Although this was a sad and bitter disappointment to me, yet I could
not help still entertaining a hope that I had made my situation
sufficiently known to Gourville to urge him at least towards farther
inquiries; and with that thought I consoled myself for the rest of the
evening. No one came, however; and, when the next day rose and set
without the appearance of my acquaintance, I began again to give
myself up to despair, the more dark for the ray of light that had
broken in upon me for a time.
The sun rose and set, I have said; and, sitting down upon the straw
which had been given me for my bed, I covered my eyes with my hands,
and could have wept; but the very fountain of tears seemed dried up;
and I could only brood over my situation with a sort of gloomy horror,
which I do believe would have ended in depriving me of my faculties:
but, about an hour after nightfall, the bolts and bars of the dungeon
began to move, and I started up with joy; for the hour was not one at
which the gaoler ever visited the cell: and the slightest change in
the usual current of events seemed to speak of hope. As soon as the
door was opened, a light broke in from the turnkey's lantern, and
his own face was the first thing I beheld; but the moment after,
I perceived another figure behind; and, to my inexpressible
satisfaction, saw, as soon as my eyes were a little more accustomed
to the light, that it was Gourville himself.
He embraced me most kindly; and, ordering the gaoler to leave us, in a
tone of authority which was instantly obeyed, he surveyed me from head
to foot by the light of the lantern, which the man had set down on the
floor of the dungeon ere he departed. My imprisonment and all its
consequences had not improved my appearance particularly; and I saw a
slight smile pass over Gourville's countenance as he made his
examination, and contrasted, I dare say, in his mind, the object that
now met his eyes with the gay lad who had visited him in Paris several
years before. He suppressed all signs of merriment, however, for fear
of giving me pain; and then made me recount all the adventures which
had brought me into that situation. In my narrative, I certainly did
not spare Gaspard de Belleville: but Gourville shook his head, saying,
that my enemy enjoyed a considerable share of favour with the Prince
de Condé.
"Nevertheless," he continued, "beyond all doubt your liberation must
and will take place as soon as it is communicated to the Prince. Sorry
I am that I have not the power of ordering you to be set free at once;
but as I depart for Paris early to-morrow, I will take care that his
Highness shall immediately know the treatment you have received. In
the meanwhile that treatment shall instantly be changed in some
degree, for I have authority enough for that at least, and you shall
have every comfort that ever exists in a prison. A little money, too,
is not a useless thing in any situation. Here, take my purse, my young
friend, you can pay me when we meet again."
I assured him that if I were permitted to write to Monsieur de
Villardin I should soon receive sufficient supplies, and, therefore,
that I needed not to take advantage of his liberal offer, if he could
obtain for me that permission. He replied, that he would take care
that no obstruction should thenceforward be thrown in the way of my
writing to whom I liked; but at the same time he pressed the loan of
his purse upon me, saying, that I might want it before I could receive
any reply to my letters. After some farther conversation, which he,
who well knew what imprisonment is, took care to make as cheerful as
possible, he summoned the gaoler, and after rebuking him sternly for
the treatment he had shown to an officer of the King, he ordered him
to let me have everything which could make me comfortable, consistent
with my safe custody, and especially both to furnish me with materials
for writing, and to give the letters which I did write to the post
with his own hands. By the gaoler's humble tone it was very evident
that he well knew the influence which Gourville possessed with the
Prince de Condé; and as soon as my kind friend had left me, he made
a thousand excuses for his former harshness, telling me that he had
but obeyed the orders of those who brought me thither.
A great change in my situation was the first result of Gourville's
visit: I was removed to a warm and dry chamber, from which I could see
over the whole country round. Good food, books, and writing materials
were allowed me; and my gaoler, now become civil and complacent
enough, purchased for me, with part of the money which Gourville had
lent, various articles of clothing, of which I had long stood in need,
and for which he did not charge me much more than double the value. My
first care was to write to Monsieur de Villardin, and the gaoler
undertook to see the epistle despatched; but certain it is the letter
never reached its destination; and whether it remained for ever within
the walls of the prison at Stenay, or lost itself when it got out into
the wide world, I cannot tell. It mattered but little, however; for,
eight days after Gourville had left me, I was visited by one of the
officers of the garrison, who informed me that he had received orders
from the Prince de Condé to conduct me to Paris, and that if I had no
objection, he proposed setting out the next day. I assured him that
nothing on earth would give me greater pleasure; and a little after
day-break I had to thank God for seeing the gates of that accursed
prison thrown open to give me egress. The officer and his party were
waiting me in the street, with one led horse for myself, and another
for my baggage; but as all the clothes I had were those which the
gaoler had purchased for me, they were easily so arranged as to go on
the horse that carried myself, and the other was consequently sent
back. During the last week I had been permitted to walk every day in
the court of the prison, and had, in consequence, regained, in a great
degree, the use of my limbs; but still I was very much fatigued when I
arrived at the end of our first day's journey. The officer who
conducted or guarded me was a very quiet, civil personage, and as we
rode along, he told me that he was ordered to require my parole not to
attempt an escape, and then to give me every sort of liberty.
My parole was, of course, willingly given, and after a slow, and, as
it appeared to me, a tedious march, we arrived in Paris just three
days after the battle of the Faubourg St. Antoine. We had nearly, it
is true, been cut off by a body of royalist cavalry, who passed us in
the neighbourhood of Charonne; but it is probable that, never dreaming
a party attached to the Prince de Condé would show itself on that side
of the town so immediately after his defeat, they took us for some of
their own partisans. At all events, they passed within a hundred yards
of our little troop; and their commander even shouted a good morrow to
the officer at our head, which, on his part, was returned with great
courtesy. Such was the method in which war was carried on in those
days.
On our entrance into Paris we found the whole town in one universal
gabble concerning the battle of St. Antoine. Distiches, sarcasms, and
epigrams were flying in every direction; and the gay tone and witty
repartee of each Parisian, from whom we even inquired our way, would
but little have led a stranger to conclude that within three days an
engagement had taken place at the very gates of the town, in which
4000 or 5000 men had been killed, and some of the noblest and bravest
gentlemen of France had left their bodies on the field. Still less,
indeed, did the gaiety and good humour, which were observable amongst
the people, indicate, in any degree, the fierce and sanguinary
passions which were soon to be called into action; and we rode on
through the streets, amidst a crowd of as merry faces as ever I
remember to have seen.
Although we inquired repeatedly, no one could tell us anything certain
concerning the Prince de Condé. Some said that he was even then in the
town; some said he was with his army, encamped without the walls, just
beyond the Faubourg St. Victor; some said that he had gone to effect
his junction with the Spanish force; and the officer, whose orders
were merely to join him, thought it best to proceed to the Hôtel de
Ville, in order to gain further information. It is not impossible,
indeed, that the vicinity of a famous sutling-house, known to every _bon
vivant_ in the army, at the corner of the _Rue de la Mortellerie_ might
be an inducement to my conductor, and, at all events, certain it is
that he directed his steps to the sutler's in the very first instance.
Here, however, he learned that the Prince was, at that very moment, in
the Hôtel de Ville itself; and, after taking care to refresh his men
and himself with the choicest stores of the sutler's larder, he left
me at the house on the strength of my parole, and proceeded to seek
the Prince for the purpose of obtaining further orders. As I remained
in the high room in which we had dined, and had nothing else to occupy
my attention, I amused myself by gazing out of the window upon the
various groups that were now thronging into the open space before the
Town-house. It was a hot, sultry day in July; and all the crowds of
Parisians, who, like butterflies, come forth whenever the sun shines,
were filling the streets, and all seemed to me pouring on in one
direction. The masses in the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville became every
moment more and more dense, so that it was difficult at length for
those whose business called them to the Town-house, to make their way
thither. A number of petty affrays took place, in consequence of the
endeavours made by several individuals to force their passage through
the crowd; and a spirit of riot began to manifest itself, which it was
not difficult to divine would end in more serious disorders. I
remarked about this time, that almost every one I saw in the crowd had
one or two wheat straws stuck into his hat or cap; the greater part
also appeared armed, and I could not help anticipating very unpleasant
results from the assemblage of such a number of the lower classes at a
moment of general excitement and licence. After a time, however, the
people seemed to become more quiet; and, before long, I saw the Prince
de Condé, with a number of other noblemen and gentlemen, come out of
the Hôtel de Ville, and ride away amidst the acclamations of the
populace.
I now expected the return of the officer every moment, but
nevertheless he did not appear; and, still gazing forth upon the dark
masses of the multitude, fluctuating hither and thither like the waves
of a troubled sea, I soon after beheld a party of gentlemen, preceded
by a royal trumpet, enter the Place de Grève, and endeavour to make
their way through the people. At the head of this little body I at
once recognised Monsieur de Villardin, riding beside a gentleman whom
I did not know, but who, I found afterwards, was the Maréchal de
L'Hôpital. With much difficulty they gained the steps of the
Town-house, amidst the execrations and insults of the people; and
every moment, while waiting the return of a messenger whom they sent
into the building, they were exposed both to danger and offence. At
length, when, as it appeared, the order for giving them admittance was
returned, and they dismounted from their horses and entered the doors,
a general rush of the people took place, apparently for the purpose of
enveloping and massacring the King's officers, though they had come
with a flag of truce. The doors, however, were closed promptly upon
them; but the fury of the populace now passed all hounds: yells, more
like the cries of demons than those of human beings, issued from the
multitude; the signal for strife was given by the discharge of a
musket; and while a number, who had possessed themselves of firelocks,
kept up a scattered fire at the windows of the Hôtel de Ville, I saw a
large body rush away towards the quay, from which they returned in a
few minutes, bearing bundles of the fire wood which was there piled up
for sale. Before any measures could be taken to prevent them, a mass
of these faggots, between six and seven feet in height, was heaped up
against the great door, some lighted embers were procured from a
neighbouring house, and in a moment the whole was in a blase.
It was now evident that the purpose of the multitude was to massacre
all those that were within the Hôtel de Ville; and the cries of "Death
to them all!" "Down with the Mazarines!" "Spare not the traitors!"
"Take none to mercy!" which rose up in deafening shouts as the people
continued firing in at the windows of the Town-house, and piling up
fresh logs of wood upon the fire before the door, convinced me that,
if something could not be done to save him, the life of Monsieur de
Villardin would be lost within ten minutes. The guards, indeed, within
the building, fired a few shots from time to time upon the people, but
their number was too few to offer any serious resistance, and the
efforts that they did make only served to irritate their assailants to
a pitch of frenzy.
There was no time for consideration; the life of Monsieur de Villardin
depended on the turning of a die; and running down the stairs as hard
as I could, I caught up for a badge of partisanship some straws, which
I found under a pile of cheeses in the kitchen, and rushing forward
towards the door of the Hôtel de Ville, I determined to force my way
into it amongst the very first, in order to take advantage of whatever
opportunity might occur to save the life of my friend. As I pushed on,
elbowing my way through the crowd, one of the rioters, who was armed
with a musket, turned fiercely upon me for disturbing his aim; and he
seemed about to strike me with the butt end of his piece, when a shot
from the windows of the building settled our dispute by going through
his head. He fell forward upon me, but, throwing him off, I snatched
the musket out of his hands, as it could be of no farther service to
him, and might be of great service to me; and thus armed, I soon
forced a passage for myself up to the very door of the building. My
eagerness and haste, though inspired by very different motives from
those which actuated the rest of the crowd, caught the attention and
excited the applause of a number of persons in the multitude, and was
afterwards of great service to me in effecting my object. Lucky it was
that all these circumstances combined to facilitate my advance, for
scarcely had I reached the doors, when they gave way, and fell
thundering and blazing into the entrance hall. A number of those
cooped up within rushed forth, and, plunging into the crowd
endeavoured to effect their escape; while I, darting through the midst
of them, sprang up the stairs towards those spots where Monsieur de
Villardin had been generally found upon former occasions.
He was not in the great hall, however, nor in the grand chamber, where
the Parliament usually assembled, but I found him in one of the
_buvettes_ with Monsieur de L'Hôpital, and a young man whom I had
remarked amongst the most vehement of the rioters without, but who had
outstripped me by passing the shortest way, and was now engaged in
rapid conversation with the Maréchal de L'Hôpital. The moment I rushed
in, with my face covered with the smoke and dirt of the fire which had
been kindled at the gate, and the musket in my hand, Monsieur de
Villardin drew his sword, not recognising a friend in the figure
before him; but as soon as I had entered, I closed the door between
the buvettes and the passage leading to the great chamber, and turning
the key, which I put in my pocket, I thus shut out those who, I knew,
could not be far behind me. By this time the Duke had recognised me,
and was exclaiming, "Good God, De Juvigny! I thought you dead, my dear
lad! How came you here?"
"There is no time to tell you," I replied. "Instantly change part of
your clothes with me, and throw away that scarf, or you will be
murdered directly. If you wish to save that gentleman," I added,
turning to the young man who was speaking with the Maréchal de
L'Hôpital, "make him change his dress."
Monsieur de Villardin had at that moment a fillemot-coloured cloak,
lined with light blue, and light blue plumes in his hat; but without
pausing for any ceremonious consent, I tore the cloak from his
shoulders, and threw over him my own, which, having been purchased by
the gaoler at Stenay, and having passed through a long journey in
July, was neither very fine nor very clean. The blue plumes were next
scattered upon the floor; and as there was a procureur's gown hanging
over one of the benches, I tore off the cord to fasten a few of the
straws which I had assumed as the badge of the popular party into the
front of Monsieur de Villardin's hat. The white scarf was then
disposed of; and as we could hear the shouts of the multitude coming
from the side of the grand chamber, we took our way, as fast as
possible to the small door which led from the buvettes into the outer
hall. Here, however, we were met by a dense mass of the populace,
who instantly assailed us with cries and hootings, and one
fierce-looking savage drew back his pike to run it into my chest; but,
calling him boldly an accursed _Mazarine_, I pointed the firelock at his
head, and would certainly have shot, had he made the slightest
movement. But at that moment one of his companions recognised me as
having shown great activity in the crowd below, and, catching my
adversary by the arm, assured him that it was I who had first proposed
to burn the doors. This honourable reputation, though founded on a
falsehood, gained me instant applause, and knowing that the best means
to manage a mob is to employ it on any mischief, I told the rascals
that some Mazarines in the grand chamber had barricaded the doors of
the buvettes, and leading them back to the one I had myself locked, I
set them to work to demolish it, well assured that they would meet a
party of their friends on the other side.
In the meanwhile, Monsieur de Villardin had been pushing his way on
towards the door; and I found him held at bay by half a dozen of the
rioters, who would have cut his throat within another minute; but, as
I approached, I shouted with the full strength of my voice to bring
sledge-hammers, and, taking him by the arm, asked if he had found
any. He replied, smiling in the midst of the imminent danger which
surrounded him, that he could not even seek them, for that the gentry
before me would not let him pass. Strong in my reputation as a leader
of the tumult, I now set to work to curse them with my whole heart,
asking if they were partisans of the Court and friends of Mazarin; and
bidding them, if they were followers of the Fronde and the Princes,
immediately to seek sledge-hammers, to knock down all the doors. This
seemed so laudable an undertaking in their sight, that, shouting, "Des
marteaux! des marteaux! vite! des marteaux!" they rushed away in
search of hammers, while, seizing Monsieur de Villardin by the arm, I
cried, "Come, come; I know a blacksmith's where we shall find plenty."
And thus boldly taking upon ourselves the character of chief rioters,
we made our way down the stairs and out into the _Place_. Our situation,
however, was still more dangerous here than ever; for a number of the
more coolly bloodthirsty had suffered the violent and the excited to
make their way into the building, while they themselves remained
without, in order to watch their victims as they came forth into the
Place de Grève, and then massacre them without mercy. The cry for
hammers, however, had already spread amongst them, and I found it a
sort of watch-word, which, for a time, obtained a passage--though
that passage was through the warm blood and amongst the quivering
bodies of the unhappy men who had lately tenanted the Town-house.
Just as we were passing through the midst of the Place, one fierce and
brutal wretch had got down the unhappy Ferrand de Vavari, one of the
councillors, and was coolly running a knife into his throat,
notwithstanding all his cries and struggles, with the same reckless
indifference with which a butcher kills a sheep. Starting up as we
passed, the assassin shouted out "More Mazarines! More Mazarines! Why
do you let them go?"
The people made a movement round us; and I saw that there was nothing
for it but decision. Halting abruptly in the midst, I cried, with
every appearance of fury and indignation, that either my voice or
features would take on, "He calls me a Mazarine!--me!--a
Mazarine!--when he knows us both for officers of the Prince de
Condé:--me a Mazarine!" and, without farther ceremony--seeing that
the incarnate fiend, who, most probably, recognised M. de Villardin,
was about to retort upon me--I presented my musket, and, at the same
moment, pulled the trigger. He fell directly; and the people,
convinced by the boldness of the action that I was really a follower
of the Princes, who were then omnipotent amongst them, made way,
shouting, "Vivent les Princes! Vive Condé!"
Without giving time for those who had crowded round my fallen opponent
to become interested in his cause, or to hear anything he might have
to say in case he were only wounded, I hurried forward as fast as
possible, directing my course away from the river, towards which M. de
Villardin seemed inclined to proceed. The fact was, however, that at
the window of one of the houses in that part of the Grève I saw the
head of the Duc de Beaufort backed by the faces of several of his
officers; and, as I did not feel at all sure that he might not point
us out for massacre as we passed, I thought it best to get out of his
sight by the nearest road.
When once we were fairly away from the Place and its immediate
vicinity, where the fury of the people was blind and indiscriminate,
the straw in our hats secured us a free passage, though the streets
were everywhere thronged with rioters; but as Monsieur de Villardin
might each moment be recognised by some one who had known him during
his former residence in Paris, I made the best of my way to the house
of an honest shoemaker, who had served the whole household of the
Duke, and served them well. All the shops were by this time shut up,
for fear of pillage; and long were we obliged to knock before the good
man ventured to open his door and let us in: when he did so, however,
he showed us every sort of kindness, and thanked heaven a thousand
times for the escape of the Duke. Bringing us to a neat upper room,
where we could lie concealed from any one who might enter the lower
part of the house, he pointed out to us the means of escaping over the
roofs should it become necessary; but of this neither Monsieur de
Villardin nor myself entertained the least apprehension; and, while
the good shoemaker went down to provide, as far as possible, for our
comfort and security, we began to breathe more freely than we had done
for some time, and to talk over the adventures of the last few hours.
"A second time I have to thank you for life," said Monsieur de
Villardin, after a few exclamations concerning the sort of insanity
that had seized upon the Parisians--"a second time I have to thank you
for life.--Take care," he added, with a faint smile, "take care! for
you are causing me to accumulate debts which I shall never have the
means of paying. But, tell me, how came you here, and where have you
been for the last three months? Several of your men declared they saw
you killed in attempting to repulse the party who set fire to the
château of Virmont. I need hardly tell you that I and Father Ferdinand
have grieved for you, and Laura has wept for you ever since."
"Thank God for that, at least," I replied: "not for your grieving for
me, my lord, but for the safety of Father Ferdinand and Mademoiselle
de Villardin, in regard to both of whom I have been in a cruel state
of anxiety ever since I last saw them." I then proceeded to detail, as
briefly as possible, all the events that had occurred to me during the
last three months; and I could see that Monsieur de Villardin, while
rejoicing in my escape, was moved with no slight indignation both at
the treatment I had received from Gaspard de Belleville, and at the
fact of his former page having been the person to burn his house to
the ground.
"The villain," he said, "did hot even know that my household and my
child were not still within the building; for their escape was owing
solely to the civility of the officer at the village, who sent up to
warn them that he was about to march, and that other parties were
coming up, who might not be so well disposed towards them as himself.
They took advantage of this information in time, and sought refuge in
one of the cottages in the wood; otherwise they might all have been
burned indiscriminately; for the first act that the enemy's soldiers
were seen to commit was that of throwing a number of grenades into the
open windows, by which means the whole house was fired in a few
minutes. If I live three days longer," he added, after detailing these
particulars, "I will represent the whole of that young villain's
conduct to the Prince de Condé: he must not go any longer unpunished,
whatever may have been my reasons for not dealing severely with him
hitherto."
I knew well that Monsieur de Villardin's indignation would be
infinitely increased when he heard all his other obligations to
Gaspard de Belleville; but, as I had no inclination to irritate him
farther at this time, and, as the tidings that I bore from Suzette,
required to be communicated gently, I determined to reserve them for
another moment. "I will request you, my Lord," I replied, "when you
make your complaint against Gaspard de Belleville, to take the same
opportunity of soliciting my liberation at the hands of the Prince de
Condé; for, of course, as I only came out of the sutler's in order, to
rescue you, I must still consider myself a prisoner upon parole."
"Fear not, fear not, De Juvigny," he replied; "you shall soon be
liberated, either as a favour to myself, or upon ransom; and you shall
find, through my whole life, that I never forget, on any occasion, all
the services with which you have contrived to load me in the short
space of five or six years."
We had still enough subjects of conversation undiscussed to give us
plenty of employment for the rest of the evening, especially as our
thoughts were every now and then diverted to other subjects by reports
brought to us by our worthy host of all that was going on in the city.
From him we soon learned that the Maréchal de L'Hôpital, on whose
account Monsieur de Villardin had felt a good deal of anxiety, was in
a place of safety, having effected his escape from the Hôtel de Ville
by the means of the lad Noblet, whom we had seen speaking with him.
About ten o'clock at night we also received the welcome tidings that
the mob had dispersed, and that large parties of the Garde Bourgeoise
were patrolling the streets in every direction; so that we might
consider the sedition at an end. We remained in our concealment,
however, during the whole of that night; but, early the next morning,
finding that tranquillity was perfectly restored, we ventured out, and
after having seen Monsieur de Villardin on his road to the Court, I
turned my steps, as had been agreed upon between us, towards the camp
of the Prince de Condé, in order to give myself up and redeem my
parole.
On inquiring farther, I found that the army of the Princes was really
on the other side of the river; and crossing over by the Cité, I made
my way on foot towards the open grounds of St. Victor, and the little
river of Biévre, between which and the Seine I soon perceived the
forces of the Prince de Condé intrenched in a position which might be
considered perfectly impregnable, at least against any power that the
Court could bring against it. I gave myself up as a prisoner at the
first outpost, but demanded to be conducted to the Prince himself, if
he were then in the camp. The reply, however, was, that he was still
in Paris, and I was consequently led to his Maître de Camp, who proved
to be an officer to whom I was known, he having served with me during
the siege of Bordeaux, and especially in defence of the demi-lune of
the Porte Digeaux. From him I received every sort of kindness and
attention, till the Prince himself returned to the camp, which did not
take place for several hours. As soon as his arrival was known, I was
conducted to his quarters, and was at once admitted to his presence.
Two lacqueys were pulling off his boots and arranging his dress, while
he was giving a number of orders to those around him, and at the same
time signing two or three papers which different officers presented
for his approval.
"Ha! Monsieur de Juvigny," he cried, as soon as his keen eye fell upon
me, "I am glad to see you--I am glad to see you; but stay a minute
till I have despatched all these affairs. I have a good deal to say to
you, for Gourville has told me all about you."
The minute which the Prince desired me to stay, extended itself to
nearly an hour and a half; for no sooner was one application attended
to, than another was made from a different quarter; and as soon as one
visiter left his presence, another entered.
"There! shut the door," he cried at length, as soon as he found that
we were left alone even for a moment; "let any one who comes wait
without till I am ready for them." The servant to whom he spoke
instantly proceeded to put his commands in execution, and turning to
me, the Prince added, in the brief, frank, perhaps abrupt tone, which
he usually employed, "Well, Monsieur de Juvigny, I have not seen you
since you were playing the garcon apothicaire, in the castle of
Vincennes; and although our scheme did not succeed, and you have now,
it seems, turned against me, yet I am not the less grateful for the
extreme risk which you then ran in endeavouring to serve me. I hear
from everybody the highest character of you. I myself have been a
witness of your courage and dexterity. Such a person is now most
needful to me; and what I wished to say to you is, that if you will
consent to attach yourself to me, you shall find me a firm friend and
an unfailing protector. I will advance you in the service, and
whatever post about my person you will name shall be yours, unless it
be already filled by some old and tried friend."
The offer was not only a very tempting one, but it was difficult to
refuse it without the chance of giving offence--at least those who did
not know the Prince de Condé would have thought so. As it was
perfectly impossible for me to comply, however, feeling, as I did,
that he was absolutely in a state of rebellion against his King, and
that I was even then bearing a commission in that monarch's service, I
answered him boldly and straightforwardly, which I had always found to
be the best way with men of his keen and rapid disposition.
"Nothing I should consider a higher honour, nothing I should feel to
be a greater pleasure than that of serving your Highness," I replied,
"if your Highness' service were compatible with that of the King; but
you must remember, my lord, that I have bound myself by oath to the
cause of his Majesty."
"Pshaw!" cried the Prince de Condé. "In these times no one minds such
oaths as that. Why, there is not an officer in my service that does
not come and go between my camp and the King's a dozen times in the
year; and, in truth, I do not always very well know, when I meet a
friend in the field, whether he is my own partisan for the time or
not."
"All I can reply to your Highness," I answered, "is, that had I joined
your forces I should, of course, have remained with them till war were
over; and, such being my feelings, I am afraid that if I can obtain my
freedom either by ransom or exchange, or the kindness of your
Highness, I must still go back to the camp of the King, and undergo
all the defeats which I doubt not you intend to inflict upon us."
"Think of it better--think of it better," replied the Prince: "your
liberty you certainly shall have; and you shall choose whether you
will take it at my hands, as a full acquittal of all I owe you, for
endeavouring to deliver me from Vincennes, or whether--holding still
your claim upon me for that service, to be discharged by something
more important hereafter--you will pay a light ransom to Master
Gaspard de Belleville, who, to say the truth, is somewhat grasping and
avaricious for so young a man."
Of course I could not hesitate in regard to which I should choose,
and, therefore, I replied at once, "I will endeavour to pay whatever
ransom your Highness may think proper to name, and will give an order
for it instantly to Monsieur de Belleville, though he has no just
right to consider me as his prisoner."
"Nay, nay, not so fast, not so fast!" cried the Prince; "you must take
some little time to think of my proposal. De Belleville is not in the
camp just now, but he will be here to-morrow or the next day. In the
meanwhile, seek out Gourville, whom you will find either with the
army, or at the Hotel de Rochefoucault in Paris. Bid him make much of
you, and treat you well on my account, trying all he can to persuade
you to remain with us. Nay, do not shake your head, but go and think
over it better."
As his last words implied an order to quit him, I immediately took my
leave and withdrew, somewhat mortified at not being able to obtain my
freedom as soon as I had expected, but fully determined not to flinch
from my duty in the slightest degree, however long I might
consequently be detained a prisoner.
Almost immediately after quitting the Prince de Condé, my good fortune
threw me in the way of Gourville, to whom I related all that had just
passed. As far as treating me well, he certainly did follow the
injunctions of his Highness, but in regard to persuading me that it
would be better to join the party of the Princes, he most assuredly
did not do as Condé had directed him. He shook his head at the very
thought, saying, "No, no; let those who are attached to the party
remain attached to it, for if no divisions existed amongst ourselves,
we should do very well, and compel the Court to take what measures we
liked: but it would never do for you, who neither know all the
intrigues that are going on, nor the men that are conducting them; and
besides, the party of the Court is, at all events, the most secure;
for, however long the struggle may be protracted, it will be the
successful side in the end, depend upon it."
By the assistance and attention of Gourville, everything that I could
want was supplied to me; and, by means of some of the bankers in
Paris, I obtained money upon an assignment of my rents in Normandy and
Brittany. My first care was to repay Gourville the sum I had received
from him at Stenay, which, of course, he did not affect to decline. My
next step was to ascertain from him the amount which my liberation was
likely to cost me. To my inquiries on this head, he replied, that he
could hardly tell, but, that when he was in prison at Sedan, it had
cost his friends six thousand livres to obtain his enlargement. This
prospect rather frightened me, as such a sum would nearly exhaust my
whole income for the year, but, of course, I was obliged to make up my
mind to it, and there the matter dropped.
The day following I caught a distant glance of Gaspard de Belleville
riding through the streets of Paris, and I consequently begged
Gourville to represent to the Prince my extreme desire to be set at
liberty. But either he thought it worth while to keep me for a day or
two longer, in order to make me join his party, or he was too deeply
engaged in more important affairs to attend to my request. At all
events, I could obtain no answer, and remained that day and the next,
without hearing anything more upon the subject.