“It was a bad business, altogether, lad.  His cause was practically lost, from the day that William set foot upon English soil.  He had, in reality, no personal friends; and those who would have remained faithful to the cause, were paralysed by his indecision and feebleness.  Charles the Martyr made many mistakes, but he had the passionate adherence of his followers.  His personality, and his noble appearance, did as much for him as the goodness of his cause; while his son, James, repelled rather than attracted personal devotion.  I trust that his grandson will inherit some of his qualities.  His outburst, today, gave me hope that he will do so; but one must not build too much on that.  It may have been only the pettishness of a young man, sick of the constant tutelage to which he is subjected, and the ennui of the life he leads, rather than the earnestness of a noble spirit.

“Of course, Kennedy, I need not tell you that it would be well to make no mention, to anyone, of the scene that you have witnessed.”

“I shall certainly make no mention of it to anyone, sir.  I am sorry, indeed, for the young king.  His life must be a dreadful one, conscious of the impossibility of breaking the bonds in which he is held, and knowing that his every word and action will be reported, by spies, to the King of France.”

For three months, Desmond Kennedy worked hard at drill and sword exercise.  He became a general favourite in the regiment, owing to his good temper, high spirits, and readiness to join in everything that was going on.

He went over, several times, to Saint Germain.  At first, the king’s counsellors looked but coldly upon him, and he would have ceased to come there, had it not been for the unaffected pleasure shown by the king at his visits.  In time, however, two of the principal men at the little court requested him to have a conversation with them, before going into the king’s chamber.

“You will understand, Mr. Kennedy,” one of them said, when they had seated themselves in a quiet spot in the garden; “that we, standing in the position of His Majesty’s counsellors, are in a position of great responsibility.  His Majesty, as we admit is but natural, chafes over the inaction to which he is condemned by circumstances; and is apt, at times, to express his desire for action in terms which, if they came to the ears of King Louis, as we have every reason to believe is sometimes the case, would do him and the cause serious injury.  Naturally, we should be glad for him to have companions of his own age, but it behoves us to be most careful that such companionship should not add to our difficulties in this direction; and we should view with satisfaction a friendship between the young king and one who, like yourself, is nearly of his own age and, as we can see, full of spirit and energy.  In these matters the king is deficient; but it would be better that he should, for the present, remain as he is, rather than that he should, in acquiring more manly habits, grow still more impatient and discontented with his position.