exiled to the chateau of Annette. Madame de Chevreuse, de
Hautefort, and a large number of other members of the party were ordered
to leave Paris. Thus the party of the Importants ceased to exist.

The people of Paris seemed greatly pleased at what appeared to them the
end of the troubles, and they exclaimed that Richelieu was not dead, but
that he had simply changed his appearance, and had become twenty
years younger. Mazarin chose a number of soldiers belonging to his own
regiment, and several officers who belonged to Richelieu's own guard.
These were at all times to follow him wherever he went. He selected
a number of noblemen, all of distinguished merit and influence, and
created five of them dukes, and thus secured to himself a party that
would to some extent balance the power of his adversaries.

He also made an effort to bring about a union between the Duke of
Orleans and the Condes, but failed, owing to the enormous demands
that each put forward. Conde demanded the government of Languedoc
for himself, of Burgundy for Enghien, and Normandy for the Duc de
Longueville, and the entire domains of his late brother-in-law, Henry of
Montmorency. Orleans on his part demanded the province of Champagne, the
three bishoprics of Metz, Toul, and Verdun, and the town and castle
of Sedan. As these demands, if granted, would have rendered the two
families all powerful, Mazarin gave up the attempt, and decided that
the best plan to prevent troubles was to let these dangerous families
continue to be hostile to each other.

As soon as he had finished his work of crushing the Importants, Mazarin
sent for Hector.

"Now, Monsieur Campbell," he said, "I have breathing time. The
conspiracy among the nobles is for the time crushed, and now that they
see that the queen is determined to protect me, and that I am not afraid
of using the power committed to me, I hope that it will be some time
before they venture to conspire again. I have further strengthened my
position by granting honours to many distinguished gentlemen who were
well inclined towards me, and on whose support in the future I shall
be able to rely. Now it is time that I should turn to the man who has
probably saved my life, and to whose evidence given before the queen I
in no small degree owe it that she resolved to suppress these insolent
nobles. I have not hurried in this matter, since, by your answer to the
queen, it was evident that you desired no change in your positi