The queen is already up, and I will cause it to be sent in to her, at once." Two minutes later another gentleman came out.
"Her majesty will at once see the messenger who has brought the ring," he said, and Philip at once followed him into the house.
He was conducted to a room where a lady was sitting whom he recognized, by the descriptions he had read of her, as the Queen of Navarre.

Beside her stood a lad of fifteen.
"You come from the Admiral!" she said.

"Have you despatches for me ?" "I have a paper sewn up in my boot, your majesty; but it was read over to me several times, in case either water or wear should render it illegible." "He has reached La Rochelle safely, as I heard three days since," the queen said, "with but a small following ?" "He and the prince had over five hundred with them, when they rode in, your majesty; and parties were arriving, hourly, to swell his force.

On the day I left he was going out to attack Niort and, that captured, he was going to move south.

That was the message I was charged to deliver.