A Heroine of France | Page 4

crown shall be set upon his head. And this, with
other matters which are for his ear alone I am sent to tell him; and you,
good my lord, are he who shall send me to my King.'
"Thus she spoke, and looked at us all with those shining eyes of hers;
yet it seemed to me she scarce saw us. Her glance did go beyond, as
though she were gazing in vision upon the things which were to be."
"She was beautiful, you say?" asked Sir Guy, whose interest was
keenly aroused; but who, I saw, was doubtful whether Bertrand had not
been deceived by some witchery of fair face and graceful form; for
Bertrand, albeit a man of thews and sinews and bold as a lion in fight,
was something of the dreamer too, as warriors in all ages have
sometimes been.
"Yes--as an angel of God is beautiful," he answered, "ask me not of
that; for I can tell you nothing. I know not the hue of her hair or of her
eyes, nor what her face was like, nor her form, save that she was tall
and very slender; but beautiful--ah yes!--with the beauty which this

world cannot give; a beauty which silenced every flippant jest, shamed
every scoffing thought, turned ridicule into wonder, contempt into
reverence. Whether this wonderful maiden came in truth as a
messenger of God or no, at least not one present but saw well that she
herself believed heart and soul in her divine commission."
"And what answer did the Seigneur de Baudricourt make to her?"
"He gazed upon her full for awhile, and then he suddenly asked of her,
'And when shall all these wonders come to pass?'
"She, with her gaze fixed still a little upwards, answered, 'Before
mid-Lent next year shall succour reach him; then will the city of
Orleans be in sore straight; but help shall come, and the English shall
fly before the sword of the Lord. Afterwards shall the Dauphin receive
consecration at Rheims, and the crown of France shall be set upon his
head, in token that he is the anointed of the Lord.'
"'And who has told you all this, my child?' asked De Baudricourt then,
answering gently, as one speaks within a church.
"'Mes voix,' she answered, speaking as one who dreams, and in
dreaming listens.
"'What voices?' asked De Baudricourt, 'and have you naught but voices
to instruct you in such great matters?'
"'Yes, Sire,' she answered softly, 'I have seen the great Archangel
Michael, his sword drawn in his hand; and I know that he has drawn it
for the deliverance of France, and that though he has chosen so humble
an instrument as myself, yet that to him and to the Lord of Heaven will
he the victory and the glory.'
"When she had thus spoken there was a great silence in the hall, in
which might have been heard the fall of a pin, and I vow that whether it
were trick of summer sunshine or no, the light about the maiden
seemed to grow brighter and brighter. Her face was just slightly
uplifted as one who listens, and upon her lips there was a smile.

"'And I know that you will send me to the Dauphin, Robert de
Baudricourt,' she suddenly said, 'because my voices tell me so.'
"We all looked at De Baudricourt, who sat chin on hand, gazing at the
maiden as though he would read her very soul. We waited, wondering,
for him to speak At last he did.
"'Well, my girl, I will think of all this. We have till next year, by your
own showing, ere these great things shall come to pass. So get you
home, and see what your father and mother say to all this, and whether
the Archangel Michael comes again or no. Go home--be a good girl,
and we will see what we will see.'"
"Was that all he promised?" spoke Sir Guy with a short laugh. "I trow
the maiden dreamer would not thank him for that word! A deliverer of
princes to be bidden to go home and be a good girl! What said she to
that counsel?"
"Ay, well you may ask," spoke Bertrand with subdued emotion. "Just
such a question sprang to my lips as I heard my kinsman's answer. I
looked to see her face fall, to see sparks of anger flash from her eyes, or
a great disappointment cloud the serene beauty of her countenance. But
instead of this a wonderful smile lighted it, and her sweet and resonant
voice sounded clear through the hall.
"'Ah, now Seigneur, I know you for a good and true man! You speak as
did my voices when first I heard them. "Jeanne, sois bonne et sage