"I know that this is your doing," he said gratefully. "I never
expected to get above my present rank, and I am sure that I should
never have done so had it not been for you."

"You thoroughly deserve it, de Thiou, for it was by your support
that I was enabled, when I first joined, to introduce reforms,
and get the officers to take upon themselves more work and
responsibilities, and thus make the regiment what it is. I hope
I shall rejoin before the end of the campaign. This may be the
last, for now that they have begun the peace conference at Munster,
something must surely come of it sooner or later, for all parties
must be thoroughly sick of this long and terrible war, which has
ruined Germany and impoverished France, and from which neither
party, after nigh thirty years of fighting, has gained any material
advantage. At any rate it will be a great satisfaction to me to know
that the regiment is in your hands. I know that during the time
that I have been away this winter things have gone on satisfactorily;
but it is clearly impossible for an officer to keep a regiment
well in hand when, as in your case, your appointment was only a
day or two earlier than that of some of the others. You are likely
to have some stiff marching now, for only one other infantry
regiment besides ours will accompany the cavalry, the rest will
remain here until they get an opportunity of rejoining. Of course
I shall take Paolo and my four mounted troopers back with me to
Paris. I may probably send them on to la Villar, as it is not likely
that I shall need them at court."

On the evening of the fifth day after leaving Mayence Hector arrived
in Paris, and alighted at the cardinal's hotel.