“And in the meantime,” Mazarin said, “France is open to invasion.  He says, indeed, that the Imperialists would hardly venture to march hitherward, as thereby they in turn would leave it open to him and the Swedes to march into the heart of Austria.”

“Assuredly that is so, sir.  The archduke will hardly get news that Marshal Turenne has moved until he has been some ten or twelve days on his march, and even when he hears it he will not know in what direction he has gone, but may think it likely that he either intends to seize Luxembourg or to reinforce your army in Flanders.  By the time they discover his true object he will be within a week’s march of the Swedes, possibly less than that.  It will be too late for them then to think of marching to the Rhine.  If they consider themselves strong enough to fight the marshal and the Swedes together, they will do so at once; if they fear to give battle, still more would they fear to be attacked by him when entering a country where they would have him in their rear, and be hemmed in between him and the Rhine, not to speak of the risk of leaving Austria open to invasion, should he, instead of pursuing them, direct his march thither.  If I might presume to judge, I should say that the expedition that the marshal has undertaken is at once worthy of his military genius, and will at the same time do far more to ensure the safety of the Rhine provinces than he could do were he to remain there with his small army until the Imperialists, having chased the Swedes out of the country and reduced northern Germany, turned their whole forces against him.”

“I see, Monsieur Campbell,” the cardinal said, turning the subject, “that you have been five days coming here from Mayence.  It is a very different rate of speed to that at which you traveled from Rocroi.”

“It is so, your eminence; but on that occasion the Duc d’Enghien had placed relays of his best horses all along the road, so that we were enabled to travel without making a halt.”

“And moreover, my dear colonel,” Mazarin said, “Turenne, far from urging you to haste, was desirous of getting so far before he received my answer as to render it impossible for me to recall him.”

“I cannot think that your eminence would do that.  It is a grand enterprise, and almost without precedent in point both of daring and in the great advantages to be gained from it.”

“And Turenne thought that by sending you, you would be able to assist him in persuading me to regard it favourably.  Well, well, it is certainly too late to recall him now.  He has taken the responsibility upon himself, and must stand or fall by the result.  And now in the first place are you going to hurry back again or are you going to remain here?”

“My regiment is one of those that he has taken with him, sir, and as I could not hope to overtake him he has requested me to remain here until I receive orders from him.”