CHAPTER XII: THE POITOU REGIMENT
"Well, MacIntosh," Hector said as he entered the cabaret, "have youmade up your mind? The castle is a strong one, and I mean to make itstronger. The air is good and so is the wine, and I am sure that youwill find the duties pleasant.
"If you go I think it would be as well that you should take a couple ofyour 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 inorder. It will be pleasant for you to have two of your old friends withwhom you can talk over past times."
"I had decided to accept your offer, Hector; but certainly this wouldhave decided me had I not already made up my mind. That was the onedrawback, that I should be among strangers, but with two of my oldfriends I should not feel lonely. There is Sholto Macfarlane, he was inmy troop. He lost a hand from his musket bursting three years ago, andnow makes his living by helping the boatmen unload at the quays. Thenthere is Kenneth Munroe. He was invalided after a bad attack of fever inFlanders, and now teaches the broadsword exercise at a fencing master'splace at St. Denis. They would both jump at the offer if they only gotfree lodgings and keep."
"Then that is settled, MacIntosh. I am heartily glad of it. Now thesooner you get down there the better."
"Well, I can go at once. Sergeant Morrison is taking his discharge atthe end of the week. He is a married man with a helpful little wife. Iwas telling him of the offer that you had made me, and he asked me whatI would take for the cabaret. It is a good business, and having a wifehe could manage it better than I can. I said that if he had a fancy forit I would rather that he took it than another; and he would do betterthan a Frenchman would, for the lads would not care for the place unlessit was kept by one of the regiment. He asked me what were the profits. Itold 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 firstthought of marrying, and I have laid by half my pay for the last eightyears; but that would not go far towards the purchase of the place, foryour profits in a year are as much as my savings of eight years.' So Isaid to him, 'Well, we will get the place valued. You will want half themoney that you have saved to stock it well, the other half you shall payme down; and I will give you five years to pay the rest, you paying me atenth part every half year.'
"Well, sir, we struck a bargain on that. The place has been valued, andon Saturday evening Morrison will come straight in and take it over. Heis a popular man in the regiment; and as he is only just leaving it heis known to them all, while there are not above a quarter of the men whoknew me as a comrade in the old days."
They then had a long talk over the sergeant's new duties, and Hectorgave 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 theproportion of labour that each will have to give. As I have told you, hewill 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 thefortifications. You will find the steward a very pleasant and agreeableyoung man. He will take his meals with you. I have chosen a room foryou, and you can have another near it for your two sergeants. You canpay them at the same rate as sergeants of the regiment receive, andI need hardly say that the position will be a good deal better. Ascommander of the garrison and castellan of the castle you will be calledCaptain MacIntosh, and as such you will be named in my letter appointingyou to the post, and I propose that you shall receive the pay ofcaptain."
"The pay is immaterial, lad, I have been nigh twelve years here, andhave laid by enough to keep me comfortably all my life, and as, so faras I can see, there will be nothing to spend down there, I don't knowwhat I should do with pay."
"That is nonsense, MacIntosh. You must draw the pay, and spend it asyou like, or save it. You must remember that I may be killed in the nextbattle I go into, and as I have no heirs the king will give the fiefto someone else. The newcomer might like myself have some friend who hemight appoint castellan."
"It would make no difference," the other said. "In addition to what Ihave saved I shall have the price of the cabaret."
"That is not to the point, MacIntosh. The steward has instructions tohand you your money monthly, while the garrison will be paid weekly. Ifyou 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 noontoday to St. Denis, where my regiment is quartered, but will ride in onSaturday. You must buy three horses for yourself and your sergeants; getgood serviceable animals.. I have told the steward to repay you theircost when you arrive there; he has monies of mine in hand for allpurposes."
Hector then went round and had a chat with Colonel Maclvor, and returnedto the auberge, where the troopers and Paolo had the horses alreadysaddled. He mounted and rode with them to St. Denis, putting up at anhotel. He found where the regiment of Poitou were stationed and at onceproceeded there on foot. Two or three officers were chatting together inthe barrack square, while some sergeants were drilling the companies.
He at once went up to them. "Gentlemen," he said, "I must introducemyself to you. I am Colonel Campbell; I have the honour to command theregiment. I shall be glad if you will order the officer's call to besounded and send orderlies off at once to the lodgings of the officersand ask them to assemble. To whom have I the pleasure of speaking?"
The senior officer introduced himself and the others. Report had toldthem that their new colonel was still a young man, and that he hadserved with distinction under both Turenne and Enghien, but they werenot 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 hisway to the rank by long service and long fighting, the other a youngnobleman who had gained the post solely by family influence, butpossessed no knowledge whatever of military matters, and who was neverwith the regiment except when it went upon a campaign, and even thengenerally preferred the pleasures of Paris to the hardships of war. HadHector been appointed to what was called the second no surprise wouldhave been felt at his youth, but that anyone should have gained theposition of first colonel at his age by sheer merit was astonishingindeed to them. In twenty minutes the officers were all assembled andintroduced by the senior captain to Hector.
"We will not begin business now," the latter said. "My leave of absencedoes not terminate until tomorrow morning, and I think that it is muchmore pleasant to talk over matters comfortably round a table than it isto do so in a set manner. Therefore, gentlemen, if you will all sup withme this evening at the Fleur de Lis, after we have finished our mealwe will talk over our wine. My opinion is that officers of a regimentshould be good comrades. The regiment benefits by it, and everythinggoes on more smoothly and comfortably. This is specially so in anewly raised regiment, where the officers either are altogether new tomilitary matters, or join from other regiments, and have no previousknowledge of each other. In the same way the men are all new to eachother, and to their officers. Unless there is perfect harmony among theofficers, there cannot be perfect harmony in the regiment.
"If one officer looks after the comfort of his company, and treats themas he should do, while another company is neglected and left solelyto the care of the sergeants, there will necessarily be envy and illfeeling. 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 wasmy instructor in the art of war, and who followed out the better systemfrom the time that he was a boy of fourteen until now. The result isthat his regiment is the finest in the service. It will be my aim andambition to raise the Poitou regiment as nearly as possible to the samecondition, and I shall rely upon your assistance and cooperation tobring this about.
"Supper will be served at six. I have only just returned from thecountry, and have heard no news.
I suppose that no intimation has beenreceived 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 getinto shape. There is but little time for drill and discipline when weare 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 theregiment as colonel," one of the captains said. "I cannot imagine howsuch a thing can have come about, for certainly he can have no familyinfluence. A newly raised regiment like ours wants a bright man, onethat all can look up to and respect."
"I fancy that you will find that this young gentleman will berespected," de Thiou said. "He is young and pleasant looking, andwhatever he is I should say that he is levelheaded, and that he hasan infinite fund of firmness and resolution. I should certainly advisenobody to take advantage of his youth. I have seen more service thanany of you, and had my family possessed any influence at court, I shouldhave been a colonel by this time. Unless I am greatly mistaken we shallfind that we have a man, a good man, and a strong one. Do you thinkthat he could have won his way to a regiment at the age of twenty unlessthere had been something quite unusual? I was talking the other day withone of Gassion's staff, who has come back until the wound that he gotat Rocroi is healed. He told me that Gassion--and France has no bettersoldier--said publicly after the battle that the victory was largely dueto this young friend of ours, and that had it not been for him thingsmight have gone altogether differently; and he said that Enghien, proudand ambitious as he is, frankly admitted the same thing. Of course Ican only go upon what I have seen of him, but from what he said, andthe manner in which he said it, I am convinced that we could not get abetter chief than this young colonel. I believe that he will make it acomfortable regiment to be in, but I also believe that those who opposehim will find that they make a grievous mistake."
The next day Hector took up in earnest the work of organizing theregiment. In the first place he insisted that the officers should learntheir drill; then, that instead of handing over the practical command oftheir companies to their sergeants, they should themselves command themon the drill ground, look after the discipline and comfort of the men inbarracks, and become personally acquainted with the character of everyman under their command. Many of the sergeants were inefficient; thesewere speedily deprived of their rank, and men of good conduct andzeal appointed to their places. The regard of the men was won by hisinsisting that the contractors for their food should send in meat andbread and wine of the quality that they had guaranteed to supply.
Three officers were told off every day to examine the quality of allfood sent in; any reported as being bad was examined by Hector, and ifthe complaint was well founded, was at once condemned. Great attentionwas paid to the cooking, to the cleanliness of the barrack rooms, andto many other details that had until then been entirely neglected. Therewere at first some grumblers, not only among the men, but among theofficers as well; but the extraordinary and rapid improvement in theefficiency of the regiment, its appearance and condition, was such thatthese were not long in recognizing that although the work was hard, nounnecessary labour was imposed upon them, while, as their knowledge ofdrill increased the work became easier and less irksome. All recognizedthat by far the hardest worker in the regiment was the colonel himself.Every morning for the first month he himself drilled the officers in acourtyard that was not overlooked, and when they all knew their work,sent them to take charge of their companies. Until he considered theofficers competent, he drilled the companies by turn, and when drill wasover, 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. Thefirst offence he always condoned, giving the offender a lecture onthe folly of his conduct and of the discredit that it brought upon theregiment. For the second offence a man was confined to barracks, andforced to wear his coat inside out even at drill. The ridicule that themen had to suffer was worse than any punishment inflicted upon them, andno case occurred of a third offence. By turns the three officers of eachcompany dined with him, and, chatting with them as a friend, he not onlygained their liking but made himself acquainted with their individualcharacters. Turenne came to Paris a short time after Hector assumed thecommand of his regiment, and as soon as he heard of his arrival, thelatter 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 tosay that the discovery of the Spaniards' ambush was the result of myteaching, and indeed I feel somewhat proud of my pupil. I am going tothe 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 dukehas been a heavy blow to us, and it is thought that unless I go downthere--I say it because I have served there and am known by the Weimartroops--that force will break up altogether. From what I hear, I hardlythink there is much chance of having any French regiments with me, andthose now being raised are likely to be sent to fight under Enghien inFlanders. My position is, as you know, a painful one, owing to Bouillonhaving gone to Italy to take the command of the Pope's troops. I believethat is the reason why Mazarin has withdrawn me from the command of ourarmy 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 itis my opinion that Bouillon has been very hardly treated by the breakingof the engagements that were given him when he surrendered Sedan toFrance."
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 youhad taken the command of your regiment, and would do yourself the honourof presenting yourself as soon as you had put matters in trim. Are yousatisfied with your men and your officers?"
"With both, your eminence, and trust that in two or three months' timeyou 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 takingsteps to add to its strength; and I believe when it is finished that itwill be almost impregnable save by an army, and that well commanded."
"Then you think," the cardinal said with a smile, but with a certain airof 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 itshould, my castle is at your disposal, and I will guarantee that it willresist 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 thinksonly of himself and of increasing his domains. What France may suffermatters nothing to them so that they are enriched. Were one of themcapable of ruling France I would gladly retire; but who is there?Orleans, vain, empty headed, treacherous to his friends, a man whoseword is not to be relied upon. Conde, who thinks only of enrichinghimself and adding to his possessions. Beaufort, a roistering trooper.None of these men could maintain his position for a moment. The wholecountry seethes with discontent at the heavy taxation necessitated bythe war; Paris, as is always the case when there is trouble in theair, is restless and turbulent. I have good friends, but they areinsufficient to sustain me against the intrigues of my enemies. Thequeen alone upholds me. Truly, the burden is too great for one man tobear.
"You will wonder why I am speaking thus to you, Colonel Campbell, but itis of the greatest necessity that her majesty should know upon whomshe can rely absolutely in case of trouble. You, sir, being altogetherunconnected with any of the great families of France, stand in adifferent position from that of the great majori
ty of officers of yourrank. Look where I will, I see our regiments officered by men connectedby birth and family with one or other of the men who are at presentintriguing 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 beable to escape. Now, sir, I ask you to tell me frankly whether, underall contingencies, the queen can rely upon your services? I give you myword 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 carryout such an order. You are a protege of Monsieur de Turenne. Monsieur deTurenne is brother of the Duc de Bouillon, and, as I know, you yourselfwere staying for some months in the castle of Sedan, where you went tobe cured of your wounds. Now, monsieur, frankly, were you ordered toarrest the Duc de Bouillon, would you carry it out without fear orfavour?"
"Certainly I would, your excellency; and should you give such an orderto Marshal Turenne he would do so himself. He is a soldier of thequeen before all things, and has taught me that my duty is towardsthe sovereign who represents France, regardless of all otherconsiderations."
The cardinal while speaking had watched the young soldier's facescrutinizingly. Faithful as Turenne had always been to the crown, evenwhen his brother was in arms against it, Mazarin had still in his heartsome doubts as to his fidelity under all circumstances. He could not butbe conscious that faith had been absolutely broken with Bouillon, and,accustomed to tortuous ways, he could scarce imagine that Turenne wouldhold himself altogether above family interest. He saw by the mannermore than the words of Hector that he was speaking from a profoundconviction. In asking him the question, he had been thinking more ofTurenne's loyalty than of the young colonel's. Having been four years inthe closest connection with the marshal, he could not but know his realsentiments, and he felt sure that had Turenne expressed any anger at thetreatment his brother had received, he would have seen it in the youngman's face. The answer was a reassuring one.
"Thank you, monsieur le baron; the musketeers and the Swiss guards weknow we can absolutely rely upon, and I shall be glad to be able toinform the queen that she can place implicit faith in your regiment.I need not impress upon you the necessity for our conversation beingregarded by you as absolutely confidential."
Hector, thinking the matter over, had no great difficulty in the end inarriving at the truth, namely, that his own loyalty was a very secondaryobject of interest to the minister, and that his real motive in thusapparently opening his mind to him had been, not to gather his ownsentiments, but to endeavour to ascertain those of Turenne. From thetalk among his officers he had already learned that the general opinionwas, that although the queen had always entertained a most favourableopinion of Turenne, and had herself nominated him as marshal andcommander of the forces on the Rhine, Mazarin had assented to thearrangement because he feared that the army of Italy would probablyfollow its commander should the latter take up the quarrel of hisbrother, while, on the Rhine with but a few regiments, to all of whomhe 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 takepart with his regiment in a review which the queen intended to holdat Versailles two days later. At this review the musketeers, the Swissguards, the Scottish regiment, and two regiments of the line besides hisown, the queen, the young king, Mazarin, and most of the members of thecourt were present. The Poitou regiment acquitted itself admirably,and its marching, and the steadiness with which it went through itsmanoeuvres, were in such strong contrast to that of the other twoinfantry regiments, which had both been formed for some years, as toexcite the surprise and admiration of the spectators. After it was overa mounted officer rode up to Hector and told him that the queen wishedto speak to him. Riding up, he dismounted, and advanced to the queen'spavilion.
"Monsieur Campbell," the queen said graciously, "I wish to express toyou how well satisfied we are with the efficiency of your regiment, andthe admirable way in which it has gone through its manoeuvres. Neverhave I seen these better performed; and this is the more surprisingas it has been but four months raised, and but three months under yourpersonal command. The cardinal has informed me that he learns that thisis due entirely to your personal exertions, and the care that you havebestowed upon it. I wish that all my officers showed the same zealand diligence. In order to mark my gratification at the conduct ofthe regiment, I have requested monsieur le cardinal to order thattwo companies of your regiment shall be quartered at the barracks nowoccupied by the Scottish regiment, which is to march east tomorrow."
Hector bowed deeply; and, immensely gratified at the praise that hisregiment had received, returned to his place at its head, and marchedback to St. Denis. On their arrival there he informed his men of thegracious words the queen had been pleased to say about the regiment, andthe great honour bestowed upon them by the quartering of two companiesin Paris. The men broke into loud cheering as he concluded.
Hector then called the officers together. "Gentlemen," he said, "Ihave to thank you for the admirable way in which you have seconded myefforts, and by the aid of which the regiment has just gained the highcommendation of Her Majesty, within so very short a time after it hasbeen raised. I have been thinking the matter over as I rode back, and Ihave decided that where all did so well, it would be invidious to giveto any the sole honour of being thus quartered near the Louvre andfurnishing guards, and to yourselves the pleasure of being in Paris.Therefore, gentlemen, I shall send, in the first place, the first andtenth companies. At the end of two weeks the ninth company will take theplace of the tenth; a fortnight later, the second will take the place ofthe first, and so in order, so that each company will in turn have itsshare in this honourable service."
There was a general murmur of satisfaction. The next morning a formalorder was received that two companies of the Poitou regiment shouldmarch into Paris, and occupy a portion of the barracks which the Scotchregiment had just vacated.
Hector called up the two companies he had selected.
"Now, men," he said, "you see the advantage that you have gained bydiscipline and good conduct. I have no doubt that before granting us thehonour of forming a part of the garrison of Paris, the minister has madeinquiries respecting the conduct of the regiment here, and has doubtlessheard that it has been eminently satisfactory, and that the authoritiesand inhabitants have no complaint, of drunkenness or misconduct, againstus. Of misconduct there have been no cases, of drunkenness very few,and, indeed, for the past month there has not been a single case amongyou. I trust that you will remember that while in Paris the credit ofthe regiment is in your hands, and that no single case of drunkenness orbrawling in the streets will take place. I feel confident that thiswill be so, and I need hardly say that should there be an exception, thepunishment will be vastly more severe than any that has previously beenawarded, and I am sure that any offender will find, in the contemptwith which he will be regarded by his comrades, a still more severepunishment than any that I can inflict."
That evening Captain de Thiou and the other officers of the twocompanies that were to march into Paris the next day dined with Hector;and after dinner de Thiou rose and said: "Colonel, I have been requestedto express to you, on behalf of the whole of the officers of theregiment, our deep gratitude for the honours that our regiment hasobtained. These you were good enough yesterday to ascribe partly to us;but we feel that they are wholly due to yourself. Although some of uswere at first a little inclined to think that the changes made by youin our work were unnecessary, all now recognize fully how great has beenthe benefit, not only to the regiment, but to ourselves. Duties whichwere at first considered irksome are now regarded as pleasant. We feelthat, as you said would be the case, we have acquired the respect ofthe men, and that it is upon us that they rely, and not upon theirsergeants.
"Our own time passes more pleasantly from being fully
occupied, and fromconsciousness that we are doing our duty. As to the regiment in general,the benefit has been enormous. The men seem pleased with the interestshown in them, as much as with the comfort that they now enjoy, and theyin turn endeavour to satisfy us, both by their attention to drill, bytheir bearing and manner, and by their avoidance of giving any cause forcomplaint. All this, monsieur, has been your work, and I am sure that weare 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 reformswhich have been introduced by you. We all trust that the day may not befar distant when we shall be able to prove on the field of battle thesame efficiency that has won us credit upon the parade ground."
"I thank you heartily, Captain de Thiou, for what you have been goodenough to say on your own behalf and that of the officers of theregiment. I can only say that I have endeavoured to act up to theteaching of Monsieur de Turenne, and I felt sure that although mymethods might at first seem irksome to some of you, their value wouldgradually become appreciated. I am scarcely less pleased at the decreasein drunkenness, and at the general improvement in the men, than by theincrease 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 presencewill be more necessary with the regiment than with only two companies.You as senior officer will be responsible for the general order of thedetachment."
Hector rode in the next day with his men, and after seeing themcomfortably lodged in barracks, returned to St. Denis. A week laterreports reached St. Denis of a strange scene at the court. The haughtyand insolent Duchess of Monthazon, who belonged to the party of theImportants, had the impertinence to insult the queen grossly in thegardens of the Tuileries. She had at once been disgraced and orderedto retire to Rochfield, and the Duke of Beaufort and his friends werefurious at this exercise of Mazarin's authority. The next day Hectorreceived a message asking him to call at the Hotel de Cleves, thecardinal's residence. On his presenting himself, he was at once showninto 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 hehas publicly uttered against myself I am convinced that Beaufort willhesitate at nothing to bring about my ruin. I hear that you are stillwith your regiment at St. Denis. I shall be glad if for a time you willtake up your abode at Paris, and will hold yourself in readiness to beof service to me if there should be occasion. Beaufort is capable ofeven attempting my life; he is very unscrupulous, and will hesitate atnothing. I shall be glad if you will take up your lodging within a shortdistance of this, so that I can communicate with you instantly."
"Certainly, your excellency; I will keep half a company always underarms, so that at the shortest notice they will be in readiness to actas you may direct. But surely, your excellency, you have the queen'smusketeers close at hand?"
"The queen's musketeers are a body of gallant soldiers, but theywill take their orders only from the queen. They were stronglyanti-cardinalist in the late reign, and I do not suppose that they arebetter affected towards myself than they were towards Richelieu. If theyheard that my hotel was attacked they would not move a foot until theyreceived 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 thecardinal's residence. He thought it better to put up there than to takelodgings, 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 haddismounted and his orderlies had come up to his room, "and one of youby turns will always remain here armed and ready to mount without aninstant's delay. The others will put aside their scarves; and one ofyou will always be at the cabaret nearest to the Hotel de Vendome, theresidence 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. Yourobject is to find out from the conversation of the duke's guards andservants whether they have any idea that anything unusual is going totake place. I have reason to believe that there is a plot against thecardinal, 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 anythingthat is afloat than upon the soldiers. It is not likely that any plansBeaufort may form will be communicated to his people until the momentfor action, and indeed it is probable that he will rely solely upon hispersonal friends. Now I want you to disguise yourself in any way you maythink best, and watch Beaufort's hotel; see who comes in and out, and ifa messenger goes out follow him, see the houses he calls at, and markif those who dwell there repair at once to the Hotel de Vendome. If youperceive that this is the case let me know at once. See if you can gethold of half a dozen street gamins, and employ them to watch the housesof all these gentlemen, and especially that of Monsieur Id, captain ofBeaufort's guards, and of the two Messieurs de Campion and the Count deBeaupuis, who are, I know, among the duke's most intimate friends. Thereare scores of these street boys who for a few sous a day would gladlyundertake the work."
"I will do that, master. You can take my word that by tomorrow at noonthe lodging of these four gentlemen will be strictly watched. This is abusiness after my own heart."
"In the first place, Paolo, take a note from me to the Hotel de Clevesand wait for an answer."
The note was a short one. It merely gave the name of the auberge atwhich he had taken up his quarters, and added:
If your eminence will be good enough to send me every morning a list ofany visits that you may intend to pay, or any journey that you may makeduring the day, it would enable me to regulate my movements accordinglyin order to be always here and ready to carry out any orders that youmay 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 hearfrom 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 shouldtry 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 themeveryone who goes in or comes out from the hotel will be followed, andthey 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 timelet me know what he is doing."
Several days passed. The four gentlemen specially named, togetherwith several others, were frequently at the hotel. There was in this,however, nothing suspicious, as Hector easily learned that they wereall 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 twosor threes at various cabarets near the Duke of Beaufort's, and spentthe greater portion of their time there. Hector at once procured dressessuitable for gentlemen of the middle class for the troopers, and gavethem instructions to spend the greater portion of their time at thecabarets at which these gentlemen stopped. Their reports were that theytalked of indifferent subjects, but that they were evidently waiting forsomeone, as they invariably turned a glance at the door whenever a freshcomer entered.
The next day Hector received a note from the cardinal:
I am just starting with the Duke of Orleans for Maisons, where I shalldine with him.
Two hours later the three troopers who had be
en out returned almost atthe same minute with the news that the persons they were watching hadall got up suddenly and gone out after a messenger wearing the Beaufortcognizance had come in and spoken to them. And a few minutes later Paoloarrived and said that the Duke of Beaufort had gone with the Count ofBeaupuis to the convent of the Capuchins, and that several horses hadbeen taken there.
Hector thought the matter over. "Certainly," he said to himself, "as thecardinal's note is dated at nine o'clock, he is now some distance on hisway. As soon as the duke received notice of his having gone, he notifiedhis friends. It can only be on his way home that they will venture toattack him; but even if they have that intention they will scarcely doso if the Duke of Orleans returns with him, unless, indeed, the duke ishimself in the plot, and as none of Paolo's scouts have brought newsof any communications between Beaufort and Orleans, it is hardly likelythat it is so.
"Paolo, do you go down and watch the convent of the Capuchins. If theDuke of Beaufort remains there with his friend--and he may doubtless bejoined by others--let me know if he rides away. If he does so the attackmay take place anywhere along the road; if he remains, he will doubtlessattack the cardinal as his carriage passes. Should there be more thanone entrance to the convent, put boys to watch them, and bring you newsshould the party sally out. I shall be at the barracks. It is there thatyou must bring or send me word."
The troopers were ordered to put on their military clothes and saddletheir horses, and a quarter of an hour later Hector rode to thebarracks, followed by them.
"De Thiou," he said, "I want you and the other five officers to haveyour horses ready at a moment's notice. I have some sort of idea thatthere is a plot on foot against the cardinal, and I want to take a handin the matter. I fancy that with you and my five troopers we shall bestrong enough to disconcert the plotters."
Two hours later he received a message from Paolo, saying that the Dukeof Beaufort and three other gentlemen were still at the convent, butthat most of the others had gone to the residence of Henri de Campion inthe Rue St. Honore.
"They mean to attack him just at the end of the journey," Hector saidto himself, "and close to the Hotel de Vendome. Now it only dependsupon whether the Duke of Orleans stays at Maisons or returns with thecardinal."
He ordered the officers and troopers to mount, and with them took hispost on the road by which the cardinal would return. In half an hourthey saw his carriage approaching. They then moved forward. As thecarriage passed them Hector saluted, and saw to his satisfaction thatthe Duke of Orleans was with the cardinal. After the carriage had gonefifty yards Hector turned, and with his party followed the carriage atthat distance. When within a quarter of a mile of the Rue St. Honore ahorseman came along. He met the carriage, and immediately it passed himturned and galloped back along the road. Hector felt no doubt that hewas placed there to warn the conspirators to be in readiness if theDuke of Orleans was not in the carriage, and that there would now be noattempt. However, he closed up to within thirty yards. As they enteredthe Rue St. Honore all was quiet there, and nothing happened until thecardinal alighted at the Hotel de Cleves. As he did so he looked round,and beckoned to Hector to follow him.