"Paid to the day!" murmured Buvat, breaking off. "It is evidently not by France that these payments are to be made, since France is so poor that she has not paid me my nine hundred francs' salary for five years. Let us see—let us see;" and he recommenced:
"That expenditure, which will cease at the peace, will enable his Catholic majesty to act with certainty in case of war.
"Spain will only be an auxiliary. The army of Philip V. is in France."
"What! what! what!" cried Buvat; "and I did not even know that it had crossed the frontier."
"The army of Philip V. is in France. A body of about ten thousand Spaniards is more than sufficient, with the presence of the king.
"But we must be able to count on being able to seduce over at least half of the Duc d'Orleans' army (Buvat trembled). This is the most important, and cannot be done without money. A present of one hundred thousand francs is necessary for each battalion or squadron.
"Twenty battalions would be two millions; with that sum one might form a trustworthy army, and destroy that of the enemy.
"It is almost certain, that the subjects most devoted to the king of Spain will not be employed in the army which will march against him. Let them disperse themselves through the provinces; there they will act usefully. To resupply them with a character—if they have none—it will be necessary for his Catholic majesty to send his orders in blank, for his minister in Paris to fill up.
"In consequence of the multiplicity of orders, it would be better if the ambassador had the power to sign for the king of Spain.
"It would be well, moreover, if his majesty were to sign his orders as a French prince; the title is his own.