They need the help of Cranfield's art, and he cannot
work without his tools."
"But we always beat the French in the field," said Lady Mabel.
"Always," said L'Isle. "There has been no instance of a real British
army being beaten by a French one."
"None of late years," said Lady Mabel. "To find a victory over us they
have to go as far back in the last century as Fontenoy."
"That is not a fair instance," said L'Isle eagerly. "We lost that
battle chiefly through the backwardness of our Dutch allies; and
Marshal Saxe, who was no Frenchman, but a German, beat us chiefly by
aid of the valor of the Irish regiments in the French pay."
"That alters the case," said Lady Mabel; "but were we not beaten some
years before that, at Almansa, here in Spain?"
"That instance is still more unfair," exclaimed L'Isle. "Our
Peninsular allies ran away, while we fought their battle. Still,
though the enemy were two to our one, the result might have been
different. But the French had an English general, the Duke of Berwick,
to win the battle for them, and we had a French commander, DeRuvigny,
whom Dutch William had made Earl of Galway, to lose it for us.
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