Eugene received it with a smiling acknowledgment. "Is all prepared?" he asked.
"Yes, your highness. Old Philip is in ecstasies, and the other lackeys are like a pack of hounds on the eve of a fox-chase."
"They shall hear the fanfare presently," returned Eugene, following his cousins, and taking his seat opposite to them.
"What is that?" asked the Prince de Conti pointing to the long, thin roll of white paper which Eugene held in his hand.
"I suspect that it is a crucifix, and Eugene is going to entrap us into a confession," returned De la Roche, who loved to banter his cousin.
"We shall see," replied Eugene, opening the paper, and exhibiting its contents. "A whip!" exclaimed De Conti.
"Yes, a stout, hunting-whip!" echoed De la Roche. "Are we to go on a fox-hunt, dear little abbe?"
"We are, dear, tall prince, and we shall shortly set out."
"Things begin to look serious," observed De Conti, with a searching glance at the pale, resolute face of his young relative. "You do not really intend to chase your fox in presence of the king?"
"Yes, I do. I intend to prove to his majesty that I am not altogether unskilled in worldly craft, and, as regards my fox, I intend that all Paris shall witness his punishment."