iness around her. Her mind was busy with plans for revenge upon the
brutal mob and the hostile burghers who thus drove her forth, and she
vowed to herself that her enemies should repent their insolence, that the
canaille should weep tears of blood and tremble before her they had
insulted.

CHAPTER XI

THE MOCK MARRIAGE

MARECHAL LE DUC DE VILLARS was no brilliant, victorious hero, judged by
the standard of a century which had seen such military geniuses as
Turenne, as the great Conde, as Marlborough and Eugene of Savoy. Villars
was essentially a wily tactician, and his exploits were useful, but he
lacked the dash, the verve which characterise the great commanders of
that epoch. It was his system to overrun an invaded country, skilfully
avoiding actual combat with the defending army, which pursued him
impotently along the ghastly trail of ravage. Thus Villars, with no loss
to his troops, spread famine through the land, for he plundered and
devastated wherever he passed. He conducted the brief invasion of
Wirtemberg in 1707 on these lines. Crossing the Rhine during the night of
May 21st, he plunged unopposed into the very heart of the Swabian land.
Eberhard Ludwig, who, along with the Elector of Hanover, commanded one
portion of the Imperial army, executed a turning movement mighty like a
retreat, but Villars had so overpowering a majority of men that an attack
upon their united strength would have been more than hazardous. Thus the
whole country lay at the Frenchmen's mercy, and they swarmed over town,
village, and farm, harrying, burning, pillaging, and always disappearing
ere the would-be defenders came up. Eberhard Ludwig followed hotly,
hoping to engage separate columns of the huge army, but it was too late,
and after a futile pursuit round the entire country, he had the chagrin
of seeing the French enter Stuttgart. Here Villars remained but a few
days. Wilhelmine said afterwards that 'l'ennui de Stuttgard' had proved a
greater defence than the entire Imperial army! Be this as it may, Villars
evacuated Stuttgart in an amazingly short time, and retired eastwards to
the ancient town of Schorndorf. Now the Duchess-mother emerged from her
dower-house at Stetten, and craved a meeting with the Duc de Villars,
who, as a gentleman, could not refuse the ancient dame's request.

There is a popular tradition that they met in a field between Schorndorf
and Stetten, neither being willing to accept the hospitality of th