"Let him alone," said Cellamare to the duchess, "Richelieu's name is useful everywhere."
"And this letter?" asked the duke, pointing to the missive of Philip V.
"That letter," continued Malezieux, "is written by King Philip himself."
"Then his Catholic majesty writes worse than I do," answered Richelieu. "That pleases me. Raffé always says it is impossible."
"If the letter is badly written, the news it contains is none the less good," said Madame de Maine, "for it is a letter begging the king of France to assemble the States-General to oppose the treaty of the quadruple alliance."
"And is your highness sure of the States-General?"
"Here is the protestation which engages the nobility. The cardinal answers for the clergy, and there only remains the army."
"The army," said Laval, "is my affair. I have the signs-manual of twenty-two colonels."
"First," said Richelieu, "I answer for my regiment, which is at Bayonne, and which, consequently, is able to be of great service to us."
"Yes," said Cellamare, "and we reckon on it, but I heard that there was a question of changing the garrison."