“It is his advice, but he would not like it to be thought personal ambition——“
“Pooh, do I not know his disinterestedness? did he explain about the best road to take?”
“In the first place he fears one thing: that many projects of flight have been proposed and that all these getting entangled, this one will meet some block which will be ascribed to fatality, when it will be the spite or the rashness of the other parties.”
“I promise, my dear Louis, to let the parties intrigue around me; it is their want and a necessity of my position. While they are following these threads which will end in nothing but leading them astray we will follow our own route with no other confidants, with more security from our greater secresy. But I do not want to leave the kingdom altogether. It is hard for a sovereign to get back if he does so. I have decided on Montmedy as the place of retirement, which is in the centre of your father’s command and at a suitable distance.”
“Has your Majesty planned out the flight or is this but a sketch?” queried the count.
“Nothing is settled,” replied Louis, “and all depends on circumstances. If I see the Queen and the Family running fresh dangers from the ruffians I will take an irrevocable decision.”
“My father thinks the dangers of the journey will be diminished by dividing the passengers.”
“Yes, but it is useless to discuss this point. In a solemn hour the Queen and I resolved to go together or not at all.”
The envoy bowed.
“At the meet moment the King has but to issue the orders to have them executed,” he said. “Now, for the route. There are three ways to Montmedy.”