order my chamberlain to hand him a purse of a
hundred pistoles. When you return to Turenne, tell him that I owe him
my best thanks for having sent you to me, and that, thanks to the aid of
his teaching, you have been the means of preventing a great disaster to
our forces."

"I thank you, indeed, monsieur, for your kindness, and for promoting
me so far beyond my merits, but I hope in the future I shall be able to
still further prove my gratitude."

"That is proved already," Gassion said, "for although every man today
has fought like a hero, you were the only one in camp that suspected
that the Spanish might be lying in an ambush, and who not only thought
it, but took means to find out whether it was so."

The next morning Enghien informed Hector that he was elected as one
of the three officers who were to have the honour of carrying his
despatches to Paris, and that he was to start in half an hour. Paolo,
who was in the highest state of delight at the purse that had been
presented to him the evening before, was greatly pleased with the
prospect.

"Heaven be praised, master, that you are not going into another battle!
It was well nigh a miracle that you escaped last time, and such good
luck does not befall a man twice. I have never seen Paris, and greatly
do I long to do so. How they will shout when they hear the news we
bring!"

"It will not be altogether news to them, Paolo. La Moussaie, Enghien's
intimate friend, who acted as his aide-de-camp during the battle, was
sent off ten minutes after the fight ended with a paper, on which the
prince had pencilled that he had utterly defeated the enemy. He will
change horses at every post, and will be in Paris by this evening. We
bear the official despatches, giving a full account of the battle, and
of the total destruction of the Spanish infantry, with no doubt a list
of the nobles and gentlemen who have fallen. Well, I should think now,
Paolo, that when we have seen enough of Paris and we have journeyed down
to Perpignan again, you will leave my service and buy a farm; you can
afford a substantial one now."

"What, master! I leave your service, where gold comes in in showers, and
where one serves a master whom one loves? No, sir, I am not such a fool
as that. I do not say that when the war is over I may not settle down in
a snug home among the mountains of Savoy, but not until then; besides, I
am but eighteen, and a nice hand I should make at managing a farm."

"Well