at
evening after they had entered Carignano he called de Lisle and Chavigny
into his room.

"Gentlemen," he said, "you will have to choose whether you remain with
me or join one of the cavalry regiments. If you remain with me, you must
bear in mind in future that you are my aides-de-camp, and that your sole
duty here is to carry my orders, and not to fight like troopers in a
battle. It is through hotheadedness of this sort that battles are lost.
A general, without officers to carry his orders, can do nothing towards
controlling the movements of his troops in battle, of following up a
victory or covering a defeat."

The two young officers hung their heads and murmured their excuses.

"Enough, gentlemen," Turenne said. "I am perfectly aware that it was
your ardour that carried you away, but ardour is a bad leader. Over and
over again the ardour of cavalry to pursue the troops they have defeated
has brought about the loss of a battle. Courage is a virtue, and most
soldiers possess it, but steadiness and coolness are rarer and more
useful, and on the part of officers on a general's staff are absolutely
indispensable. I doubt not that you will remember this in future, and
that I shall not have reason to complain of you again."

The next morning it was Hector's turn to be in attendance on the
general.

"You behaved as I expected you would do," Turenne said, when he entered
his room on hearing the bell sound. "You fought close to me as long as
there was fighting to be done, and I observed that you used your sword
well. The moment I drew rein you did the same, and took up your post
behind me, showing that although this was your first battle you retained
your coolness. I will therefore tell you in confidence that Count
d'Harcourt has enjoined me to throw provisions, if possible, into the
citadel at Turin. It will take me some time to make arrangements, and my
only fear is that the garrison, on hearing that we have retired across
the Po--of which you may be sure the Spaniards will take care to inform
them--may believe that we shall do no more this winter; and as we know
that their provisions must be well nigh exhausted, they will abandon the
citadel and march thither.

"It is now well nigh eighteen months since they were first cut off. It
is certain that their investment is a very close one, and that the most
vigilant watch is used to prevent news of any kind from reaching them
from the outside. We have made several effort