“Well! order the horses, and we will go to Méridor.”
“Immediately, monseigneur.” Bussy then went to the door, but turned back and said, “How many horses will your highness have?”
“Oh, four or five, what you like.”
“If you leave it to me, I shall take a hundred.”
“What for?” cried the prince, surprised.
“To have at least twenty-five I can rely on in case of attack.”
“Attack!”
“Yes, I have heard that there are thick woods in that neighborhood, and it would not surprise me if we fell into some ambush.”
“Ah, do you think so?”
“Monseigneur knows that true courage does not exclude prudence; I will order one hundred and fifty.”