still a young man, and that he had
served with distinction under both Turenne and Enghien, but they were
not prepared for so young a commander as this. The French regiments had,
as a rule, two colonels, the one a veteran soldier, who had won his
way to the rank by long service and long fighting, the other a young
nobleman who had gained the post solely by family influence, but
possessed no knowledge whatever of military matters, and who was never
with the regiment except when it went upon a campaign, and even then
generally preferred the pleasures of Paris to the hardships of war. Had
Hector been appointed to what was called the second no surprise would
have been felt at his youth, but that anyone should have gained the
position of first colonel at his age by sheer merit was astonishing
indeed to them. In twenty minutes the officers were all assembled and
introduced by the senior captain to Hector.
“We will not begin business now,” the latter said. “My leave of absence
does not terminate until tomorrow morning, and I think that it is much
more pleasant to talk over matters comfortably round a table than it is
to do so in a set manner. Therefore, gentlemen, if you will all sup with
me this evening at the Fleur de Lis, after we have finished our meal
we will talk over our wine. My opinion is that officers of a regiment
should be good comrades. The regiment benefits by it, and everything
goes on more smoothly and comfortably. This is specially so in a
newly raised regiment, where the officers either are altogether new to
military matters, or join from other regiments, and have no previous
knowledge of each other. In the same way the men are all new to each
other, and to their officers. Unless there is perfect harmony among the
officers, there cannot be perfect harmony in the regiment.
“If one officer looks after the comfort of his company, and treats them
as he should do, while another company is neglected and left solely
to the care of the sergeants, there will necessarily be envy and ill
feeling. The regiment will cease to be a unit. I may say, gentlemen,
that this is the dictum not of myself, but of Marshal Turenne, who was
my instructor in the art of war, and who followed out the better system
from the time that he was a boy of fourteen until now. The result is
that his regiment is the finest in the service. It will be my aim and
ambition to raise the Poitou regiment as nearly as possible to the same
condition, and I shall rely upon your assistance and cooperation to
bring this about.
“Supper will be served at six. I have only just returned from the
country, and have heard no news. I suppose that no intimation has been
received as to what is our destination and whither we shall march?”
“None whatever, colonel,” de Thiou, the senior captain, said.
“All the better. I hope that they will give us a couple of months to get
into shape. There is but little time for drill and discipline when we
are once in the field.”
So saying he saluted the officers and returned to the hotel.
“Who would have thought of seeing a mere lad placed at the head of the
regiment as colonel,” one of the captains said. “I cannot imagine how
such a thing can have come about, for certainly he can have no family
influence. A newly raised regiment like ours wants a bright man, one
that all can look up to and respect.”
“I fancy that you will find that this young gentleman will be
respected,” de Thiou said. “He is young and pleasant looking, and
whatever he is I should say that he is levelheaded, and that he has
an infinite fund of firmness and resolution. I should certainly advise
nobody to take advantage of his youth. I have seen more service than
any of you, and had my family possessed any influence at court, I should
have been a colonel by this time. Unless I am greatly mistaken we shall
find that we have a man, a good man, and a strong one. Do you think
that he could have won his way to a regiment at the age of twenty unless
there had been something quite unusual? I was talking the other day with
one of Gassion's staff, who has come back until the wound that he got
at Rocroi is healed. He told me that Gassion--and France has no better
soldier--said publicly after the battle that the victory was largely due
to this young friend of ours, and that had it not been for him things
might have gone altogether differently; and he said that Enghien, proud
and ambitious as he is, frankly admitted the same thing. Of course I
can only go upon what I have seen of him, but from what he said, and
the manner in which he said it, I am convinced that we could not get a
better chief than this young colonel. I believe that he will make it a
comfortable regiment to be in, but I also believe that those who oppose
him will find that they make a grievous mistake.”
The next day Hector took up in earnest the work of organizing the
regiment. In the first place he insisted that the officers should learn
their drill; then, that instead of handing over the practical command of
their companies to their sergeants, they should themselves command them
on the drill ground, look after the discipline and comfort of the men in
barracks, and become personally acquainted with the character of every
man under their command. Many of the sergeants were inefficient; these
were speedily deprived of their rank, and men of good conduct and
zeal appointed to their places. The regard of the men was won by his
insisting that the contractors for their food should send in meat and
bread and wine of the quality that they had guaranteed to supply.
Three officers were told off every day to examine the quality of all
food sent in; any reported as being bad was examined by Hector, and if
the complaint was well founded, was at once condemned. Great attention
was paid to the cooking, to the cleanliness of the barrack rooms, and
to many other details that had until then been entirely neglected. There
were at first some grumblers, not only among the men, but among the
officers as well; but the extraordinary and rapid improvement in the
efficiency of the regiment, its appearance and condition, was such that
these were not long in recognizing that although the work was hard, no
unnecessary labour was imposed upon them, while, as their knowledge of
drill increased the work became easier and less irksome. All recognized
that by far the hardest worker in the regiment was the colonel himself.
Every morning for the first month he himself drilled the officers in a
courtyard that was not overlooked, and when they all knew their work,
sent them to take charge of their companies. Until he considered the
officers competent, he drilled the companies by turn, and when drill was
over, made a tour of every room in the barracks, visited the kitchen,
and conversed freely with the men, listening to any complaints.
At first the number of men brought up for drunkenness was large. The
first offence he always condoned, giving the offender a lecture on
the folly of his conduct and of the discredit that it brought upon the
regiment. For the second offence a man was confined to barracks, and
forced to wear his coat inside out even at drill. The ridicule that the
men had to suffer was worse than any punishment inflicted upon them, and
no case occurred of a third offence. By turns the three officers of each
company dined with him, and, chatting with them as a friend, he not only
gained their liking but made himself acquainted with their individual
characters. Turenne came to Paris a short time after Hector assumed the
command of his regiment, and as soon as he heard of his arrival, the
latter called upon him.
“I heard from the cardinal of your good fortune,” the viscount said,
“and congratulate you heartily upon it. Mazarin was good enough to
say that the discovery of the Spaniards' ambush was the result of my
teaching, and indeed I feel somewhat proud of my pupil. I am going to
the Rhine, as perhaps you may have heard.”
“I hope to have the honour of serving under you with my regiment, sir.”
“I shall be glad to have you, but I fear there is little chance of it.
I am to take the command of the Weimar troops. The death of the duke
has been a heavy blow to us, and it is thought that unless I go down
there--I say it because I have served there and am known by the Weimar
troops--that force will break up altogether. From what I hear, I hardly
think there is much chance of having any French regiments with me, and
those now being raised are likely to be sent to fight under Enghien in
Flanders. My position is, as you know, a painful one, owing to Bouillon
having gone to Italy to take the command of the Pope's troops. I believe
that is the reason why Mazarin has withdrawn me from the command of our
army in Savoy. However, as a soldier I accept the work he has given me,
not allowing family matters to interfere in any way with it, though it
is my opinion that Bouillon has been very hardly treated by the breaking
of the engagements that were given him when he surrendered Sedan to
France.”
A week later Hector presented himself at the levee of Cardinal Mazarin.
“I was expecting to see you, baron. I received your note saying that you
had taken the command of your regiment, and would do yourself the honour
of presenting yourself as soon as you had put matters in trim. Are you
satisfied with your men and your officers?”
“With both, your eminence, and trust that in two or three months' time
you will do us the honour of inspecting us.”
“And how did you find your barony?”
“I was delighted with it. The castle is a strong one, and I am taking
steps to add to its strength; and I believe when it is finished that it
will be almost impregnable save by an army, and that well commanded.”
“Then you think,” the cardinal said with a smile, but with a certain air
of seriousness, “that you could offer me a safe asylum if I needed one.”
“I trust that such an event may never occur, your eminence, but if it
should, my castle is at your disposal, and I will guarantee that it will
resist for three months, whoever might attack it.”
“One can never say,” the cardinal said mournfully. “Oh, these nobles!
They are, as they have ever been, the curse of France. Each man thinks
only of himself and of increasing his domains. What France may suffer
matters nothing to them so that they are enriched. Were one of them
capable of ruling France I would gladly retire; but who is there?
Orleans, vain, empty headed, treacherous to his friends, a man whose
word is not to be relied upon. Conde, who thinks only of enriching
himself and adding to his possessions. Beaufort, a roistering trooper.
None of these men could maintain his position for a moment. The whole
country seethes with discontent at the heavy taxation necessitated by
the war; Paris, as is always the case when there is trouble in the
air, is restless and turbulent. I have good friends, but they are
insufficient to sustain me against the intrigues of my enemies. The
queen alone upholds me. Truly, the burden is too great for one man to
bear.
“You will wonder why I am speaking thus to you, Colonel Campbell, but it
is of the greatest necessity that her majesty should know upon whom
she can rely absolutely in case of trouble. You, sir, being altogether
unconnected with any of the great families of France, stand in a
different position from that of the great majority of officers of your
rank. Look where I will, I see our regiments officered by men connected
by birth and family with one or other of the men who are at present
intriguing against us, and were they ordered to take steps to arrest,
for example, one of those persons connected with them, they might,
without openly refusing, give such warning to them that they would be
able to escape. Now, sir, I ask you to tell me frankly whether, under
all contingencies, the queen can rely upon your services? I give you my
word that whatever your reply is, it shall in no way count against you.
There are cases in which it would doubtless be painful to you to carry
out such an order. You are a protege of Monsieur de Turenne. Monsieur de
Turenne is brother of the Duc de Bouillon, and, as I know, you yourself
were staying for some months in the castle of Sedan, where you went to
be cured of your wounds. Now, monsieur, frankly, were you ordered to
arrest the Duc de Bouillon, would you carry it out without fear or
favour?”
“Certainly I would, your excellency; and should you give such an order
to Marshal Turenne he would do so himself. He is a soldier of the
queen before all things, and has taught me that my duty is towards
the sovereign who represents France, regardless of all other
considerations.”
The cardinal while speaking had watched the young soldier's face
scrutinizingly. Faithful as Turenne had always been to the crown, even
when his brother was in arms against it, Mazarin had still in his heart
some doubts as to his fidelity under all circumstances. He could not but
be conscious that faith had been absolutely broken with Bouillon, and,
accustomed to tortuous ways, he could scarce imagine that Turenne would
hold himself altogether above family interest. He saw by the manner
more than the words of Hector that he was speaking from a profound
conviction. In asking him the question, he had been thinking more of
Turenne's loyalty than of the young colonel's. Having been four years in
the closest connection with the marshal, he could not but know his real
sentiments, and he felt sure that had Turenne expressed any anger at the
treatment his brother had received, he would have seen it in the young
man's face. The answer was a reassuring one.
“Thank you, monsieur le baron; the musketeers and the Swiss guards we
know we can absolutely rely upon, and I shall be glad to be able to
inform the queen that she can place implicit faith in your regiment.
I need not impress upon you the necessity for our conversation being
regarded by you as absolutely confidential.”
Hector, thinking the matter over, had no great difficulty in the end in
arriving at the truth, namely, that his own loyalty was a very secondary
object of interest to the minister, and that his real motive in thus
apparently opening his mind to him had been, not to gather his own
sentiments, but to endeavour to ascertain those of Turenne. From the
talk among his officers he had already learned that the general opinion
was, that although the queen had always entertained a most favourable
opinion of Turenne, and had herself nominated him as marshal and
commander of the forces on the Rhine, Mazarin had assented to the
arrangement because he feared that the army of Italy would probably
follow its commander should the latter take up the quarrel of his
brother, while, on the Rhine with but a few regiments, to all of whom
he was a stranger, under his command, he would be practically powerless,
whatever his sentiments might be with regard to Bouillon.
In the middle of August Hector received an order from Mazarin to take
part with his regiment in a review which the queen intended to hold
at Versailles two days later. At this review the musketeers, the Swiss
guards, the Scottish regiment, and two regiments of the line besides his
own, the queen, the young king, Mazarin, and most of the members of the
court were present. The Poitou regiment acquitted itself admirably,
and its marching, and the steadiness with which it went through its
manoeuvres, were in such strong contrast to that of the other two
infantry regiments, which had both been formed for some years, as to
excite the surprise and admiration of the spectators. After it was over
a mounted officer rode up to Hector and told him that the queen wished
to speak to him. Riding up, he dismounted, and advanced to the queen's
pavilion.
“Monsieur Campbell,” the queen said graciously, “I wish to express to
you how well satisfied we are with the efficiency of your regiment, and
the admirable way in which it has gone through its manoeuvres. Never
have I seen these better performed; and this is the more surprising
as it has been but four months raised, and but three months under your
personal command. The cardinal has informed me that he learns that this
is due entirely to your personal exertions, and the care that you have
bestowed upon it. I wish that all my officers showed the same zeal
and diligence. In order to mark my gratification at the conduct of
the regiment, I have requested monsieur le cardinal to order that
two companies of your regiment shall be quartered at the barracks now
occupied by the Scottish regiment, which is to march east tomorrow.”
Hector bowed deeply; and, immensely gratified at the praise that his
regiment had received, returned to his place at its head, and marched
back to St. Denis. On their arrival there he informed his men of the
gracious words the queen had been pleased to say about the regiment, and
the great honour bestowed upon them by the quartering of two companies
in Paris. The men broke into loud cheering as he concluded.
Hector then called the officers together. “Gentlemen,” he said, “I
have to thank you for the admirable way in which you have seconded my
efforts, and by the aid of which the regiment has just gained the high
commendation of Her Majesty, within so very short a time after it has
been raised. I have been thinking the matter over as I rode back, and I
have decided that where all did so well, it would be invidious to give
to any the sole honour of being thus quartered near the Louvre and
furnishing guards, and to yourselves the pleasure of being in Paris.
Therefore, gentlemen, I shall send, in the first place, the first and
tenth companies. At the end of two weeks the ninth company will take the
place of the tenth; a fortnight later, the second will take the place of
the first, and so in order, so that each company will in turn have its
share in this honourable service.”
There was a general murmur of satisfaction. The next morning a formal
order was received that two companies of the Poitou regiment should
march into Paris, and occupy a portion of the barracks which the Scotch
regiment had just vacated.
Hector called up the two companies he had selected.
“Now, men,” he said, “you see the advantage that you have gained by
discipline and good conduct. I have no doubt that before granting us the
honour of forming a part of the garrison of Paris, the minister has made
inquiries respecting the conduct of the regiment here, and has doubtless
heard that it has been eminently satisfactory, and that the authorities
and inhabitants have no complaint, of drunkenness or misconduct, against
us. Of misconduct there have been no cases, of drunkenness very few,
and, indeed, for the past month there has not been a single case among
you. I trust that you will remember that while in Paris the credit of
the regiment is in your hands, and that no single case of drunkenness or
brawling in the streets will take place. I feel confident that this
will be so, and I need hardly say that should there be an exception, the
punishment will be vastly more severe than any that has previously been
awarded, and I am sure that any offender will find, in the contempt
with which he will be regarded by his comrades, a still more severe
punishment than any that I can inflict.”
That evening Captain de Thiou and the other officers of the two
companies that were to march into Paris the next day dined with Hector;
and after dinner de Thiou rose and said: “Colonel, I have been requested
to express to you, on behalf of the whole of the officers of the
regiment, our deep gratitude for the honours that our regiment has
obtained. These you were good enough yesterday to ascribe partly to us;
but we feel that they are wholly due to yourself. Although some of us
were at first a little inclined to think that the changes made by you
in our work were unnecessary, all now recognize fully how great has been
the benefit, not only to the regiment, but to ourselves. Duties which
were at first considered irksome are now regarded as pleasant. We feel
that, as you said would be the case, we have acquired the respect of
the men, and that it is upon us that they rely, and not upon their
sergeants.
“Our own time passes more pleasantly from being fully occupied, and from
consciousness that we are doing our duty. As to the regiment in general,
the benefit has been enormous. The men seem pleased with the interest
shown in them, as much as with the comfort that they now enjoy, and they
in turn endeavour to satisfy us, both by their attention to drill, by
their bearing and manner, and by their avoidance of giving any cause for
complaint. All this, monsieur, has been your work, and I am sure that we
are all conscious of the difference of the display we made in the park,
and that which we should have shown had it not been for the reforms
which have been introduced by you. We all trust that the day may not be
far distant when we shall be able to prove on the field of battle the
same efficiency that has won us credit upon the parade ground.”
“I thank you heartily, Captain de Thiou, for what you have been good
enough to say on your own behalf and that of the officers of the
regiment. I can only say that I have endeavoured to act up to the
teaching of Monsieur de Turenne, and I felt sure that although my
methods might at first seem irksome to some of you, their value would
gradually become appreciated. I am scarcely less pleased at the decrease
in drunkenness, and at the general improvement in the men, than by the
increase of discipline and efficiency.”
“Do you mean to come to Paris, colonel?” De Thiou asked presently.
“No; I shall remain here. I shall ride in every day, but my presence
will be more necessary with the regiment than with only two companies.
You as senior officer will be responsible for the general order of the
detachment.”
Hector rode in the next day with his men, and after seeing them
comfortably lodged in barracks, returned to St. Denis. A week later
reports reached St. Denis of a strange scene at the court. The haughty
and insolent Duchess of Monthazon, who belonged to the party of the
Importants, had the impertinence to insult the queen grossly in the
gardens of the Tuileries. She had at once been disgraced and ordered
to retire to Rochfield, and the Duke of Beaufort and his friends were
furious at this exercise of Mazarin's authority. The next day Hector
received a message asking him to call at the Hotel de Cleves, the
cardinal's residence. On his presenting himself, he was at once shown
into Mazarin's private apartments.
“Monsieur de Villar,” Mazarin said, “I am sorely in need of friends.
You have heard of what has happened, and from the threats that he
has publicly uttered against myself I am convinced that Beaufort will
hesitate at nothing to bring about my ruin. I hear that you are still
with your regiment at St. Denis. I shall be glad if for a time you will
take up your abode at Paris, and will hold yourself in readiness to be
of service to me if there should be occasion. Beaufort is capable of
even attempting my life; he is very unscrupulous, and will hesitate at
nothing. I shall be glad if you will take up your lodging within a short
distance of this, so that I can communicate with you instantly.”
“Certainly, your excellency; I will keep half a company always under
arms, so that at the shortest notice they will be in readiness to act
as you may direct. But surely, your excellency, you have the queen's
musketeers close at hand?”
“The queen's musketeers are a body of gallant soldiers, but they
will take their orders only from the queen. They were strongly
anti-cardinalist in the late reign, and I do not suppose that they are
better affected towards myself than they were towards Richelieu. If they
heard that my hotel was attacked they would not move a foot until they
received orders from the queen to do so.”
“At any rate, you shall have no reason to complain of delay on our part,
your excellency, and I can assure you of my devotion.”
Hector at once went to an auberge but a few hundred yards from the
cardinal's residence. He thought it better to put up there than to take
lodgings, as he could then have his four mounted men with him; and,
riding to St. Denis, he returned the same night with them.
“A horse is always to be saddled,” he said to them when they had
dismounted and his orderlies had come up to his room, “and one of you
by turns will always remain here armed and ready to mount without an
instant's delay. The others will put aside their scarves; and one of
you will always be at the cabaret nearest to the Hotel de Vendome, the
residence of the Duke of Beaufort, who is a son of the Duc de Vendome.
At times two of you can be there so as to drink and play cards together,
as the appearance of one sitting too long might attract attention. Your
object is to find out from the conversation of the duke's guards and
servants whether they have any idea that anything unusual is going to
take place. I have reason to believe that there is a plot against the
cardinal, and I am much concerned in defeating it.”
When the four Scotch soldiers had retired, Hector said to Paolo:
“Now, Paolo, I place more reliance upon your finding out anything
that is afloat than upon the soldiers. It is not likely that any plans
Beaufort may form will be communicated to his people until the moment
for action, and indeed it is probable that he will rely solely upon his
personal friends. Now I want you to disguise yourself in any way you may
think best, and watch Beaufort's hotel; see who comes in and out, and if
a messenger goes out follow him, see the houses he calls at, and mark
if those who dwell there repair at once to the Hotel de Vendome. If you
perceive that this is the case let me know at once. See if you can get
hold of half a dozen street gamins, and employ them to watch the houses
of all these gentlemen, and especially that of Monsieur Id, captain of
Beaufort's guards, and of the two Messieurs de Campion and the Count de
Beaupuis, who are, I know, among the duke's most intimate friends. There
are scores of these street boys who for a few sous a day would gladly
undertake the work.”
“I will do that, master. You can take my word that by tomorrow at noon
the lodging of these four gentlemen will be strictly watched. This is a
business after my own heart.”
“In the first place, Paolo, take a note from me to the Hotel de Cleves
and wait for an answer.”
The note was a short one. It merely gave the name of the auberge at
which he had taken up his quarters, and added:
If your eminence will be good enough to send me every morning a list of
any visits that you may intend to pay, or any journey that you may make
during the day, it would enable me to regulate my movements accordingly
in order to be always here and ready to carry out any orders that you
may send me from your hotel.
The cardinal's reply was even more brief:
It is well thought of. I shall go nowhere but to the Louvre tomorrow,
and shall probably be there the greater part of the day. Unless you hear
from me to the contrary, you need only remain in between twelve and one.
The next morning Paolo appeared dressed in ragged clothes.
“What is that bundle of papers that you have got?”
“They are lampoons on the cardinal. Nothing so natural as that I should
try and sell them in front of the Hotel de Vendome.”
“Nothing could be better, Paolo.”
“I have already picked up a dozen gamins, master, sharp little beggars,
who jumped at the idea of being set to watch people. Between them
everyone who goes in or comes out from the hotel will be followed, and
they will, in the first place, find out his name and bring it to me,
after that they will follow him wherever he goes, and from time to time
let me know what he is doing.”
Several days passed. The four gentlemen specially named, together
with several others, were frequently at the hotel. There was in this,
however, nothing suspicious, as Hector easily learned that they were
all vassals or close friends of the house of Vendome. On the third day,
however, he heard that at least a dozen of these gentlemen met in twos
or threes at various cabarets near the Duke of Beaufort's, and spent
the greater portion of their time there. Hector at once procured dresses
suitable for gentlemen of the middle class for the troopers, and gave
them instructions to spend the greater portion of their time at the
cabarets at which these gentlemen stopped. Their reports were that they
talked of indifferent subjects, but that they were evidently waiting for
someone, as they invariably turned a glance at the door whenever a fresh
comer entered.
The next day Hector received a note from the cardinal:
I am just starting with the Duke of Orleans for Maisons, where I shall
dine with him.
Two hours later the three troopers who had been out returned almost at
the same minute with the news that the persons they were watching had
all got up suddenly and gone out after a messenger wearing the Beaufort
cognizance had come in and spoken to them. And a few minutes later Paolo
arrived and said that the Duke of Beaufort had gone with the Count of
Beaupuis to the convent of the Capuchins, and that several horses had
been taken there.
Hector thought the matter over. “Certainly,” he said to himself, “as the
cardinal's note is dated at nine o'clock, he is now some distance on his
way. As soon as the duke received notice of his having gone, he notified
his friends. It can only be on his way home that they will venture to
attack him; but even if they have that intention they will scarcely do
so if the Duke of Orleans returns with him, unless, indeed, the duke is
himself in the plot, and as none of Paolo's scouts have brought news
of any communications between Beaufort and Orleans, it is hardly likely
that it is so.
“Paolo, do you go down and watch the convent of the Capuchins. If the
Duke of Beaufort remains there with his friend--and he may doubtless be
joined by others--let me know if he rides away. If he does so the attack
may take place anywhere along the road; if he remains, he will doubtless
attack the cardinal as his carriage passes. Should there be more than
one entrance to the convent, put boys to watch them, and bring you news
should the party sally out. I shall be at the barracks. It is there that
you must bring or send me word.”
The troopers were ordered to put on their military clothes and saddle
their horses, and a quarter of an hour later Hector rode to the
barracks, followed by them.
“De Thiou,” he said, “I want you and the other five officers to have
your horses ready at a moment's notice. I have some sort of idea that
there is a plot on foot against the cardinal, and I want to take a hand
in the matter. I fancy that with you and my five troopers we shall be
strong enough to disconcert the plotters.”
Two hours later he received a message from Paolo, saying that the Duke
of Beaufort and three other gentlemen were still at the convent, but
that most of the others had gone to the residence of Henri de Campion in
the Rue St. Honore.
“They mean to attack him just at the end of the journey,” Hector said
to himself, “and close to the Hotel de Vendome. Now it only depends
upon whether the Duke of Orleans stays at Maisons or returns with the
cardinal.”
He ordered the officers and troopers to mount, and with them took his
post on the road by which the cardinal would return. In half an hour
they saw his carriage approaching. They then moved forward. As the
carriage passed them Hector saluted, and saw to his satisfaction that
the Duke of Orleans was with the cardinal. After the carriage had gone
fifty yards Hector turned, and with his party followed the carriage at
that distance. When within a quarter of a mile of the Rue St. Honore a
horseman came along. He met the carriage, and immediately it passed him
turned and galloped back along the road. Hector felt no doubt that he
was placed there to warn the conspirators to be in readiness if the
Duke of Orleans was not in the carriage, and that there would now be no
attempt. However, he closed up to within thirty yards. As they entered
the Rue St. Honore all was quiet there, and nothing happened until the
cardinal alighted at the Hotel de Cleves. As he did so he looked round,
and beckoned to Hector to follow him.