At length a compromise was made.

Portland, disgusted with Kensington, was not sorry to go to France as ambassador; and William with deep emotion consented to a separation longer than had ever taken place during an intimacy of twenty-five years.

A day or two after the new plenipotentiary had set out on his mission, he received a touching letter from his master.

"The loss of your society," the King wrote, "has affected me more than you can imagine.

I should be very glad if I could believe that you felt as much pain at quitting me as I felt at seeing you depart; for then I might hope that you had ceased to doubt the truth of what I so solemnly declared to you on my oath.