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Exam Ref 70-764 Administering a
SQL Database Infrastructure

Victor Isakov
Exam Ref 70-764 Administering a SQL Database Infrastructure
Published with the authorization of Microsoft Corporation by: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Copyright © 2018 by Pearson Education
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication
is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the
publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system,
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respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every
precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and
author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Nor is any liability
assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained
herein.
ISBN-13: 978-1-5093-0383-0
ISBN-10: 1-5093-0383-9
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017953072
First Printing September 1 17
Trademarks
Microsoft and the trademarks listed at https://www.microsoft.com on the
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shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with
respect to any loss or damages arising from the information contained in this
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Special Sales
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Contents at a glance
Introduction
Preparing for the exam
Chapter 1 Configure data access and auditing
Chapter 2 Manage backup and restore of databases
Chapter 3 Manage and monitor SQL Server instances
Chapter 4 Manage high availability and disaster recovery
Index
Contents
Introduction
Organization of this book
Microsoft certifications
Acknowledgments
Microsoft Virtual Academy
Quick access to online references
Errata, updates, & book support
We want to hear from you
Stay in touch
Preparing for the exam
Chapter 1 Configure data access and auditing
Skill 1.1: Configure encryption
Implement column-level encryption
Implement Always Encrypted
Configure transparent data encryption
Implement backup encryption
Configure encryption for connections
Troubleshoot encryption errors
Skill 1.2 Configure data access and permissions
Create and maintain users
Create and maintain custom roles
Manage database object permissions
Configure row-level security
Configure dynamic data masking
Configure user options for Azure SQL Database
Skill 1.3: Configure auditing
 Configure an audit on SQL Server
Query the SQL Server audit log
Manage a SQL Server audit
Configure an Azure SQL Database audit
Analyze audit logs and reports from Azure SQL Database
Thought experiment
Thought experiment answers
Chapter summary
Chapter 2 Manage backup and restore of databases
Skill 2.1: Develop a backup strategy
Design a backup strategy
Back up databases
Back up VLDBs
Manage transaction log backups
Configure backup automation
Skill 2.2 Restore databases
Design a restore strategy
Restore a database
Perform piecemeal restores
Perform page recovery
Perform point-in-time recovery
Restore a filegroup
Develop a plan to automate and test restores
Skill 2.3 Manage database integrity
Implement database consistency checks
Identify database corruption
Recover from database corruption
Thought experiment
Thought experiment answers
 Chapter summary
Chapter 3 Manage and monitor SQL Server instances
Skill 3.1: Monitor database activity
Monitor current sessions
Identify sessions that cause blocking activity
Identify sessions that consume tempdb resources
Configure the data collector
Skill 3.2 Monitor queries
Manage the Query Store
Configure Extended Events and trace events
Identify problematic execution plans
Troubleshoot server health using Extended Events
Skill 3.3 Manage indexes
Identify and repair index fragmentation
Identify and create missing indexes
Identify and drop underutilized indexes
Manage existing columnstore indexes
Skill 3.4 Manage statistics
Identify and correct outdated statistics
Implement Auto Update Statistics
Implement statistics for large tables
Skill 3.5 Monitor SQL Server instances
Configure database mail
Create and manage operators
Create and manage SQL Agent alerts
Define custom alert actions
Define failure actions
Configure policy based management
Identify available space on data volumes
Identify the cause of performance degradation
 Thought experiment
Thought experiment answers
Chapter summary
Chapter 4 Manage high availability and disaster recovery
Skill 4.1: Design a high availability solution
Skill 4.2: Design a disaster recovery solution
Skill 4.3: Implement log shipping
Architect log shipping
Configure log shipping
Monitor log shipping
Skill 4.4: Implement Availability Groups
Architect Availability Groups
Configure Windows clustering
Create an Availability Group
Configure read-only routing
Monitor Availability Groups
Manage failover
Create Distributed Availability Group
Skill 4.5: Implement failover clustering
Architect failover clustering
Configure failover clustering
Manage Shared Disks
Configure Cluster Shared Volumes
Thought experiment
Thought experiment answers
Chapter summary

Index

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Introduction
First and foremost, thank you for your purchase and all the best of luck in
your endeavor to become certified and an expert in the SQL Server data
platform. The 70-764 exam is intended for database professionals who
perform installation, maintenance, and configuration tasks on the SQL Server
platform. Other responsibilities include setting up database systems, making
sure those systems operate efficiently, and regularly storing, backing up, and
securing data from unauthorized access.
This book is geared toward database administrators who are looking to
train in the administration of SQL Server 2016 infrastructure. To help you
prepare for the exam you can use Microsoft Hyper-V to create SQL Server
virtual machines (VMs) and follow the examples in this book. You can
download an evaluation copy of Windows Server 2016 from
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-server-2016/.
SQL Server 2016 can be downloaded for free from
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/sql-server/sql-server-downloads. You can
download the AdventureWorks databases from
https://msftdbprodsamples.codeplex.com/. The Wide World Importers
database can be downloaded from https://github.com/Microsoft/sql-server-
samples/releases/tag/wide-world-importers-v1.0.
This book covers every major topic area found on the exam, but it does not
cover every exam question. Only the Microsoft exam team has access to the
exam questions, and Microsoft regularly adds new questions to the exam,
making it impossible to cover specific questions. You should consider this
book a supplement to your relevant real-world experience and other study
materials. If you encounter a topic in this book that you do not feel
completely comfortable with, use the “Need more review?” links you’ll find
in the text to find more information and take the time to research and study
the topic. Great information is available on MSDN, TechNet, and in blogs
and forums.

Organization of this book

This book is organized by the “Skills measured” list published for the exam.
The “Skills measured” list is available for each exam on the Microsoft
Learning website: https://aka.ms/examlist. Each chapter in this book
corresponds to a major topic area in the list, and the technical tasks in each
topic area determine a chapter’s organization. If an exam covers six major
topic areas, for example, the book will contain six chapters.

Microsoft certifications
Microsoft certifications distinguish you by proving your command of a broad
set of skills and experience with current Microsoft products and technologies.
The exams and corresponding certifications are developed to validate your
mastery of critical competencies as you design and develop, or implement
and support, solutions with Microsoft products and technologies both on-
premises and in the cloud. Certification brings a variety of benefits to the
individual and to employers and organizations.

More Info All Microsoft certifications

For information about Microsoft certifications, including a full
list of available certifications, go to
https://www.microsoft.com/learning.

Acknowledgments
Victor Isakov I would like to dedicate this book to Christopher, Isabelle,
Marcus and Sofia. With your love and “infinite patience” I am the luckiest
guy on this planet! It would be remiss of me not to also thank Trina
MacDonald and Troy Mott for their “infinite patience” in helping me
complete this “impossible task.”

Microsoft Virtual Academy

Build your knowledge of Microsoft technologies with free expert-led online
training from Microsoft Virtual Academy (MVA). MVA offers a
comprehensive library of videos, live events, and more to help you learn the
latest technologies and prepare for certification exams. You’ll find what you
need here:
https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com
Quick access to online references
Throughout this book are addresses to webpages that the author has
recommended you visit for more information. Some of these addresses (also
known as URLs) can be painstaking to type into a web browser, so we’ve
compiled all of them into a single list that readers of the print edition can
refer to while they read.
Download the list at https://aka.ms/exam764administersql/downloads.
The URLs are organized by chapter and heading. Every time you come
across a URL in the book, find the hyperlink in the list to go directly to the
webpage.

Errata, updates, & book support

We’ve made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this book and its
companion content. You can access updates to this book—in the form of a
list of submitted errata and their related corrections—at:
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Stay in touch
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Important: How to use this book to study
for the exam
Certification exams validate your on-the-job experience and product
knowledge. To gauge your readiness to take an exam, use this Exam Ref to
help you check your understanding of the skills tested by the exam.
Determine the topics you know well and the areas in which you need more
experience. To help you refresh your skills in specific areas, we have also
provided “Need more review?” pointers, which direct you to more in-depth
information outside the book.
The Exam Ref is not a substitute for hands-on experience. This book is not
designed to teach you new skills.
We recommend that you round out your exam preparation by using a
combination of available study materials and courses. Learn more about
available classroom training at https://www.microsoft.com/learning.
Microsoft Official Practice Tests are available for many exams at
https://aka.ms/practicetests. You can also find free online courses and live
events from Microsoft Virtual Academy at
https://www.microsoftvirtualacademy.com.
This book is organized by the “Skills measured” list published for the
exam. The “Skills measured” list for each exam is available on the Microsoft
Learning website: https://aka.ms/examlist.
Note that this Exam Ref is based on publicly available information and the
author’s experience. To safeguard the integrity of the exam, authors do not
have access to the exam questions.
Chapter 1. Configure data access and
auditing

Important Have you read page xiii?

It contains valuable information regarding the skills you need to
pass the exam.

An organization’s data is one of its most important assets, and in the twenty-
first century securing your data is paramount. In this chapter we will exam
the skills required to protect sensitive data through encryption, to control data
access, and importantly to audit data access. In a lot of sectors there are
common compliances and governance requirements, and SQL Server has
technology and tools to help you achieve any such compliance.
Data loss comes in many forms, including hardware failure, database
corruption, malicious activity, and user error, so you should develop a DRP
to protect against all of these eventualities. It is common for organizations to
have data governance requirements, requiring you to factor these into your
data disaster strategy.
Skill 1.1 starts with the encryption of data within your SQL Server
instance. We will examine how you can encrypt data at the column-level
within the tables of your database, at the database level, and at the database
backup level. Most data breaches within organizations are performed by
employees, so it is important to configure the appropriate data access controls
and audit potential unauthorized data access. In Skill 1.2 we turn our
attention to how you control data access within your SQL Server instance.
SQL Server logins, database users, server roles, database roles, and object
permissions are covered because they might be in the exam. We will also
focus on row-level security and dynamic data masking. Finally, in Skill 1.3
we cover how to configure auditing at the server and database level within
SQL Server.
Pay attention to the new security features in SQL Server 2016, which are
Always Encrypted, row-level security, and dynamic data masking. These new
technologies make great candidates for exam questions, but of course you
must be prepared for many other technologies as well.

Skills in this chapter:

Configure encryption
Configure data access and permissions
Configure auditing

Skill 1.1: Configure encryption

Let’s start this section with how to configure encryption in SQL Server. We
will examine how you can encrypt both data at rest and data in flight. Each
encryption technology will have its own strengths, weaknesses and
administrative complexity. Some encryption technology will restrict the types
of operations that you can perform on your data.
Let’s begin by examining how you can encrypt columns within tables
using column-level encryption and the new Always Encrypted capability. We
will then move to the database level and look at how to encrypt the entire
database and the database backups. Finally, we will cover how to configure
encryption for connections, and how to troubleshoot encryption.
When configuring encryption it is critical to choose the order of which
algorithms, certificates, and keys to operate. It is important to understand
what the different encryption technologies encrypt, what they protect against,
and how to configure them. The exam may require you to choose the
appropriate encryption mechanism, list the proper business requirements, and
describe the technical constraints.

This section covers how to:

Implement column-level encryption
Implement Always Encrypted
Configure transparent data encryption
Implement backup encryption
Configure encryption for connections
Troubleshoot encryption errors
Implement column-level encryption
The ability to encrypt data at the column level is a critical capability in any
modern database engine. Column-level encryption has been supported since
SQL Server 2005. Although this capability has seen improvements through
releases of SQL Server, its core architecture has remained the same.
Consequently, I would not expect many questions on column-level
encryption in the exam because it represents older technology.
To understand and implement encryption in SQL Server you need to
understand its encryption hierarchy and key management architecture. Layers
of encryption are protected by preceding layers of encryption that can use
asymmetric keys, certificates, and symmetric keys.
Extensible Key Management SQL Server EKM enables the
encryption keys that protect the database files to be stored outside of
the SQL Server environment such as a smartcard, a USB device, and
the EKM module of Hardware Security Module (HSM). It also helps
secure the SQL Server instance from database administrators because
they will not necessarily have access to the external EKM/HSM
module.
Service Master Key The Service Master Key (SMK) is the root of the
database engine’s encryption hierarchy and is generated automatically
the first time it is needed to encrypt another key. By default, the SMK
is encrypted using the Windows data protection API (DPAPI) at the
operating system level, which uses the local machine key. The SMK
can only be opened by the Windows service account that created it, or
by a principal that knows the service account name and its password.
Database Master Key The Database Master Key (DMK) is a
symmetric key used to protect the private keys of certificates and
asymmetric keys that are present in the database. When created it is
encrypted using AES_256 and a password you provide. Query the
[sys].[symmetric_keys] catalog view to get information about the
DMK.
Asymmetric Key An asymmetric key consists of a private and
corresponding public key. Asymmetric encryption is computationally
more expensive, but more secure than symmetric encryption. You can
use an asymmetric key to encrypt a symmetric key within a database.
 Symmetric Key A symmetric key is a single key that uses encryption.
Symmetric encryption is generally used over asymmetric encryption
because it is faster and less computationally expensive.
Certificate Certificates are a digitally signed security object that
contain a public (and optionally a private) key for SQL Server, which
can generate certificates. You can also use externally generated
certificates, and just like with asymmetric keys, certificates can be used
in asymmetric encryption.
Figure 1-1 shows SQL Server’s encryption hierarchy. Note that there are
multiple ways to protect the encrypted data within the database.

FIGURE 1-1 SQL Server encryption hierarchy

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Exploring the Variety of Random
Documents with Different Content
"A note!" thought Canolles? "she's writing to me. What does that
mean?"
He drew near, trembling with apprehension, although his first
sentiment was exceeding joy; but there always is a certain tincture
of dread in the great joys of a lover, which is perhaps its chiefest
charm: to be sure of one's happiness is to be happy no longer.
As Canolles approached, Pompée ventured to expose the paper
more and more, and at last he put out his arm while Canolles held
his hat. The two men understood each other to admiration, as we
see; the former let the note fall, and the other caught it very
skilfully, and then darted into a clump of trees to read it at his
leisure, while Pompée, fearful of taking cold, no doubt, quickly
closed the window.
But one does not read like that the first note he has ever received
from the woman of his choice, especially when there can be no
reason for its unforeseen arrival, unless it be to aim a blow at his
happiness. For what could the viscountess have to say to him if
there had been no change in the programme agreed upon between
them the night before? The note therefore must of necessity contain
some distressing news.
Canolles was so thoroughly convinced of this that he did not even
put the paper to his lips as a lover would ordinarily do in the like
circumstances. On the contrary, he turned it over and over with
increasing dread. However, it must be opened at some time, so he
summoned all his courage, broke the seal, and read as follows:—

"Monsieur,—I hope you will agree with me that to remain longer

in our present position is altogether impossible. It must be
excessively disagreeable to be looked upon as a detestable spy
by the whole household; on the other hand I have reason to
fear that, if I receive you more affably than Madame la
Princesse would be likely to do in my place, we shall be
suspected of playing a comedy, which would inevitably end in
the loss of my reputation."
Canolles wiped his brow; his presentiments had not deceived him.
With the daylight, the great banisher of visions, all his golden
dreams disappeared. He shook his head, heaved a sigh, and read
on:—

"Pretend to discover the stratagem to which we resorted; there

is a very simple method of making that discovery, and I will
myself furnish the materials if you will promise to do as I ask.
You see that I do not seek to conceal how much I rely upon
you. If you will do as I ask I will send you a portrait of myself,
upon which are my crest and my name. You can say that you
found it on one of your night rounds, and that you discovered in
that way that I am not the princess.
"Need I say that you have my permission, if indeed you attach
any value to the portrait, to keep it as a token of my heartfelt,
undying gratitude to you, if you take your departure this
morning?
"Leave us without seeing me again, if possible, and you will take
with you all my gratitude, while I shall always remember you as
one of the noblest and most loyal gentlemen I have ever
known."

Canolles read the note through once more, and stood as if turned to
stone. Whatever favor a letter of dismissal may contain, no matter
how sweet the honey in which a farewell or a refusal is clothed,
refusal, farewell, dismissal, are none the less cruel to the heart of a
lover. The portrait was a lovely thing to have, no doubt about that;
but the motive for offering it detracted greatly from its value. And
then, of what use is a portrait when the original is at hand, when
one holds her fast and need not let her go?
True; but Canolles, who did not hesitate to risk incurring the wrath
of the queen and Mazarin, trembled at the thought of Madame de
Cambes' frown.
And yet, how the woman had made sport of him, first of all on the
road, then at Chantilly, by taking the place of Madame la Princesse,
and again, only the night before, by giving him a hope which she
snatched away again in the morning! But, of all her deceptions, this
was the most heartless. On the road she did not know him, and
simply got rid of an inconvenient companion, nothing more. In
taking Madame de Condé's place, she obeyed orders, and played the
part assigned her by her suzerain,—she could not do otherwise; but
this time she did know him, and after she had expressed her
appreciation of his self-sacrifice, and had twice uttered that we
which had touched the deepest chords of his heart, to retrace her
steps, disavow her kindly feeling, deny her gratitude, in a word,
write such a letter as that, was, in Canolles' sight, worse than
cruelty,—it was almost mockery. So he lost his temper, and raged
inwardly, heedless of the fact that behind those curtains—the lights
having been all extinguished as the daylight rendered them useless
—a fair spectator, well hidden by the heavy hangings, looked on at
the pantomime of his despair, and shared it perchance.
"Yes, yes," he thought, and accompanied the thought with
expressive gestures,—"yes, 't is a dismissal in due form, a
commonplace ending to a great event, a poetic hope changed to
brutal disappointment. But I will not submit to the ridicule she
proposes to heap upon me. I prefer her hatred to this pretended
gratitude she prates of. Ah! yes, I imagine myself relying upon her
promise now! As well rely upon the constancy of the wind and the
tranquillity of the ocean. Ah! madame, madame," he continued,
turning toward the window, "you have escaped me twice; but I give
you my word that if I ever have another such opportunity you shall
not escape me the third time."
With that, Canolles returned to his apartment, intending to dress
and gain access to the viscountess, though he were obliged to resort
to force. But upon glancing at the clock, he discovered that it was
barely seven. No one had yet risen in the château.
Canolles dropped into an arm-chair and closed his eyes, to collect his
thoughts, and, if possible, drive away the phantoms that were
dancing about him; he opened them again at short intervals to
consult his watch.
Eight o'clock struck and the château began to show signs of life.
Canolles waited another half-hour with infinite impatience; at last he
could contain himself no longer, but went downstairs and accosted
Pompée, who was proudly taking the air in the main court-yard,
surrounded by lackeys to whom he was describing his campaigns in
Picardy under the late king.
"You are her Highness's intendant?" said Canolles, as if he then saw
poor Pompée for the first time.
"Yes, monsieur," replied the wondering squire.
"Be good enough to inform her Highness that I crave the honor of
paying my respects to her."
"But, monsieur, her Highness—"
"Has arisen."
"But—"
"Go!"
"But I thought that monsieur's departure—"
"My departure will depend upon the interview I propose to have with
her Highness."
"I say that because I have no orders from my mistress."
"And I say this," retorted Canolles, "because I have an order from
the king."
As he spoke he majestically clapped his hand upon the pocket of his
doublet,—a gesture which he adopted as the most satisfactory in its
results of all those he had employed since his arrival.
But even as he executed this coup d'état, our ambassador felt that
his courage was deserting him. In fact, since the preceding night, his
importance had greatly diminished. Twelve hours, or very nearly
that, had elapsed since Madame la Princesse left Chantilly; doubtless
she had travelled all night; she must therefore be twenty or twenty-
five leagues away. Let Canolles and his men make what speed they
might, they could not hope to overtake her; and if they should
overtake her, what assurance was there that the escort of a hundred
gentlemen with which she set out was not ere this increased to
three or four hundred devoted adherents? To be sure, Canolles
might still, as he said the night before, die in the performance of his
duty; but had he the right to lead to certain death the men who
accompanied him, and thus force them to pay the bloody penalty of
his amorous caprice? Madame de Cambes, if he had been in error as
to her feeling for him, if her distress was mere comedy,—Madame de
Cambes might then openly make sport of him; he would have to
endure the jeering of the lackeys and of the soldiers hidden in the
forest; the wrath of Mazarin and the queen; and worse than all, his
new-born passion would be nipped in the bud, for never did woman
love a man whom she designed, though but for an instant, to make
ridiculous.
As he was turning these thoughts over and over in his mind, Pompée
returned, with lowered crest, to say that his mistress was awaiting
him.
On this occasion all ceremony was done away with; the viscountess
received him in a small salon adjoining her apartment, fully dressed,
and standing. Traces of a sleepless night, which she had tried in vain
to efface, were plainly visible upon her charming features. A slight
dark circle about her eyes was an especially eloquent indication that
those eyes had hardly been closed during the night.
"You see, monsieur," she began, without giving him time to speak,
"that I comply with your wish, but in the hope, I confess, that this
interview will be the last, and that you will reciprocate by complying
with mine."
"Forgive me, madame," said Canolles; "but after what took place
between us last evening, I made bold to hope that your demands
would be less severe, and I was confident that, after what I had
done for you,—for you alone, for I do not know Madame de Condé,
—you would deign to endure my further presence at Chantilly."
"Yes, monsieur, I confess that on the impulse of the moment—in the
perplexity necessarily consequent upon my present position—the
thought of the great sacrifice you were making for me, and the
interests of Madame la Princesse, which demanded that I should
gain time for her, drew from my lips certain words which accorded
but ill with my thought. But during this long night I have reflected; it
is out of the question that both of us should remain longer at the
château."
"Out of the question, madame!" said Canolles. "Do you forget that
everything is possible for him who speaks in the king's name?"
"Monsieur de Canolles, I hope that before all else you are a
gentleman, and that you will not take unfair advantage of the
position in which my devotion to her Highness has placed me."
"Madame," rejoined Canolles, "before all else I am a madman. Mon
Dieu! you must have seen it, for no one but a madman could do
what I have done. So take pity on my madness, madame; do not
send me away, I implore you!"
"Then I will leave the place, monsieur; yes, I will bring you back to
your duty, in spite of yourself. We will see if you will resort to force
to stop me, if you will expose us both to public scandal. No, no,
monsieur," the viscountess continued, in a tone which Canolles had
not heard before. "No, you will see upon reflection that you cannot
remain forever at Chantilly; you will remember that you are expected
elsewhere."
This last phrase cast a bright light upon Canolles' perplexity. It
recalled to his mind the scene at Biscarros' inn, and Madame de
Cambes' discovery of his liaison with Nanon, and everything was
made clear.
This insomnia was caused by memories of the past, not by present
anxiety. This determination of the morning, which led her to avoid
Canolles, was not the result of reflection, but was a manifestation of
jealousy.
For a moment there was silence between them, as they stood there
face to face; but during that silence both were listening to the
thoughts which whispered with the beating of their hearts.
"Jealous!" Canolles was saying; "jealous! Ah! now I understand it all.
Yes, yes, she would make sure that I love her enough to sacrifice all
other love! This is a test!"
Meanwhile Madame de Cambes communed thus with herself:—
"I am simply a passing fancy for Monsieur de Canolles. He met me
on the road just when he was obliged to leave Guyenne, and
followed me as the traveller follows a jack-o'-lantern; but his heart is
in that little house among the trees, whither he was going the
evening that I met him. It is impossible for me to keep by my side a
man who loves another, and whom I might perchance be weak
enough to love myself, if I were to be longer in his company. Oh! not
only should I betray my honor, but the interests of Madame la
Princesse, were I to sink so low as to love the agent of her
persecutors."
As if replying to her own thoughts she cried abruptly:—
"No, no, you must go, monsieur: go, or I go!"
"You forget, madame, that I have your promise not to leave the
château without informing me of your purpose."
"Very well, monsieur, I now inform you that I propose to leave
Chantilly instantly."
"And do you imagine that I will allow it?"
"What!" cried the viscountess; "you will detain me by force?"
"Madame, I know not what I may do, but I do know that it is
impossible for me to part from you."
"Then I am your prisoner?"
"You are a woman whom I have already lost twice, and whom I do
not propose to lose a third time."
"Aha! violence?"
"Yes, madame, violence," replied Canolles, "if there is no other way
to keep you."
"Oh! what extreme felicity," cried Madame de Cambes, "to detain by
force a woman who shrieks, who demands her freedom, who does
not love you, who detests you!"
Canolles started back, and made a rapid mental effort to distinguish
between the words and the thought that prompted them. He
realized that the moment had come to stake his all upon a single
cast.
"Madame," said he, "the words that you have just uttered, with such
evident sincerity that there is no mistaking their meaning, have
removed all uncertainty from my mind. You shrieking, you a slave! I
detain a woman who does not love me, who detests me! Nay, nay,
madame, have no fear; that shall never be. I did think, judging from
my own happiness in being with you, that you would perhaps endure
my presence; I hoped that, after I had thrown away my reputation,
my peace of mind, my future, mayhap my honor, you would reward
me for this sacrifice by the gift of a few brief hours, which I am
fated never to enjoy. All this might have been had you loved me,—
yes, even had I been indifferent to you; for you are kind of heart,
and would have done for compassion's sake what another would
have done for love. But I find that I have not mere indifference to
reckon with, but hatred; that puts a different face upon the matter,
as you say. I crave your pardon, madame, for failing to realize that
one who loves so madly could be hated in return. It is for you to
remain here, queen, mistress, and free in this château as
everywhere; it is for me to withdraw, and I withdraw accordingly. In
ten minutes you will be fully at liberty once more. Adieu, madame,
adieu, forever!"
And Canolles, whose despair, assumed at first, had become quite
genuine and distressful toward the close of his address, saluted
Madame de Cambes and turned upon his heel, groping blindly for
the door, which he could not find, and repeating the word, "Adieu!
adieu!" with an accent of such profound melancholy that, coming
from the heart, it went straight to the heart. Unfeigned affliction has
a voice of its own as truly as the tempest.
Madame de Cambes did not anticipate this unquestioning obedience
on the part of Canolles; she had marshalled her forces for a
struggle, not for a victory, and her calculations were all set at naught
by this combination of humility and love. As the baron was walking
toward the door, putting out his arms at random, and giving
utterance to something very like a sob, he suddenly felt that a hand
was laid upon his shoulder with a most significant pressure; it did
not touch him, simply, it stopped him.
He turned his head. She was still standing in front of him. Her arm
still rested gracefully upon his shoulder, and the dignified expression
which her face wore an instant before had melted away in a lovely
smile.
"Well, well, monsieur!" said she, "is this the way you obey the
queen? You would go hence when your orders bid you stay, traitor
that you are!"
Canolles with a sharp cry fell upon his knees, and pressed his
burning brow against the hands she held out to him.
"Oh! I shall die with joy!" he exclaimed.
"Alas! do not be overjoyful yet," said the viscountess; "for my object
in stopping you is simply that we might not part thus, that you might
not go hence with the idea that I am an ingrate, that you might
voluntarily give back the promise I gave you, that you might come to
look upon me as a friend, at least, since the fact that we belong to
opposite parties will prevent our ever being anything more to each
other."
"Oh! mon Dieu!" cried Canolles, "am I deceived again? You do not
love me?"
"Let us not talk about our sentiments, baron; rather let us talk of the
risk we both run by remaining here. Go yourself, or allow me to go;
it must be."
"What do you say, madame?"
"The truth. Leave me here; return to Paris; tell Mazarin, tell the
queen what has happened. I will assist you to the best of my ability;
but go, go!"
"Must I tell you again," cried Canolles, "that to leave you would be
death to me?"
"No, no, you will not die, for you will retain the hope that in happier
days we shall meet again."
"Chance has thrown me in your way, madame, or, rather, has placed
you in my way twice already; but chance will have grown weary in
well-doing, and if I leave you now I shall never see you again."
"Then I will seek you out."
"Oh! madame, ask me to die for you; death is an instant's suffering,
and all is over. But do not ask me to leave you again. At the bare
thought my heart is breaking. Why, consider, pray, that I have hardly
seen you, hardly spoken with you."
"Well, then, if I allow you to remain to-day, if you are at liberty to
see me and talk to me throughout the day, will you be content? Tell
me."
"I make no promises."
"Nor I, if that is so. But, as I did some time since promise to give
you due notice of my departure, know that I leave this place an hour
hence."
"Must I do whatever you wish? Must I obey you in every point? Must
I set aside my own volition and follow yours blindly? If I must do all
that, be content. You have before you a slave, ready to obey.
Command me, madame, command me."
Claire gave the baron her hand, and said, in her softest and most
winning voice:—
"I ask a new promise in exchange for mine; if I do not leave your
side from now until nine o'clock this evening, will you go at nine
o'clock?"
"I swear it."
"Come, then; the sky is blue and gives promise of a beautiful day;
there is dew upon the grass, sweet perfume in the air, and balm
among the trees. Holé! Pompée."
The worthy intendant, who had doubtless been instructed to remain
outside the door, made his appearance at once.
"My saddle-horses," said Madame de Cambes, assuming her princely
expression; "I will ride this morning to the ponds, and return by the
farm, where I will breakfast. You will accompany me, Monsieur le
Baron," she continued; "it is a part of your duties, as you have
received her Majesty's commands never to lose sight of me."
A suffocating cloud of joy blinded the baron, and enveloped him, like
the masses of vapor in which the immortal gods of old were carried
up to heaven; he went where he was led, unresistingly, almost
without volition; he was intoxicated, he was mad. Soon, amid a
charming wood, through shadowy avenues, where hanging branches
softly swept across his brow, he opened once again his eyes to
things of earth. He was on foot, his heart oppressed by pleasure so
intense that it was well-nigh pain, his hand in hers, and she as pale,
as silent, and as happy, too, as he.
Behind them Pompée stalked along, so near that he could see, so far
away that he could not hear.
 III.

This blissful day came to an end at last, as every dream must do;
the hours had passed like seconds to the thrice happy gentleman,
and yet it seemed to him as if enough memorable incidents were
crowded into that one day to fill three ordinary lives. Every avenue in
the park was enriched with the memory of a word or a smile from
the viscountess; a look, a gesture, a finger laid upon the lip,
everything had its meaning. As they stepped aboard the boat she
pressed his hand; when they stepped ashore again she leaned upon
his arm; as they walked along by the park wall, she was tired and
sat down; and again and again, as a thrill of pleasure swept like a
lightning flash before the young man's eyes, the landscape, lighted
up by a fantastic gleam, was indelibly imprinted on his mind in its
least details.
Canolles was not to leave the viscountess during the day; at
breakfast she invited him to dinner, at dinner she invited him to
supper.
Amid all the pomp which the pretended princess displayed in her
reception of the king's messenger, Canolles could discern the
winning attentions of the woman who loves. He forgot the valets,
etiquette, the world; he even forgot the promise he had given to
take his departure, and fancied himself installed for a blissful eternity
in this terrestrial paradise, of which he would be the Adam, and
Madame de Cambes the Eve.
But when night fell, when the supper came to an end, after passing
off, like all the other incidents of that day, in ineffable bliss, when a
maid of honor had duly introduced Monsieur Pierrot, still disguised
as the Duc d'Enghien, who seized the opportunity to eat as much as
four princes of the blood together would have done, when the clock
began to strike, and Madame de Cambes, glancing up at it, made
sure that it was about to strike ten times, she said, with a sigh:—
"Now it is time."
"Time for what?" rejoined Canolles, trying to smile, and to ward off a
great disaster by a jest.
"Time to keep the promise you gave me."
"Ah! madame," said Canolles, sadly, "you forget nothing, do you?"
"Perhaps I might have forgotten, like yourself; but here is something
that refreshes my memory;" and she took from her pocket a letter
that was handed her just as they took their seats at the table.
"From whom is that letter?" queried Canolles.
"From Madame la Princesse, who bids me join her."
"I understand that this is a mere pretext! I am grateful to you for
showing me such consideration."
"Make no mistake, Monsieur de Canolles," rejoined the viscountess,
taking no pains to conceal her sadness. "Had I not received this
letter, I should have reminded you of your promise at the proper
time, just as I have done now. Do you think that the people about
us can much longer avoid detecting the understanding between us?
Our relations, you will agree, are not those of a persecuted princess
with her persecutor. But if this separation is so painful to you as you
pretend, let me tell you, Monsieur le Baron, that it rests with you to
make it unnecessary that we should separate."
"Say what you mean! oh, say!" cried Canolles.
"Do you not guess?"
"Yes, madame, I do, indeed; I cannot be mistaken. You mean to
suggest that I should espouse the cause of Madame la Princesse."
"She speaks of it herself in this letter," said Madame de Cambes,
eagerly.
"I am glad that the idea did not originate with you, and I thank you
for the embarrassment with which you broached the subject. Not
that my conscience revolts at the thought of following this or that
party; no, I have no convictions; indeed, who, save those personally
interested, have convictions in this war? When the sword has once
left the scabbard, what care I whether the blow comes from one
side or another? I do not know the court, nor do I know the princes;
with an independent fortune and without ambition, I have no
expectations from either party. I am an officer, and that's the end of
it."
"In that case you will consent to go with me?"
"No."
"But why not, pray, if things are as you say?"
"Because you would esteem me less."
"Is that the only obstacle?"
"My word for it."
"Then you need have no fear."
"You don't yourself believe what you are saying now," rejoined
Canolles, shaking his finger at her with a smile. "A turncoat is the
same thing as a traitor; the first word is a little softer, but they are
synonymous."
"Ah, well! perhaps you are right," said Madame de Cambes, "and I
will urge you no further. If you had been in any ordinary position I
would have tried to win you over to the cause of the princes; but as
an envoy of the king, intrusted with a confidential mission by her
Majesty the queen regent and the first minister of the crown,
honored with the good-will of Monsieur le Duc d'Épernon, who,
notwithstanding the suspicions I entertained at first, is your very
zealous patron, so I am told—"
Canolles blushed.
"I will say no more on that subject, but listen to me, baron; we do
not part forever, be sure; I have a presentiment that we shall meet
again."
"Where?" asked Canolles.
"I have no idea; but meet again we certainly shall."
Canolles sadly shook his head.
"I dare not count upon it, madame," said he; "there is war between
us, and that is too great an obstacle when, at the same time, there
is no love."
"Pray, do you count this day as nothing?" asked the viscountess, in a
soul-thrilling tone.
"It is the only day that I am sure that I have lived since I came into
the world."
"Then you see that you are ungrateful."
"Grant me a second day like this one—"
"I cannot; I must leave Chantilly to-night."
"I don't ask it for to-morrow, nor for the day after to-morrow; I
simply ask you for some day in the future. Select whatever time you
choose, whatever place you choose, but give me a certainty to live
upon; I should suffer too much if I had naught but a hope."
"Where shall you go upon leaving me?"
"To Paris, to report upon the success of my mission."
"And then?"
"To the Bastille, perhaps."
"But assuming that you do not go there?"
"I shall return to Libourne, where my regiment should be."
"And I to Bordeaux, where I expect to find Madame la Princesse. Do
you know any out-of-the-way village on the road from Bordeaux to
Libourne?"
"I know one, the memory of which is almost as dear to me as that of
Chantilly."
"Jaulnay?" queried the viscountess, with a smile.
"Jaulnay," echoed Canolles.
"Very well; I shall need four days to go to Jaulnay; it is now Tuesday.
I will stop there all day on Sunday."
"Oh! thanks, thanks!" cried Canolles, pressing against his lips a hand
which Madame de Cambes had not the courage to withdraw.
"Now," said she, after a moment's pause, "we must play out our
little comedy to the end."
"Ah, yes, madame; the comedy which is to cover me with ridicule in
the eyes of all Prance. But I have nothing to say; it was I who would
have it so, it was I who—I cannot say selected the part that I play
therein—but arranged the catastrophe which brings it to a close."
Madame de Cambes lowered her eyes.
"Now tell me what I have still to do," said Canolles, coolly; "I await
your orders, and am ready for anything."
Claire was so deeply moved that Canolles could see the velvet folds
of her dress rise and fall with the uneven, hurried beating of her
heart.
"You are making a very great sacrifice for me, I know; but pray
believe me when I say that my gratitude will live forever. Yes, you
are about to incur disgrace at court for my sake, and to be severely
censured. Monsieur, care nothing for that, I beg you, if it affords you
any pleasure to know that you have made me happy."
"I will try, madame."
"Believe me, baron," continued Madame de Cambes, "the bitter grief
which I read upon your face causes me no less bitter remorse. It
may be that others would recompense you more fully than I; but,
monsieur, a recompense accorded so readily would not worthily pay
for your self-sacrifice."
As she spoke, Claire hung her head with a sigh.
"Is that all you have to say to me?"
"Stay," said the viscountess, taking from her breast a portrait which
she handed to Canolles; "take this portrait, and at every pang that
this unhappy affair causes you, look at it, and say to yourself that
you suffer for her whose image is before you, and that every such
pang is paid for in regret."
"Is that all?"
"In esteem."
"Is that all?"
"In sympathy."
"Ah! madame, one word more!" cried Canolles. "Why should it cost
you so dear to make me altogether happy?"
Claire stepped quickly toward him, put out her hand, and opened
her mouth to add:—
"In love."
But simultaneously with her mouth, the door was thrown open and
the pseudo-captain of the guards appeared upon the threshold,
accompanied by Pompée.
"I will finish at Jaulnay," said the viscountess.
"Your sentence, or your thought?"
"Both; one always expresses the other."
"Madame," said the captain of the guards, "your Highness's carriage
is waiting."
"Feign astonishment," said Claire, in an undertone.
"Where does your Highness propose to go?" he asked, with a smile
of pity for his own plight.
"I am going away."
"But does your Highness forget that I am instructed by her Majesty
not to leave you for an instant?"
"Monsieur, your mission is at an end."
"What does this mean?"
"That I am not her Highness, Madame la Princesse de Condé, but
Madame la Vicomtesse de Cambes, her first maid of honor. Madame
la Princesse left Chantilly last evening, and I go to join her."
Canolles did not stir. It was plainly most distasteful to him to
continue to play this comedy before an audience of lackeys.
Madame de Cambes, to encourage him, bestowed one of her
sweetest glances upon him; that glance restored his courage in
some measure.
"So the king has been deceived," he said. "And where is Monsieur le
Duc d'Enghien?"
"I have given orders that Pierrot return to his flower-beds," said a
grave voice at the door.
It was the voice of the princess dowager, who was standing near the
door, supported by two of her tire-women.
"Return to Paris, to Mantes, to the court, in a word, wherever it may
be; your mission here is at an end. You will say to the king that the
persecuted have resorted to stratagem, which renders fruitless the
use of force. You are at liberty, however, to remain at Chantilly, to
stand guard over me, who have not left, and shall not leave the
château, because such is not my design. With this, Monsieur le
Baron, I take my leave of you."
Canolles, red with shame, could hardly summon strength to bend his
head, as he glanced at the viscountess, and murmured
reproachfully:—
"O, madame! madame!"
She understood the glance and heard the words.
"I crave your Highness's permission," she said, "to play the part of
Madame la Princesse one moment more. I desire to thank Monsieur
le Baron de Canolles, in the name of his illustrious hosts who have
left this château, for the respect he has shown, and the great
delicacy he has exhibited in the performance of so difficult a mission.
I venture to believe, madame, that your Highness has the same
opinion, and to hope, therefore, that you will add your
acknowledgments to mine."
The dowager was touched by these earnest words, and it may be
that her profound sagacity suggested to her some part of this new
secret grafted upon the old; so it was that her voice was not entirely
free from emotion as she uttered the following words:—
"For all that you have done against us, monsieur, oblivion; for all
that you have done for my family, gratitude."
Canolles knelt upon one knee at the feet of the princess, who gave
him that hand to kiss whereon Henri IV. had imprinted so many
kisses.
It was the last act of the play, it was an irrevocable dismissal. There
was nothing left for Canolles to do but to take his leave. And so he
withdrew to his apartment, and lost no time in writing to Mazarin the
most despairing report imaginable; he preferred not to be present to
suffer the consequences of the first outburst of anger. That done he
passed out through the servants of the château, with some
apprehension that he might be insulted by them, to the court-yard,
where his horse awaited him.
As he was about to put his foot in the stirrup, these words were
uttered by an imperious voice:—
"Do honor to the envoy of his Majesty, the king, our master!"
Thereupon every head was bent before Canolles, who, with a low
bow toward the window at which the princess was standing, drove
his spurs into his horse, and disappeared, with head erect.
Castorin, awakened from the seductive dream which he owed to
Pompée, the false intendant, followed his master with lowered crest.
 IV.

It is full time to return to one of the most important personages of

this narrative, whom we shall find riding an excellent horse along the
road from Paris to Bordeaux, with five companions, whose eyes
sparkled at every sound that came from a bag filled with gold
crowns, hanging at Ferguzon's saddle-bow. The melody rejoiced and
refreshed the little troop, as the music of the drum and fife imparts
renewed life to the soldier on the march.
"Never mind, never mind," one of the men was saying; "ten
thousand livres is a pretty little sum."
"You might say," rejoined Ferguzon, "that it is a magnificent sum, if
it owed nothing to anybody; but it owes a company to Madame la
Princesse. Nimium satis est, as the ancients used to say; which may
be translated thus: 'Nothing less than too much is enough. Now, my
dear Barrabas, we haven't that desirable enough which is equivalent
to too much."
"How much it costs to appear to be an honest man!" said Cauvignac;
"all that we took from the royal tax-gatherer has gone into
equipments, doublets, and trimming. We cut as fine a figure as any
nobleman, and we carry luxury so far as to have purses; to be sure,
there's nothing in them. Oh, appearances!"
"Speak for us, captain, and not for yourself," said Barrabas. "You
have the purse and ten thousand livres to boot."
"My good fellow," said Cauvignac, "did you not hear, or did you
misunderstand what Ferguzon just said touching our obligation to
Madame la Princesse? I am not of those who promise one thing and
do another. Monsieur Lenet paid over ten thousand livres to me to
raise a company, and if I don't raise it may the devil fly away with
me! On the day when it is raised he will owe me forty thousand
more. When that time comes, if he doesn't pay the forty thousand
livres we will see."
"With ten thousand livres!" cried four satirical voices in chorus; for
Ferguzon, whose confidence in his leader's resources was
unbounded, seemed to be the only one of the troop convinced that
Cauvignac would attain the promised result; "with ten thousand
livres you will raise a company?"
"Yes," said Cauvignac, "when some one thinks fit to add something
to it."
"Who is there, pray, to add anything to it?" asked a voice.
"Not I," said Ferguzon.
"Who, then?" Barrabas asked.
"Pardieu! the first comer. Stay, I see a man yonder on the road. You
will see—"
"I understand," said Ferguzon.
"Is that all?" queried Cauvignac.
"And admire."
"Yes," said one of the horsemen, drawing nigh Cauvignac, "yes, I
understand that you can always be depended on to keep your
promises, captain; but we may lose by being too honest. To-day we
are necessary; but if the company is raised to-morrow, officers in the
confidence of the princes will be assigned to it, and we, who have
had all the trouble of raising it, shall be dismissed."
"You are an idiot, in five letters, my dear Carrotel, and this isn't the
first time I have told you so," said Cauvignac. "The pitiful logic you
have just perpetrated deprives you of the rank I proposed to give
you in the company; for it is evident that we shall be the six officers
of this nucleus of an army. I should have appointed you sub-
lieutenant at the outset, Carrotel; now you will be only a sergeant.
Thanks to the nonsense you just heard, Barrabas, you, who have
held your tongue, will hold that position until, Ferguzon having been
hanged, you are promoted to the lieutenancy by right of seniority.
But let us not lose sight of my first recruit, whom I see yonder."
"Have you any idea who the man is, captain?" Ferguzon asked.
"Not the slightest."
"He should be a tradesman; he wears a black cloak."
"Are you sure?"
"Look when the wind raises it; do you see?"
"If he wears a black cloak, he's a wealthy citizen; so much the
better. We are recruiting for the service of the princes, and it is
important that the company should be made up of good men. If it
were for that wretch of a Mazarin, anything would be good enough;
but for the princes, deuce take me!—Ferguzon, I have an idea that
my company will do me honor, as Falstaff says."
The whole troop spurred forward to overtake the citizen, who was
riding peaceably along in the middle of the road.
When the worthy man, who was mounted upon a sleek mule,
observed the magnificently arrayed horsemen galloping up behind
him, he rode off to the side of the road with due respect, and
saluted Cauvignac.
"He is well-mannered," said that worthy; "that's a great point. "He
doesn't know the military salute, but we will teach him that."
He returned the salute, then rode up beside the traveller.
"Monsieur," he began, "be good enough to tell us if you love the
king."
"Parbleu! yes," was the reply.
"Admirable!" said Cauvignac, rolling his eyes in delight. "And the
queen?"
"The queen! I have the greatest veneration for her."
"Excellent! and Monsieur de Mazarin?"
"Monsieur de Mazarin is a great man, monsieur, and I admire him."
"Perfect! In that case, we have had the good fortune to fall in with a
faithful servitor of his Majesty?"
"I pride myself upon it, monsieur."
"And are prepared to prove your zeal for him?"
"On every occasion."
"How luckily this comes about! such meetings as this never happen
except on the high-road."
"What do you mean?" queried the tradesman, beginning to eye
Cauvignac with some uneasiness.
"I mean, monsieur, that you must come with us."
The tradesman almost leaped out of his saddle in surprise and terror.
"Go with you! Whither, monsieur, in God's name?"
"I am not altogether sure, myself; wherever we go."
"Monsieur, I travel only with people whom I know."
"That is quite right, and shows you to be a prudent man; so I will
proceed to tell you who we are."
The tradesman made a gesture, as if to say that he had already
guessed. Cauvignac continued, without seeming to notice the
gesture:—
"I am Roland de Cauvignac, captain of a company, which is not
present, it is true, but is worthily represented by Louis-Gabriel
Ferguzon, my lieutenant, by Georges-Guillaume Barrabas, my sub-
lieutenant, by Zéphérin Carrotel, my sergeant, and by these two
gentlemen, one of whom is my quartermaster and the other my
sergeant-major. You know us now, monsieur," continued Cauvignac,
with his most benign smile, "and I venture to hope that you feel no
antipathy for us."
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