I had myself proposed the test, and yet when the moment came I was
ashamed of myself. The Abbe had put on his robes and his stole; a
vessel containing holy water stood before him on the table; the
book of the Blessed Gospels was in his hands, a boy with a taper
stood at his side. The place was the hall of the Castle, and the
Governor with a few of those most in his confidence stood by to see
what would follow. I was at his right hand.
Bertrand brought in the Maid. I know not what he had said to her,
or whether he had prepared her for what was about to take place;
but however that may have been, her face wore that calm and lofty
serenity of expression which seemed to belong to her. As she
approached she made a lowly reverence to the priest, and stood
before him where Bertrand placed her, looking at him with earnest,
shining eyes.
"My daughter," spoke the Abbe gravely, "have you security in your
heart that the visions and voices sent to you come of good and not
of evil? Many men and women have, ere this, been deceived--yea,
even the holy Saints themselves have been tempted of the devil,
that old serpent, who is the great deceiver of the hearts and
spirits of men. Are you well assured in your heart that you are not
thus deceived and led away by whispers and suggestions from the
father of lies?"
There was no anger in her face, but a beautiful look of reverent,
yet joyful, confidence and peace.
"I am well assured, my father, that it is my Lord who speaks to me
through His most holy and blessed Saints, and through the
ever-glorious Archangel Michael."
"And yet, my daughter, you know that it is written in the Holy
Scriptures that the devil can transform himself into an angel of
light."
"Truly that is so, my father; but is it not also written that those
who put their trust in the Lord shall never be confounded?"
"Yes, my daughter; and I pray God you may not be confounded. But it
is my duty to try and test the spirits, so as to be a rock of
defence to those beneath my care. Yet if things be with you as you
say, you will have no fear."
"I have no fear, my father," she answered, and stood with folded
hands and serene and smiling face whilst he went through those
forms of exorcism and adjuration which, it is said, no evil spirit
can endure without crying aloud, or causing that the person
possessed should roll and grovel in agony upon the ground, or rush
frantically forth out of sight and hearing.
But the Maid never moved, save to bend her head in reverence as the
Thrice Holy Name was proclaimed, and as the drops of holy water
fell upon her brow. To me it seemed almost like sacrilege, in face
of that pure and holy calm, to entertain for one moment a doubt of
the origin of her mission. Yet it may be that the test was a wise
one; for De Baudricourt and those about him watched it with close
and breathless wonder, and one and another whispered behind his
hand:
"Of a surety she is no witch. She could never stand thus if there
was aught of evil in her. Truly she is a marvellous Maid. If this
thing be of the Lord, let us not fight against Him."
The trial was over. The Maid received the blessing of the Abbe,
who, if not convinced of the sacredness of her mission, was yet
impotent to prove aught against her. It is strange to me, looking
back at those days, how far less ready of heart the ecclesiastics
were to receive her testimony and recognise in her the messenger of
the Most High than were the soldiers, whether the generals whom she
afterwards came to know, or the men who crowded to fight beneath
her banner. One would have thought that to priests and clergy a
greater grace and power of understanding would have been
vouchsafed; but so far from this, they always held her in doubt and
suspicion, and were her secret foes from first to last.
I made it my task to see her safely home; and as we went, I asked:
"Was it an offence to you, fair Maid, that he should thus seek to
test and try you?"
"Not an offence to me, Seigneur," she answered gently, "but he
should not have had need to do it. For he did hear my confession on
Friday. Therefore he should have known better. It is no offence to
me, save inasmuch as it doth seem a slighting of my Lord."
The people flocked around her as she passed through the streets. It
was wonderful how the common townsfolk believed in her. Already she
was spoken of as a deliverer and a saviour of her country. Nay,
more, her gentleness and sweetness so won upon the hearts of those
who came in contact with her, that mothers prayed of her to come
and visit their sick children, or to speak words of comfort to
those in pain and suffering; and such was the comfort and strength
she brought with her, that there were whispers of miraculous cures
being performed by her. In truth, I have no knowledge myself of any
miracle performed by her, and the Maid denied that she possessed
such gifts of healing. But that she brought comfort and joy and
peace with her I can well believe, and she had some skill with the
sick whom she tended in her own village, so that it is likely that
some may have begun to mend from the time she began to visit them.
As for De Baudricourt, his mind was made up. There was something
about this girl which was past his understanding. Just at present
it was not possible to send her to the King, for the rains,
sometimes mingled with blinding snow storms, were almost incessant,
the country lay partially under water, and though such a journey
might be possible to a seasoned soldier, he declared it would be
rank murder to send a young girl, who, perchance, had never mounted
a horse before, all that great distance. She must needs wait till
the waters had somewhat subsided, and till the cold had abated, and
the days were somewhat longer.
The Maid heard these words with grave regret, and even disapproval.
"My Lord would take care of me. I have no fear," she said; but De
Baudricourt, although he now faithfully promised to send her to
Chinon, would not be moved from his resolution to wait.
For my part, I have always suspected that he sent a private
messenger to Chinon to ask advice what he should do, and desired to
await his return ere acting. But of that I cannot speak certainly,
since he never admitted it himself.
If the delay fretted the Maid's spirit, she never spoke with anger
or impatience; much of her time was spent in a little chapel in the
crypt of the church at Vaucouleurs, where stood an image of Our
Lady, before which she would kneel sometimes for hours together in
rapt devotion. I myself went thither sometimes to pray; and often
have I seen her there, so absorbed in her devotions that she knew
nothing of who came or went.
By this time Bertrand and I had steadfastly resolved to accompany
the Maid not only to Chinon, but upon whatsoever campaign her
voices should afterwards send her. Although we were knights, we
neither of us possessed great wealth; indeed, we had only small
estates, and these were much diminished in value from the wasting
war and misfortunes of the country. Still we resolved to muster
each a few men-at-arms, and form for her a small train; for De
Baudricourt, albeit willing to send her with a small escort to
Chinon, had neither the wish nor the power to equip any sort of
force to accompany her, though there would be no small danger on
the journey, both from the proximity of the English in some parts,
and the greater danger from roving bands of Burgundians, whose sole
object was spoil and plunder, and their pastime the slaughter of
all who opposed them.
And now we began to ask one another in what guise the Maid should
travel; for it was obvious that her cumbrous peasant garb was
little suited for the work she had in hand, and we made many
fanciful plans of robing her after the fashion of some old-time
queen, such as Boadicea or Semiramis, and wondered whether we could
afford to purchase some rich clothing and a noble charger, and so
convey her to the King in something of regal state and pomp.
But when, one day, we spoke something of this to the Maid herself,
she shook her head with a smile, and said:
"Gentle knights, I give you humble and hearty thanks; but such rich
robes and gay trappings are not for me. My voices have bidden me
what to do. I am to assume the dress of a boy, since I must needs
live for a while amongst soldiers and men. I am sent to do a man's
work, therefore in the garb of a man must I set forth. Our good
citizens of Vaucouleurs are already busy with the dress I must
shortly assume. There is none other in which my work can be so well
accomplished."
And in truth we saw at once the sense of her words. She had before
her a toilsome journey in the companionship of men. She must needs
ride, since there was no other way of travelling possible; and why
should the frailest and tenderest of the party be burdened by a
dress that would incommode her at every turn?
And when upon the very next day she appeared in the Castle yard in
the hose and doublet and breeches of a boy, and asked of us to give
her her first lesson in horsemanship, all our doubts and misgivings
fled away. She wore her dress with such grace, such ease, such
simplicity, that it seemed at once the right and fitting thing; and
not one of the soldiers in the courtyard who watched her feats that
day, passed so much as a rude jest upon her, far less offered her
any insult. In truth, they were speedily falling beneath the spell
which she was soon to exercise upon a whole army, and it is no
marvel to me that this was so; for every day I felt the charm of
her presence deepening its hold upon my heart.
Never have I witnessed such quickness of mastery as the Maid
showed, both in her acquirement of horsemanship and in the use of
arms, in both of which arts we instructed her day by day. I had
noted her strength and suppleness of limb the very first day I had
seen her; and she gave marvellous proof of it now. She possessed
also that power over her horse which she exercised over men, and
each charger that she rode in turn answered almost at once to her
voice and hand, with a docility he never showed to other riders.
Yet she never smote or spurred them; the sound of her voice, or the
light pressure of knee or hand was enough. She had never any fear
from the first, and was never unhorsed. Very soon she acquired such
skill and ease that we had no fears for her with regard to the
journey she soon must take.
Although filling the time up thus usefully, her heart was ever set
upon her plan, and daily she would wistfully ask:
"May we not yet sally forth to the Dauphin?"
Still she bore the delay well, never losing opportunities for
learning such things as might be useful to her; and towards the end
of the month there came a peremptory summons to her from the Duke
of Lorraine, who was lying very ill at Nancy.
"They tell me," he wrote to De Baudricourt, "that you have at
Vaucouleurs a woman who may be in sooth that Maid of Lorraine who,
it has been prophesied, is to arise and save France. I have a great
curiosity to see her; wherefore, I pray you, send her to me without
delay. It may be that she will recover me of my sickness. In any
case, I would fain have speech of her; so do not fail to send her
forthwith."
De Baudricourt had no desire to offend his powerful neighbour, and
he forthwith went down to the house of Leroyer, taking Bertrand and
me with him, to ask of the Maid whether she would go to see the
Duke at his Court, since the journey thither was but short, and
would be a fitting preparation for the longer one.
We found her sitting in the saddler's shop, with one of his
children on her lap, watching whilst he fashioned for her a saddle,
which the citizens of Vaucouleurs were to give her. Bertrand and I
were to present the horse she was to ride, and I had also sent to
my home for a certain holiday suit and light armour made for a
brother of mine who had died young. I had noted that the Maid had
just such a slim, tall figure as he, and was certain that this
suit, laid away by our mother in a cedar chest, would fit her as
though made for her. But it had not come yet, and she was habited
in the tunic and hose she now wore at all times. Her beautiful hair
still hung in heavy masses round her shoulders, giving to her
something of the look of a saintly warrior on painted window.
Later on, when she had to wear a headpiece, she cut off her long
curling locks, and then her hair just framed her face like a
nimbus; but today it was still hanging loose upon her shoulders,
and the laughing child had got his little hands well twisted in the
waving mass, upon which the midday sun was shining clear and
strong. She had risen, and was looking earnestly at De Baudricourt;
yet all the while she seemed to be, as it were, listening for other
sounds than those of his voice.
When he ceased she was silent for a brief while, and then spoke.
"I would fain it had been to the Dauphin you would send me,
Seigneur; but since that may not be yet, I will gladly go to the
Duke, if I may but turn aside to make my pilgrimage to the shrine
of St Nicholas, where I would say some prayers, and ask help."
"Visit as many shrines as you like, so as you visit the Duke as
well," answered De Baudricourt, who always spoke with a sort of
rough bluffness to the Maid, not unkindly, though it lacked
gentleness. But she never evinced fear of him, and for that he
respected her. She showed plenty of good sense whilst the details
of the journey were being arranged, and was in no wise abashed at
the prospect of appearing at a Court. How should she be, indeed,
who was looking forward with impatience to her appearance at the
Court of an uncrowned King?
Bertrand and I, with some half-dozen men-at-arms, were to form her
escort, and upon the very next day, the sun shining bright, and the
wind blowing fresh from the north over the wet lands, drying them
somewhat after the long rains, we set forth.
The Maid rode the horse which afterwards was to carry her so many
long, weary miles. He was a tall chestnut, deep in the chest,
strong in the flank, with a proudly arching neck, a great mane of
flowing hair, a haughty fashion of lifting his shapely feet, and an
eye that could be either mild or fierce, according to the fashion
in which he was treated. On his brow was a curious mark, something
like a cross in shape, and the colour of it was something deeper
than the chestnut of his coat. The Maid marked this sign at the
first glance, and she called the horse her Crusader. Methinks she
was cheered and pleased by the red cross she thus carried before
her, and she and her good steed formed one of those friendships
which are good to see betwixt man and beast.
Our journey was not adventurous; nor will I waste time in telling
overmuch about it. We visited the shrine, where the Maid passed a
night in fasting and vigil, and laid thereon a little simple
offering, such as her humble state permitted. The next day she was
presented to the Duke of Lorraine, as he lay wrapped in costly
silken coverlets upon his great bed in one of the most sumptuous
apartments of his Castle.
He gazed long and earnestly at the Maid, who stood beside him,
flinching neither from his hollow gaze, nor from the more open
curiosity or admiration bestowed upon her by the lords and ladies
assembled out of desire to see her. I doubt me if she gave them a
thought. She had come to see the sick Duke, and her thoughts were
for him alone.
There was something very strange and beautiful in her aspect as she
stood there. Her face was pale from her vigil and fast; her hair
hung round it in a dark waving mass, that lighted up at the edges
with gold where the light touched it. Her simple boy's dress was
splashed and travel stained; but her wonderful serene composure was
as marked here as it had been throughout. No fears or tremors shook
her, nor did any sort of consciousness of self or of the
strangeness of her position come to mar the gentle dignity of her
mien or the calm loveliness of her face.
The Duke raised himself on his elbow the better to look at her.
"Is this true what I have heard of you, that you are the Maid of
Lorraine, raised up, according to the word of the wizard Merlin, to
save France in the hour of her extremity?"
"I am come to save France from the English," she answered at once;
"to drive them from the city of Orleans, to bring the Dauphin to
Rheims, and there see the crown set upon his head. This I know, for
my Lord has said it. Who I am matters nothing, save only as I
accomplish the purpose for which I am sent."
Her sweet ringing voice sounded like a silver trumpet through the
room, and the lords and ladies pressed nearer to hear and see.
"In sooth, the Maid herself--the Maid who comes to save France!"
Such was the whisper which went round; and I marvelled not; for the
look upon that face, the glorious shining in those eyes, was enough
to convince the most sceptical that the beatific vision had indeed
been vouchsafed to them.
The Duke fell back on his pillows, regarding her attentively.
"If then, Maiden, you can thus read the future, tell me, shall I
recover me of this sickness?" he gasped.
"Of that, sire, I have no knowledge," she answered. "That lies with
God alone; but if you would be His servant, flee from the wrath to
come, which your sins have drawn upon you. Turn to the Lord in
penitence. Do His will. Be reconciled to your wife; for such is the
commandment of God. Perchance then you will find healing for body
and soul. But seek not that which is hidden. Do only the will of
the Lord, and trust all to Him."
She was hustled from the room by the frightened attendants, who
feared for her very life at the hands of their irate lord. He had
done many a man to death for less than such counsel. But the Maid
felt not fear.
"He cannot touch me," she said, "I have my Lord's work yet to
accomplish."
And in truth the Duke wished her no ill, though he asked not to see
her more. Perhaps--who knows--these words may have aroused in him
some gleams of penitence for his past life. I have heard he made a
better end than was expected of him when his time came. And before
the Maid left the Castle he sent her a present of money, and said
he might even send his son to help the Dauphin, if once Orleans
were relieved, and her words began to fulfil themselves.
So then we journeyed home again, and we reached Vaucouleurs on the
afternoon of the twelfth day of February. The Maid had been smiling
and happy up till that time, and, since the weather was improving,
we had great hopes of soon starting forth upon the journey for
Chinon. Nevertheless, the streams were still much swollen, and in
some places the ground was so soft that it quaked beneath our
horses' feet. We travelled without misadventure, however, and I
wondered what it was that brought the cloud to the brow of the Maid
as we drew nearer and nearer to Vaucouleurs.
But I was to know ere long; for as we rode into the courtyard of
the Castle the Maid slipped from her horse ere any could help her,
and went straight into the room where the Governor was sitting,
with her fearless air of mastery.
"My lord of Baudricourt, you do great ill to your master the
Dauphin in thus keeping me from him in the time of his great need.
Today a battle has been fought hard by the city of Orleans, and the
arms of the French have suffered disaster and disgrace. If this go
on, the hearts of the soldiers will be as water, the purpose of the
Lord will be hindered, and you, Seigneur, will be the cause, in
that you have not hearkened unto me, nor believed that I am sent of
Him."
"How know you the thing of which you speak, girl?" asked De
Baudricourt, startled at the firmness of her speech.
"My voices have told me," she answered; "voices that cannot lie.
The French have met with disaster. The English have triumphed, and
I still waste my time in idleness here! How long is this to
continue, Robert de Baudricourt?"
A new note had come into her voice--the note of the general who
commands. We heard it often enough later; but this was the first
time I had noted it. How would De Baudricourt take it?
"Girl," he said, "I will send forth a courier at once to ride with
all speed to the westward. If this thing be so, he will quickly
meet some messenger with the news. If it be as you have said, if
this battle has been fought and lost, then will I send you forth
without a day's delay to join the King at Chinon."
"So be it," answered the Maid; and turned herself to the chapel,
where she spent the night in prayer.
It was Bertrand who rode forth in search of tidings, his heart
burning within him. It was he who nine days later entered
Vaucouleurs again, weary and jaded, but with a great triumph light
in his eyes. He stood before De Baudricourt and spoke.
"It is even as the Maid hath said. Upon the very day when we
returned to Vaucouleurs, the English--a small handful of
men--overthrew at Rouvray a large squadron of the French, utterly
routing and well-nigh destroying them. The English were but a small
party, convoying herrings to the besiegers of Orleans. The ground
was strewn with herrings after the fight, which men call the Battle
of the Herrings. Consternation reigns in the hearts of the
French--an army flies before a handful! The Maid spake truly; the
need is desperate. If help reach not the Dauphin soon, all will be
lost!"
"Then let the Maid go!" thundered the old man, roused at last like
an angry lion; "and may the God she trusts in guard and keep her,
and give to her the victory!"