, monsieur. I was at Cerisolles with Monsieur
d'Enghien."

"Good! And after that?"

"I did not serve, monsieur."

We looked hard at each other, and a dry but not unkindly smile sat on
his lips.

"Would you care to see Italy again?"

"If the Queen has no further need for me I am ready."

"We will leave it so, then. In the meantime, you may, perhaps, have a
little commission to execute for me, or rather for the Queen. That
will keep you employed until you finally decide. It may need using
your sword. Does your wound trouble you?"

"It will be healed in less than a week."

"Well, go now and rest. You are being lodged here, of course?"

"I have secured a lodging at the Elephant, monsieur."

"Then to-morrow you must come here. I will see to that, for I like to
lay hands on a man when I want him." And with this he struck a gong,
and the officer who had brought me in appeared.

"Sarlaboux," said the General, "let Monsieur Broussel be conducted
safely to his inn, and see that no harm befalls him."

I was about to take my leave when Montluc stopped me.

"A word!-- That little story of yours in connection with your wound,
monsieur, has interested me. I will give it a place in my
commentaries." And he took up his pen as I retired, followed by
Sarlaboux.

I may add that, many years after, it was my good fortune to see a copy
of the old Marshal's commentaries, which had been made for his brother,
Monseigneur the Bishop of Valence. By some strange chance, for he
rarely forgot anything, he had omitted my story, nor was there any
mention of the secret communication I made to him; and, perhaps, this
was due to design. He was a great soldier and a great man, whose life
may be summed up in the motto of his house: _Deo duce, ferro comite_.

CHAPTER XIII

THE TOUR DE L'OISEAU

"Thirty-three Henris, of which two are bad, these I have set
aside--seven sols, and nine deniers, making in all thirty-one Henris,
seven sols, and nine coppers of good money--and this is all, monsieur."

It was touching the afternoon, and I was going over the present state
of my affairs with Pierrebon. I looked at the small heaps of coin he
had sorted out carefully on the table before me, and then rising walked
to my window and gazed out. The storm of last night had passed, and
Poitiers lay before me, all wet and glistening in warm sunlight. I was
not, however, interested in the landscape but in the hard fact that
thirty-