"And Turenne thought that by sending you, you would be able to assist
him in persuading me to regard it favourably. Well, well, it is
certainly too late to recall him now. He has taken the responsibility
upon himself, and must stand or fall by the result. And now in the
first place are you going to hurry back again or are you going to
remain here?"

"My regiment is one of those that he has taken with him, sir, and
as I could not hope to overtake him he has requested me to remain
here until I receive orders from him."

"We shall be gainers so far," the cardinal said cordially, "and I
am sure that from your knowledge of the country and of Turenne's
methods your advice upon military matters will be of great service
to us. I must now go and report to the queen this sudden change
in the situation, and if she disapproves of it I shall tell her
that if she will but listen to you, you will convert her to the
view that this escapade of the marshal's is all for the best, and
seems likely indeed to retrieve the position that has been caused
by the treachery of Bavaria."

During his stay in Paris Hector soon found that intrigue was more
rampant than ever. The Duke of Beaufort and others who had been
implicated in the plot on Mazarin's life had been pardoned and had
returned to Paris, and as the lesson that had been given them had
taught them prudence, they were now openly on good terms with the
court. They were secretly, however, intriguing with the parliament
of Paris, which was now bitterly opposed to Mazarin, had refused
to register some of his decrees, and had even forced him to dismiss
his superintendent of finance, an Italian named Emeri. The latter