I joined Count Saxe at Brussels. I had only been away from him thirty-six hours, but when I presented myself before him he clasped me in his arms and cried:
“Babache, I am nine times as glad to see you as the Duke of Berwick was to see me, the time he told me he would rather see me than the reinforcement of three thousand men he had asked for!”
Was it strange I loved this man?
On reaching Strasburg, my first inquiry was for Gaston Cheverny; and to my great joy, I found he had returned. It had been determined by the Duke of Berwick to send Count Saxe’s regiment, with certain others, to Hüningen, a good day and a half’s march from Strasburg, and Gaston Cheverny, with other officers, was at Hüningen already.
When we rode into town, the night had fallen. We found without trouble the house where our officers were quartered, and riding up to the door, dismounted—and there stood Gaston Cheverny.
It had been more than six months since I had seen him, and he had not had a Mantuan winter of it; but he looked singularly well, and was overjoyed to be with 271 the clear-the-way boys once more. He led us into the house, where supper was already on the table, and the other officers were assembled. At the first chance I had, which was when we were about to sit down to table, I handed Gaston the packet given me by Francezka. At once he said to Count Saxe:
“Sir, I beg that you will excuse me while I read my letters brought me by Captain Babache.”
“Since when have you eaten, Gaston Cheverny?” asked my master.
“At noon, Monsieur.”
“And you are not hungry?”