One of the four men-at-arms shall be an Englishman, and he can act
as her spokesman by the way."
"That will do most excellently," the count said, "and I thank you
heartily. As soon as I have finished my meal I must ride for the camp
again. I started early this morning in order not to be observed; in the
first place because I did not wish my daughter to be seen in her female
dress, and in the second because I would not that any should notice my
coming in this direction, and indeed we rode for the first mile backwards
along the road to Bapaume, and I shall return by the same way."
"What will the end of these troubles be, Count?"
"As I read the stars there will be peace shortly, and indeed it is clear
to me that the Duke of Burgundy must by this time see that if the war goes
on he will lose all Artois and perhaps Flanders, and that therefore he
must make peace, and perhaps keep it until the royal army has marched away
and dispersed; after that we may be sure that the crafty duke will not
long remain quiet. I have a trusty emissary in Burgundy's household, and
as soon as the duke comes to the conclusion that he must beg for peace I
shall have intelligence of it, and shall give early news to the queen and
to Aquitaine, who would hail it with gladness; for, seeing that the
latter's wife is Burgundy's daughter, he does not wish to press him hard,
and would gladly see peace concluded."
An hour later the count rode off with his two followers, after taking an
affectionate leave of his daughter, and telling her that it would not be
long before he joined her--if only for a time--in England.
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