But in that case I had taken my precautions: I had written a statement of the case to my chief, the Austrian Minister, with the full and true story how you had been set to spy upon me, how you turned out to be my very near relative, how you had been kidnapped yourself into the service, and how we both had determined to effect your escape.

The laugh would have been so much against the King, that he never would have dared to lay a finger upon me.

What would Monsieur de Voltaire have said to such an act of tyranny?
But it was a lucky day, and everything has turned out to my wish.

As I lay in my bed two and a half hours after your departure, in comes your ex-Captain Potzdorff.

"Redmont!" says he, in his imperious High-Dutch way, "are you there ?" No answer.