A Heroine of France | Page 8

breasts.
We spoke no word to De Baudricourt of our intention. Bertrand knew
from his manner that he was thinking more and more earnestly of that
declaration on the part of the village maiden that her Lord--the King of
Heaven--had revealed to her that she must be sent to the Dauphin, to
help him to drive out the English from his country, and to place the
crown of France upon his head, and that he, Robert de Baudricourt, was
the instrument who would be used to speed her on her way. Bertrand
knew that this thought was weighing upon the mind of his kinsman,
and the more so as the time for the fulfilment of the prophecy drew
nearer.
Autumn had come. Winter was hard at hand; and before Mid-Lent the
promised succour to France was to arrive through the means of this
maiden--this Jeanne d'Arc.
"He is waiting and watching," spoke Bertrand, as we rode through the
forest, the thinning leaves of which allowed the sunlight to play merrily
upon our path. "He says in his heart that if this thing be of God, the
Maid will come again when the time draws near; but that if it is
phantasy, or if she be deluded of the Devil, perchance his backwardness
will put a check upon her ardour, and we shall hear no more of it. The
Abbe Perigord, his Confessor, has bidden him beware lest it be a snare
of the Evil One"--and as he spoke these words Bertrand crossed himself,
and I did the like, for the forest is an ill place in which to talk of the
Devil, as all men know.
"But for my part, when I think upon her words, and see again the look
of her young face, I cannot believe that she has been thus deceived;
albeit we are told that the Devil can make himself appear as an angel of
light."
This was the puzzle, of course. But surely the Church had power to
discern betwixt the wiles of the Evil One and the finger of God. There
were words and signs which any possessed of the Devil must needs fly
before. I could not think that the Church need fear deception, even
though a village maid might be deceived.

The forest was very beautiful that day, albeit travelling was something
slow, owing to the softness of the ground, and the swollen condition of
the brooks, which often forced us to go round by the bridges instead of
taking the fords; so that we halted a few miles from Domremy to bait
our horses and to appease our own hunger, for by that time our appetite
was sharp set.
It was there, as we sat at table, and talked with mine host, that we heard
somewhat more of this Maid, whom we had started forth in hopes to
see.
Bertrand was known for the kinsman of De Baudricourt and all the
countryside knew well the tale, how that Jeanne d'Arc had gone to him
in the springtide of the year, demanding an escort to the Dauphin King
of France, for whom she had a message from the King of Heaven, and
whom she was to set upon his throne.
"When she came home again, having accomplished nothing," spoke the
innkeeper, leaning his hands upon the table and greatly enjoying the
sound of his own voice, "all the village made great mock of her! They
called her the King's Marshal, the Little Queen, Jeanne the Prophetess,
and I know not what beside. Her father was right wroth with her. Long
ago he had a dream about her, which troubled him somewhat, as he
seemed to see his daughter in the midst of fighting men, leading them
on to battle."
"Did he dream that? Surely that is something strange for the vision of a
village prud'homme anent his little daughter."
"Ay truly, though at the time he thought little of it, but when all this
came to pass he recalled it again; and he smote Jeanne upon the ear
with his open hand, and bid her return to her needle and her household
tasks, and think no more of matters too great for her. Moreover, he
declared that if ever she were to disgrace herself by mingling with
men-at-arms, he would call upon her brothers to drown her, and if they
disobeyed him, he would take and do it with his own hands!"
"A Spartan father, truly!" murmured Bertrand.

"O ay--but he is a very honest man, is Jacques d'Arc; and he was very
wroth at all the talk about his daughter, and he vowed she should wed
an honest man, as she is now of age to do, and so forget her dreams and
her visions, and take care of her house and her