The King one day asked him if he had much desire to return into Spain.  He replied in a manner evidencing his willingness to serve, marking no eagerness.  He did not notice that there might be a secret meaning, hidden under this question.  When he related to me what had passed between him and the King, I blamed the feebleness of his reply, and represented to him the ill effect it would create if at such a time he evinced any desire to keep out of the campaign.  He appeared convinced by my arguments, and to wish with more eagerness than before to return to Spain.

A few days after, the King asked him, on what terms he believed himself with the Princesse des Ursins; and when M. d’Orleans replied that he believed himself to be on good terms with her, as he had done all in his power to be so, the King said that he feared it was not thus, since she had asked that he should not be again sent to Spain, saying that he had leagued himself with all her enemies there, and that a secretary of his, named Renaut, whom he had left behind him, kept up such strict and secret intercourse with those enemies, that she was obliged to demand his recall lest he might do wrong to the name of his master.

Upon this, M. d’Orleans replied that he was infinitely surprised at these complaints of Madame des Ursins, since he had done nothing to deserve them.  The King, after reflecting for a moment, said he thought, all things considered, that M. d’Orleans had better not return to Spain.  In a few days it was publicly known that he would not go.  The withdrawal of so many of our troops from Spain was the reason alleged.  At the same time the King gave orders to M. d’Orleans to send for his equipages from Spain, and added in his ear, that he had better send some one of sense for them, who might be the bearer of a protest, if Philip V. quitted his throne.  At least this is what M. d’Orleans told me, although few people believed him in the end.

M. d’Orleans chose for this errand a man named Flotte, very skilful in intrigue, in which he had, so to speak, been always brought up.  He went straight to Madrid, and one of his first employments when he arrived there was to look for Renaut, the secretary just alluded to.  But Renaut was nowhere to be found, nor could any news be heard of him.  Flotte stayed some time in Madrid, and then went to the army, which was still in quarters.  He remained there three weeks, idling from quarter to quarter, saluting the Marechal in command, who was much surprised at his long stay, and who pressed him to return into France.  At last Flotte took leave of the Marechal, asking him for an escort for himself and a commissary, with whom he meant to go in company across the Pyrenees.  Twenty dragoons were given him as escort, and he and the commissary set out in a chaise.

They had not proceeded far before Flotte perceived that they were followed by other troops besides those guarding them.  Flotte fearing that something was meant by this, slipped a pocket-book into the hands of the commissary, requesting him to take care of it.  Shortly afterwards the chaise was surrounded by troops, and stopped; the two travellers were made to alight.  The commissary was ordered to give up the pocket-book, an order that he complied with very rapidly, and Flotte was made prisoner, and escorted back to the spot he had just left.