s soon
after midnight, which will give us time for some little sleep, and
afterwards to make ourselves presentable. What say you, Colonel
Campbell?"

"I have no opinion, messieurs. I know nothing of the manners of the
court, and if you think that tomorrow morning will be quite soon enough
for us to deliver the despatches I am quite willing to fall in with your
view. It is certainly a long ride, and as we marched hither we found
that the roads were very bad, and certainly where the army has passed
they are so cut up by the artillery and wagons that they are sure to
be quite unfit for going at racing speed. Therefore I think that if we
present ourselves at the palace early in the morning, we shall have done
all that can be expected of us."

It was indeed two o'clock in the morning when they arrived at the gates
of Paris. Accustomed though they all were to horse exercise, the journey
had been a very fatiguing one. Until night fell they had ridden briskly,
talking as they went on the probable state of affairs in France and of
the military operations that were likely to be undertaken as the result
of the victory, but progress became slow after darkness set in. The
roads were in many places detestably bad. In passing through forests it
was not possible to travel much beyond a walk, as it was necessary not
only to avoid overhanging arms of trees, but to keep the track, for the
road in many places was nothing more.

Once or twice they lost it altogether, and it was only when they hit
upon the house of a peasant or a little village, and obtained a guide,
that they were able to recover their road. Consequently all were
thoroughly exhausted when they reached Paris. The gates were opened to
them when it was understood that they bore despatches from the army.
They made their way to the Hotel Conde. It was illuminated, for the
prince had given a great banquet in honour of the victory won by his
son; and although most of the guests had left long before, a party
of the closest friends and connections of the prince were holding an
informal council, when the word came to them that three officers had
arrived with despatches from the Duc d'Enghien. The prince came down.
Hector had dismounted without assistance, but the other two officers had
to be lifted from their saddles.

"Are you bearers of any special news, de Penthiere?" the prince asked;
for the two young nobles were well known to him.

"No, monseigneur, save that our despatch