A GALLANT OF LORRAINE VOL. II. [Illustration: QUEEN HENRIETTA MARIA. From the picture by Van Dyck at Dresden. [Frontispiece] A GALLANT OF LORRAINE FRANÇOIS, SEIGNEUR DE BASSOMPIERRE, MARQUIS D’HAROUEL, MARÉCHAL :: :: DE FRANCE (1579-1646) :: :: BY H. NOEL WILLIAMS AUTHOR OF “FIVE FAIR SISTERS,” “A PRINCESS OF INTRIGUE,” “THE BROOD OF FALSE LORRAINE,” ETC. _IN TWO VOLUMES_ _With 16 Illustrations_ VOL. II _LONDON: HURST & BLACKETT, LTD :: PATERNOSTER HOUSE, E.C. ::_ CONTENTS VOL. II CHAPTER XXV Offer of Schomberg, Saint-Géran and Marillac to take Montauban within twelve days--Advice of Père Arnoux--Diplomacy of Bassompierre--A humiliating fiasco--A second attempt meets with no better success--Bassompierre counsels the King to raise the siege, and it is decided to follow his advice--General exasperation against Luynes--Louis XIII begins to grow weary of his favourite--Conversation of the King with Bassompierre--The latter warns Luynes that he “does not sufficiently cultivate the good graces of the King”--Reply of the Constable--Louis XIII twits Luynes with the love of the Duc de Chevreuse for his wife--Puisieux, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Père Arnoux, the King’s Jesuit confessor, conspire against the Constable--Disgrace of the latter--Bassompierre, at the head of the bulk of the Royal forces, lays siege to Monheurt--A perilous situation--Bassompierre falls ill of fever--He leaves the army and sets out for La Réole--He is taken seriously ill at Marmande--His three doctors--Approach of the enemy--Refusal of the townsfolk to admit him and his suite into the town--A terrible night--He recovers and proceeds to Bordeaux--Death of the Constable before Monheurt.....pp. 321-339 CHAPTER XXVI