The house of the Treasurer was a beautiful building in the Gothic
style, and weary as was the Maid with the toils and excitements
through which she had passed, I saw her eyes kindle with pleasure
and admiration as she was ceremoniously led into the great
banqueting hall, where the tables were spread with abundant good
cheer (despite the reduced condition of the city), to do honour to
her who came as its Deliverer.
There was something solemn and church-like in these surroundings
which appealed at once to the Maid. She had a keen eye for beauty,
whether of nature or in the handiwork of man, and her quick
penetrating glances missed nothing of the stately grandeur of the
house, the ceremonious and courtly welcome of the Treasurer, its
master, or the earnest, wistful gaze of his little daughter
Charlotte, who stood holding fast to her mother's hand in the
background, but feasting her great dark eyes upon the wonderful
shining figure of the Maid, from whose white armour the lights of
the great hall flashed back in a hundred points of fire.
The greeting of the master of the house being over, the Maid threw
off for a moment the grave dignity of her bearing throughout this
trying day, and became a simple girl again. With a quick grace of
movement she crossed the space which divided her from the little
child, and kneeling suddenly down, took the wondering little one in
her arms, and held her in a close embrace.
"Ma petite, ma mie, ma tres chere," those nearest heard her murmur.
"Love me, darling, love me! I have a little sister at home who
loves me, but I had to go away and leave her. Perhaps I may never
see her again. Try to love me instead, and comfort my heart, for
sometimes I am very, very weary, and hungry for the love that I
have lost!"
Now, one might have thought that so young a child--for she was not
more than eight years old, and small for her years--would have been
affrighted at the sudden approach of the shining warrior, about
whom so many stories had been told, and who looked more like the
Archangel Michael, as many thought, than a creature of human flesh
and blood. But instead of showing any fear, the child flung her
arms about the neck of the Maid, and pressed kisses upon her
face--her headpiece she had removed at her entrance--and when the
mother would have loosened her hold, and sent the child away with
her attendant, little Charlotte resisted, clinging to her new
friend with all her baby strength, and the Maid looked pleadingly
up into the kindly face of the lady, and said:
"Ah, madame, I pray you let her remain with me. It is so long since
I felt the arms of a child about my neck!"
And so the little one stayed to the banquet, and was given the
place of honour beside the Maid. But neither of these twain had any
relish for the dainty meats and rich dishes served for us. As on
the march, so now in the walls of the city, the Maid fared as
simply as the rudest of her soldiers. She mixed water with her
wine, took little save a slice or two of bread, and though to
please her hosts she just touched one or two specially prepared
dishes, it was without any real relish for them, and she was
evidently glad when she was able to make excuse to leave the table
and go to the room prepared for her.
But here again she showed her simple tastes, for when the great
guest chamber was shown her she shrank a little at its size and
luxury, and, still holding the child's hand in hers, she turned to
the mother who was in attendance and said:
"I pray you, sweet lady, let me whilst I am your guest share the
room of this little daughter of yours. I am but a simple country
girl, all this grandeur weighs me down. If I might but sleep with
this little one in my arms--as the little sister at home loved to
lie--I should sleep so peacefully and have such happy dreams! Ah,
madame!--let me have my will in this!"
And Madame Boucher, being a mother and a true woman, understood;
and answered by taking the Maid in her arms and kissing her. And
so, as long as the Maid remained in Orleans, she shared the little
white bedroom of the child of the house, which opened from that of
the mother, and the bond which grew up between the three was so
close and tender a one, that I trow the good Treasurer and his wife
would fain have regarded this wonderful Maid as their own daughter,
and kept her ever with them, had duty and her voices not called her
elsewhere when the first part of her task was done.
Now Bertrand and I, together with Pierre, her brother, and the
Chevalier d'Aulon and Sir Guy de Laval, were lodged in the same
house, and entertained most hospitably by the Treasurer, who sat up
with us far into the night after our arrival, listening with
earnest attention to all we could tell him respecting the Maid, and
telling us on his part of the feeling in Orleans anent her and her
mission, and what we might expect to follow her arrival here.
"The townsfolk seem well-nigh wild for joy at sight of her," spoke
De Laval, "and the more they see of her, the more they will love
her and reverence her mission. I was one who did openly scoff, or
at least had no faith in any miracle, until that I saw her with
mine own eyes; and then some voice in my heart--I know not how to
speak more plainly of it--or some wonderful power in her glance or
in her voice, overcame me. And I knew that she had in very truth
come from God, and I have never doubted of her divine commission
from that day to this. It will be the same here in Orleans, if,
indeed, there be any that doubt."
"Alas! there are--too many!" spoke the Treasurer, shaking his head,
"I am rejoiced that our two greatest Generals, Dunois and La Hire,
have become her adherents, for I myself believe that she has been
sent of God for our deliverance, and so do the townsfolk almost to
a man. But there are numbers of the lesser officers--bold men and
true--who have fought valiantly throughout the siege, and who have
great influence with the soldiers they lead, and these men are full
of disgust at the thought of being led by a woman--a girl--and one
of low degree. They would be willing for her to stand aloft and
prophesy victory for their arms, but that she should arm herself
and lead them in battle, and direct operations herself, fills them
with disgust and contempt. There is like to be trouble, I fear,
with some of these. There is bold De Gamache, for example, who
declares he would sooner fold up his banner and serve as a simple
soldier in the ranks, than hold a command subservient to that of a
low-born woman!"
That name as applied to the Angelic Maid set our teeth on edge; yet
was it wonderful that some should so regard her?
"Let them but see her--and they will change their tune!" spake
Bertrand quickly. "A low-born woman! Would they speak thus of the
Blessed Virgin? And yet according to the wisdom of the flesh it
would be as true of one as of the other."
The Treasurer spoke with grave thoughtfulness:
"Truly do I think that any person honoured by the Lord with a
direct mission from Himself becomes something different by virtue
of that mission from what he or she was before. Yet we may not
confound this mission of the Maid here in Orleans with that one
which came to the Blessed Mary."
"Nor had I any thought," answered Bertrand, "of likening one to the
other, save inasmuch as both have been maidens, born in lowly
surroundings, yet chosen for purity of heart and life, and for
childlike faith and obedience, for the honour of receiving a divine
commission. There the parallel stops; for there can be no
comparison regarding the work appointed to each. Yet even as this
Maid shall fulfil her appointed task in obedience to the
injunctions received, she is worthy to be called the handmaid of
the Lord."
"To that I have nought to say but yea," answered the Treasurer
heartily, "and I pray our Lord and the Blessed Virgin to be with
her and strengthen her, for I fear me she will have foes to contend
with from within as well as from without the city; and as all men
know, it is the distrust and contradiction of so-called friends
which is harder to bear than the open enmity of the foe."
It was difficult for us, vowed heart and soul to the cause of the
Maid, and honoured by her friendship and confidence, to believe
that any could be so blind as not to recognise in her a God-sent
messenger, whom they would delight to follow and to honour. Yet
when I walked out upon the following morning--a sunny first of
May--to have a good look round at the position of the fortifications,
the ring of English bastilles to the north, the blockading towers
upon the southern bank, I was quickly aware of a great deal of talk
going on amongst the soldiers and the officers which was by no means
favourable to the cause of the Maid.
Voices were hushed somewhat at my approach, for though none knew
me, I was of course a stranger, and therefore likely to have
entered the town in the train of the Maid, who had yesterday made
her appearance there. But I heard enough to be sure that what the
Treasurer had said last evening was likely to be true. The soldiers
were disposed to scoff at being led by a woman, and the officers to
grumble at having had to bear all the burden of the long siege, and
then when the King did send an army for the relief, to send it
under the command of this Maid, who would bear away the honour and
glory which otherwise all might have shared.
From their point of view, perhaps, this discontent was not
unreasonable; but as I looked upon the works around me, I marvelled
how it had been possible for the English, unprotected as they must
have originally been, to erect these great towers for their own
shelter, and from which to batter the town with their cannon and
great stone balls, when the French in great numbers and protected
by strong walls, ought to have been able to sally forth continually
and so to harass them that the construction of such buildings
should have been impossible.
The great Dunois had shown considerable acumen. He had himself
destroyed all the suburbs of the town which lay without the walls,
so that the English might find no shelter there, and when they had
effected a lodgment on the south side of the river, he had
destroyed the greater part of the bridge, thus making it impossible
for the enemy to cross and take possession of the town. But he had
not stopped the erection of those threatening towers circling round
the city to the north, nor the construction of those still stronger
blockading fortresses on the south side, Les Tourelles guarding the
fragment of the broken bridge, and Les Augustins not far away.
When I spoke to one grizzled old soldier about it, he shrugged his
shoulders and made reply:
"What would you? Those English are helped of the devil himself. We
have tried to stand against them, but it is all to no purpose. Some
demon of fighting enters into them, and they know that we shall
fly--and fly we do. At last there were none who would face them.
Our generals sought in vain to lead them. You should have heard La
Hire swearing at them. O-he, O-he, he is a master of the art! Some
of us would have followed him; but the rest--one might as well have
asked a flock of sheep to go against the wolf, telling them they
were fifty to one! Not they! It was witchcraft, or something like
it. They sat still on these ramparts and watched the English
working like moles or like ants, and never lifted a finger. Pouf!
When men get to that they are not fit to fight They had better go
home and ply the distaff with the women."
"And let a woman come and lead their comrades to battle!" I said,
laughing. "Have you seen the wonderful Maid of whom all the world
is talking?"
"No; at least, I only caught a gleam of light upon her white armour
last night; but as I said to the boys in the guardroom, I care not
whether she be woman, witch, or angel; if she will bring back heart
and courage, and make men again of all these chicken-hearted
poltroons, I will follow her to the death wherever she may lead. I
am sick with shame for the arms of France!"
"Bravely spoken, my friend!" I cried, giving him my hand; "and if
that be the spirit of the army, I doubt not but that a few days
will see such a turn in the tide of warfare as shall make the whole
world stand aghast!"
"Then you believe in her?" quoth the old soldier, looking me
shrewdly up and down.
"With my whole heart!" I answered, as I turned and took my way back
to my quarters.
That same day the Maid held a council of war, at which all the
officers of any importance were permitted to attend; and here it
was that she received the first real check since she had received
the King's commission and royal command.
"Let us attack the foe at once, and without delay, messires!" she
said, sitting at the head of the council table, fully armed, save
for her headpiece, and speaking in her clear, sweet, full tones,
wherein power and confidence were blended; "the Lord of Hosts is on
our side. Let us go forth in His strength, and the victory will be
ours."
But they listened to her in silent consternation and amaze. Here
was this inexperienced girl, blind with enthusiasm, drunk with
success, her head completely turned by her reception last night,
actually advising an assault upon the enemy before the arrival of
the army of relief, which had been forced to return to Blois to
cross the river, and which could not arrive for a few more days.
What madness would she next propose? Well, at least La Hire and
Dunois were there to curb her folly and impetuosity. A chit of a
girl like that to sit and tell them all to go forth to certain
death at her command! As though they would not want all their
strength to aid the relieving army to enter when it should appear!
As though they were going to weaken themselves beforehand by any
mad scheme of hers!
Thus the storm arose. Even La Hire, Dunois, and the Treasurer
himself, were against her. As for the lesser officers, when they
began to speak, they scarce knew how to contain themselves, and
restrain their anger and scorn from showing itself too markedly
towards one who held the King's mandate of command.
And of late the Maid had always been listened to with such honour
and respect! How would she bear this contradiction and veiled
contempt, she who had come to assume the command of the city and
its armies at the King's desire?
She sat very still and quiet at the table, as the storm hummed
about her. Her clear gaze travelled from face to face as one or
another of the officers rose and spoke. Sometimes a slight flush of
red dyed her cheek for a moment; but never once did anger cloud her
brow, or impatience or contempt mar the wonderful serenity of her
beautiful eyes. Only once did she speak during the whole of the
debate, after her opening words had been delivered, and that was
after a very fiery oration on the part of a youthful officer, whose
words contained more veiled scorn of her and her mission than any
other had dared to show.
Instead of looking at him either in anger or in reproach, the
Maid's own wonderful smile shone suddenly upon him as he concluded.
Then she spoke:
"Captain de Gamache, you think yourself my foe now; but that will
soon be changed, and I thank you beforehand for the brave, true
service which you shall presently render me. But meantime, beware
of rashness; for victory shall not come to the city without the
Maid."
He gazed at her--we all gazed at her--in amaze, not knowing what
her words portended. But she gave no explanation. She only rose to
her feet and said:
"Then, gentlemen, since the attack is not to be yet--not till the
arrival of the relieving force, let me make the tour of the
battlements, and examine the defences of the city. I would that you
had faith to let me lead you forth today; but the time will come
when I shall not have to plead with you--you will follow gladly in
my wake. For the rest, it would perchance be a sorrow to my brave
men, who have marched so far with me, not to partake in the victory
which the Lord is about to send us; wherefore I will the more
readily consent to delay, though, let me tell you, you are in the
wrong to withstand the wishes of the Commander of the King's
armies, and the messenger of the King of Kings."
I verily believe that she shamed them by her gentle friendliness
more than she would have done by any outburst of wrath. Had she
urged them now, I am not sure but what they would have given her
her way; but she did not. She put her white velvet cap, with its
nodding plumes, upon her head, and taking with her the chiefest of
the generals and her own immediate retinue, she made the tour of
the walls and defences of the city, showing such a marvellous
insight into the tactics of war that she astonished all by her
remarks and by her injunctions.
Suddenly, as we were walking onwards, she paused and lifted her
face with a wonderful rapt expression upon it. Then she turned to
Dunois, and said with quiet authority:
"Mon General, I must ask of you to take a small body of picked men,
and ride forth towards Blois, and see what bechances there. I trow
there is trouble among the men. Traitors are at work to daunt their
hearts. Go and say that the Maid bids them fear nothing, and that
they shall enter Orleans in safety. The English shall not be
suffered to touch them. Go at once!"
"In broad daylight, lady, and before the very eyes of the foe?"
"Yes, yes," she answered instantly; "I will stand here and watch
you. No hurt shall be done to you or to your company."
So Dunois went at her command, and we saw him and his little band
ride fearlessly through the English lines; and scarce could we
believe our eyes when we noted that no weapon was raised against
them; not even an arrow was shot off as they passed.
"She speaks the words of God. She is His messenger!" whispered the
men who stood by; and her fame flew from mouth to mouth, till a
strange awe fell upon all.
She was never idle during those days of waiting. She asked news of
the letter she had sent to the English, and heard it had been
delivered duly, though the herald had not returned. She gave
commission to La Hire to demand his instant release, and this was
accomplished speedily; for the bold captain, of his own initiative,
vowed he would behead every prisoner they had in the city if the
man were not given up at the command of the Maid. I am very sure no
such act of summary vengeance would have been permitted, but the
man was instantly released and came and told us how that the letter
had been read with shouts of insulting laughter, and many derisive
answers suggested; none of which, however, had been dispatched, as
Talbot, the chief in command of the English armies, had finally
decreed that it became not his dignity to hold any parley with a
witch.
And yet she could scarce believe that they should none of them
understand how that she was indeed come from God, and that they
must be lamentably overthrown if they would not hear her words. On
the third day of her stay in the city she caused her great white
banner to be carried forth before her, and riding a white horse,
clad in her silver armour, and clasping her banneret in her hand
she rode slowly out upon the broken fragment of the bridge opposite
to the tower of Les Tourelles, and begged a parley from the English
general in command.
It was not Lord Talbot who came forth and stood upon his own end of
the bridge, gazing haughtily across the space which divided them;
but it was a notable soldier, whom the French called Classidas,
though I have been told that his real name was Sir William
Glassdale. To him the Maid addressed herself in her clear mellow
voice, which could be heard across the flowing river:
"Retournez de la part Dieu a l'Angleterre!" was the burden of her
charge, imploring him to have mercy upon himself and his soldiers,
as else many hundreds of them, and himself also, must perish
miserably, and perchance even without the offices of the Church.
But she was answered by roars of mocking laughter from the soldiers
of the fort, and worse still, by gross insults from Classidas
himself, hurled across at her from a biting tongue, which carried
like the note of a trumpet.
Silently she stood and gazed at him; mournfully she turned and rode
back to the town.
"May God have mercy upon their souls!" she prayed; and for the rest
of the day she was sorrowful and sad.
"If it could have been done without bloodshed!" she murmured again
and yet again.
Ah, and then the day when the news came that the relieving army was
in sight! Was she sad or pensive then? No! She sprang to her feet;
she set down the little Charlotte, who was playing in her arms; she
seized her weapons, her page flew to bring her full armour. Her
horse was already in waiting; she swung upon his back. She waved
her hand and called to us to rally about her.
"The English are preparing to fight!" she cried (how did she know?
none had told her), "but follow me, and they will strike no blow."
Already La Hire was at her side, seeking to dissuade her from
leaving the shelter of the town. She smiled at him, and rode
through the gate, her white banner floating in the wind.
"See yonder; that is the point of danger. We will station ourselves
there, and watch our brave army march past. They shall not be hurt
nor dismayed. All shall be well!"
So we rode, wondering and amazed, behind and around her, and at the
appointed spot, in the very midst of the English lines, we halted,
and made a great avenue for the army from Blois to pass through.
All gazed in wonder at the Maid. All saluted deeply. The English in
their towers gazed in amaze, but fired no shot. We all passed into
the city in safety.
Great God, but how would it be with our Maid when the real battle
and bloodshed should begin?