"Well, well, if that be the case," he replied, "the matter will soon be settled. Monsieur de Villardin here tells me to trust you entirely, and Monsieur de Rochefoucault enjoins me to trust in him in the same manner. So that, of course, I must obey, whatever be the consequences; though I do not, I confess, like to confide secrets of such vital importance to more people than necessary." He then proceeded to inform me,--though with a great deal of difficulty and hesitation, even after having made up his mind to do so,--that a plan was, at that moment, in progress, for the liberation of the Prince de Condé, by means of the soldiers of the guard in garrison at Vincennes, where the Prince was at that time confined. These men, many of whom had served under Condé, and all of whom admired and loved him, Gourville represented as uniformly favourable to the scheme; and I learned, that the execution of the whole was merely put off till the Sunday following, in order that the attempt might be made while the governor and officers were at vespers in the chapel. "The only difficulty," he continued, "which presents itself in the course of the whole undertaking, is to prepare the Princes themselves for the effort that is to be made in their favour. No one is allowed to see them except Pallu, the surgeon of the Prince de Condé, who visits him three times a week, in order to dress the wound in his arm. Now Pallu is himself as much attached to the Prince as any man can be, but he is as timid as a child; and, notwithstanding all my persuasions, will not be the bearer of a message to his Highness." "But cannot you contrive to introduce some one else?" I demanded. "I should think that might be easily done." "Indeed!" said Gourville, with a smile. "I have turned it in my head in every way I can think of; and yet I not only do not see any easy method, but I confess that I perceive no possible means of conveying the information to Monsieur le Prince. We are, therefore, preparing to execute our scheme as well as we can without." I mused a moment ere I answered, and then merely asked what was the post which Gourville intended to assign me in the matter, and which he had declared was dangerous.