two in the
morning
He was always spinning , and with patience almost incredible . Now a thread was broken , now several ; sometimes it seemed as if the web were entirely destroyed ; yet still he persevered , never disheartened , never discouraged , never once , as far as I could judge , losing hope . Couriers from the Court followed us on every stage , bringing countless letters and messages , and Mazarin was always ready to send back instructions or advice . He would write a despatch at two in the morning as cheerfully as at ten , and the worst tidings found him cool and collected . Even Pillot began to admire the man , though the poor fellow was in despair at being taken farther and farther away from his beloved Paris . He did not grumble , save in a comical manner , but his long absence from the capital was undoubtedly a sore trial to him . One evening -- we were entering Soissons , if my memory serves me -- a messenger galloped up in hot haste , and delivered a letter to the Cardinal , who was , at the moment , on horseback .