er face an enemy's battery than so
many beautiful faces."

"That is not bad for a beginner," the lady said with a smile, "but
methinks you will soon get over that fear, for there is nothing very
dangerous in any of us. The Duchesse de Longueville," and she motioned
to the lady next to her, "is as desirous as myself that you should be
presented to her, and that she should hear from your lips somewhat more
of the doings of her brother than she has yet learned."

Hector again bowed deeply. The sister of Enghien was as ambitious for
her brother's sake as he was for his own self, and she was his potent
ally in the troubles of the times.

"Enghien was wounded," she said. "Monsieur la Moussaie left the field
directly the battle was won, and could tell me little about my brother's
injuries."

"He received three wounds, duchess, but happily none of them were
severe, and he was on horseback on the following morning. It seemed
miraculous to us all that he should so escape, for he rode ever ahead of
us in the charges against the Spanish square."

"You were acting as one of his aides-de-camp? I do not remember having
seen your face before."

"No, madame. I have been for the past four years on the staff of the
Viscount de Turenne, and have not left the army during that time. The
general had the goodness, seeing that there was little doing in the
south, to send me to learn what I could from the operations of the
duke against the Spanish. He sent me a letter of recommendation to your
brother, who kindly appointed me to the same position under him that I
had occupied under Turenne."

"Did you find the ladies of Italy very lovely?" Madame de Chevreuse
asked suddenly.

"In truth, madame, I had but small opportunities of judging, seeing
that, unless when sent with some message from the general to the Duchess
of Savoy, I do not think that I exchanged a single word with a woman
during the whole of my stay there."

Madame de Chevreuse, and the Duchesse de Longueville, and all the ladies
sitting round, smiled.

"Then you have very much to learn, Colonel Campbell," Madame de
Chevreuse said. "You will find plenty of ladies in the court here who
will not object to give you lessons."

"I trust, madame," Hector said bluntly, "that there will be little
opportunity for me to take lessons as to the manners of the court, for I
hope that my stay here will be short indeed."

"That is a most ungallant speech," the younger duchess said, lau