The morning dawned bright and dry - a miracle in itself for Paris at the end of May. Seated quietly in an office somewhere in the city, two men discuss the perils of going to war...amongst other matters: "Merci for the advice, mon General. I will do my best to live by it and bring nothing but glory to my King, my country and my regiment. And, of course, your good self. There is one other matter I would like to raise, however..." A querying grunt prompts the younger man to continue: "I saw your letter to Brigadier de Mylcandonai...no, no, I wasn't reading your private mail, sir - you asked me to deliver it to the Army despatches department by hand! Anyway, it's about this de Toilette character. Be very wary, General - I have it on good authority that he is a worshipper of Satan. *nods* Yes, absolutely! The Church is investigating this very matter, along with how it came to be that he is supposed to have had a 'double'. AND he has a birthmark where his familiar suckles. Oh yes, the signs are all there: debauchery, bearing false witness, adultery...the scoundrel is a one-man army of darkness! They won't know whether to drown him, hang him, draw and quarter him, shoot him or rack him to death!" "Believe me, sir, his days are numbered...and the number is 666! I didn't think it possible that we could have another Grosscanard, but this could even be worse! All I will say, sir, is that His Eminence has a personal interest in the matter, and if you point out these incontri...incontre...unmistakeable facts to members of the cabinet, I'm sure that the whole sordid episode will be brought to swift and suitable justice!" ..... "Yes sir, thankyou. You too. I'm sure I have little to fear from the Spanish. They are, after all, not French. I will see you in three months to catch up on my backlog of duties...*chuckle*...thankyou, I will do my best to make you proud to have me as your aide. Farewell!"
