Belle-Rose — page 343: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

332 THE SPRING OF 1672. thing was ready for war; France had her hand upon the guard of her sword. Meanwhile Holland, confiding in her ~ lagoons and her dykes, let fall into ruin her dismantled fortifications; the party of the rigid republicans tri- umphed; the two brothers DeWitt and the great Ruyter, who saw in Holland only an isle, governed, and thinking only of the sea, disdained the army, composed at most of twenty-five thousand bad soldiers. At every hour French. regiments took their way to the frontier places where the fire was going to be lighted. Arras, Bethune, le Quesnoy, Laudrecies, Maubeuge, St. Pal, St. Omer were incumbered | with troops. Something of all these noises reached the ears of Belle-Rose, to whom the sentiment of his inaction was crushing; he asked everywhere and on all occasions for: details of the preparations which gave to the kingdom the appearance of a warlike hive. Monsieur de Pomereux, © who visited him at times in his retreat, related to him all that which was said at Versailles and Chantilly of the king’s plans; he spoke to him of the camps which were on the banks of the Sambre and of the intoxication which possessed the whole people. Enthusiasm was every where. Each day increased the fever which consumed Belle-Rose. In the position in which he was placed by events, repose was destroying him. Monsieur d3 Louvois was not one of those men in whom time wears out the memory; for com- bating and conquering his animosity, a rival animosity was necessary; the struggle might lessen, if not destroy his hatred. Belle-Rose recalled, with a delicious agitation, the emotions and accidents of war; he saw pass before his eyes the animated and noisy picture of the camps, he heard the horses neigh and the trumpets sound. The army was his family, and war his country. Déroute, Grippard, and Cornelius shared the sentiments of Belle-Rose. They looked in the direction of the horizon, quite ready, with-— out having said anything about it, to break their ties. Suzanne and Claudine anticipated their resolutions, with- out Belle-Rose and Cornelius having opened themselves to them. A last visit of Monsieur de Pomereux precipitated the dénouement. It was at the end of April, 1672. ‘The Prince de Condé’s equipages are ready,’’ said he, one morning; ‘‘before three days his household will leave. for Flanders. ’’ All Belle-Rose’s blood rushed to his cheeks at these words. | : ‘*So you follow him?”’’ said he. ‘ven to the Hague, if he wishes.’’ ‘, : St P # 4 « - > * me - + . _ a eben ; o~ . a3 Ni/ vn , : d ns ¥ : "; t ; . “ é at, ae & . 7 : . 4 am vee wiihos oS a Comicbooks.co