remained at full liberty. My brother then
said it was a great comfort to him to hear that news; "but,"
added he, "as I know she loves me so entirely that she would
rather be confined with me than have her liberty whilst I was
in confinement, I beg you will go to the Queen my mother, and
desire her to obtain leave for my sister to be with me." He did
so, and it was granted.

The reliance which my brother displayed upon this occasion in
the sincerity of my friendship and regard for him conferred so
great an obligation in my mind that, though I have received many
particular favours since from him, this has always held the foremost
place in my grateful remembrance.

By the time he had received permission for my being with him,
daylight made its appearance. Seeing this, my brother begged
M. de Cosse to send one of his archers to acquaint me with his
situation, and beg me to come to him.

LETTER XVIII

I was ignorant of what had happened to my brother, and when the
Scottish archer came into my bedchamber, I was still asleep. He
drew the curtains of the bed, and told me, in his broken French,
that my brother wished to see me. I stared at the man, half awake
as I was, and thought it a dream. After a short pause, and being
thoroughly awakened, I asked him if he was not a Scottish archer.
He answered me in the affirmative. "What!" cried I, "has my brother
no one else to send a message by?" He replied he had not, for all
his domestics had been put under an arrest. He then proceeded
to relate, as well as he could explain himself, the events of
the preceding night, and the leave granted my brother for my
being with him during his imprisonment.

The poor fellow, observing me to be much affected by this
intelligence, drew near, and whispered me to this purport: "Do
not grieve yourself about this matter; I know a way of setting
your brother at liberty, and you may depend upon it, that I will
do it; but, in that case, I must go off with him." I assured
him that he might rely upon being as amply rewarded as he could
wish for such assistance, and, huddling on my clothes, I followed
him alone to my brother's apartments. In going thither, I had
occasion to traverse the whole gallery, which was filled with
people, who, at another time, would have pressed forward to pay
their respects to me; but, now that Fortune seemed to frown upon
me, they all avoided me, or appeared as if they did not see me.

Coming into my brother's apa