A Heroine of France: The Story of Joan of Arc Read online

  CHAPTER IX. HOW THE MAID ASSUMED COMMAND AT ORLEANS.

  The house of the Treasurer was a beautiful building in the Gothicstyle, and weary as was the Maid with the toils and excitementsthrough which she had passed, I saw her eyes kindle with pleasureand admiration as she was ceremoniously led into the greatbanqueting hall, where the tables were spread with abundant goodcheer (despite the reduced condition of the city), to do honour toher who came as its Deliverer.

  There was something solemn and church-like in these surroundingswhich appealed at once to the Maid. She had a keen eye for beauty,whether of nature or in the handiwork of man, and her quickpenetrating glances missed nothing of the stately grandeur of thehouse, the ceremonious and courtly welcome of the Treasurer, itsmaster, or the earnest, wistful gaze of his little daughterCharlotte, who stood holding fast to her mother's hand in thebackground, but feasting her great dark eyes upon the wonderfulshining figure of the Maid, from whose white armour the lights ofthe great hall flashed back in a hundred points of fire.

  The greeting of the master of the house being over, the Maid threwoff for a moment the grave dignity of her bearing throughout thistrying day, and became a simple girl again. With a quick grace ofmovement she crossed the space which divided her from the littlechild, and kneeling suddenly down, took the wondering little one inher 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 wholoves me, but I had to go away and leave her. Perhaps I may neversee her again. Try to love me instead, and comfort my heart, forsometimes I am very, very weary, and hungry for the love that Ihave lost!"

  Now, one might have thought that so young a child--for she was notmore than eight years old, and small for her years--would have beenaffrighted at the sudden approach of the shining warrior, aboutwhom so many stories had been told, and who looked more like theArchangel Michael, as many thought, than a creature of human fleshand blood. But instead of showing any fear, the child flung herarms about the neck of the Maid, and pressed kisses upon herface--her headpiece she had removed at her entrance--and when themother would have loosened her hold, and sent the child away withher attendant, little Charlotte resisted, clinging to her newfriend with all her baby strength, and the Maid looked pleadinglyup into the kindly face of the lady, and said:

  "Ah, madame, I pray you let her remain with me. It is so long sinceI felt the arms of a child about my neck!"

  And so the little one stayed to the banquet, and was given theplace of honour beside the Maid. But neither of these twain had anyrelish for the dainty meats and rich dishes served for us. As onthe march, so now in the walls of the city, the Maid fared assimply as the rudest of her soldiers. She mixed water with herwine, took little save a slice or two of bread, and though toplease her hosts she just touched one or two specially prepareddishes, it was without any real relish for them, and she wasevidently glad when she was able to make excuse to leave the tableand go to the room prepared for her.

  But here again she showed her simple tastes, for when the greatguest chamber was shown her she shrank a little at its size andluxury, and, still holding the child's hand in hers, she turned tothe mother who was in attendance and said:

  "I pray you, sweet lady, let me whilst I am your guest share theroom of this little daughter of yours. I am but a simple countrygirl, all this grandeur weighs me down. If I might but sleep withthis little one in my arms--as the little sister at home loved tolie--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. Andso, as long as the Maid remained in Orleans, she shared the littlewhite bedroom of the child of the house, which opened from that ofthe mother, and the bond which grew up between the three was soclose and tender a one, that I trow the good Treasurer and his wifewould fain have regarded this wonderful Maid as their own daughter,and kept her ever with them, had duty and her voices not called herelsewhere when the first part of her task was done.

  Now Bertrand and I, together with Pierre, her brother, and theChevalier d'Aulon and Sir Guy de Laval, were lodged in the samehouse, and entertained most hospitably by the Treasurer, who sat upwith us far into the night after our arrival, listening withearnest attention to all we could tell him respecting the Maid, andtelling us on his part of the feeling in Orleans anent her and hermission, and what we might expect to follow her arrival here.

  "The townsfolk seem well-nigh wild for joy at sight of her," spokeDe Laval, "and the more they see of her, the more they will loveher and reverence her mission. I was one who did openly scoff, orat least had no faith in any miracle, until that I saw her withmine own eyes; and then some voice in my heart--I know not how tospeak more plainly of it--or some wonderful power in her glance orin her voice, overcame me. And I knew that she had in very truthcome from God, and I have never doubted of her divine commissionfrom 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 beensent of God for our deliverance, and so do the townsfolk almost toa man. But there are numbers of the lesser officers--bold men andtrue--who have fought valiantly throughout the siege, and who havegreat influence with the soldiers they lead, and these men are fullof disgust at the thought of being led by a woman--a girl--and oneof low degree. They would be willing for her to stand aloft andprophesy victory for their arms, but that she should arm herselfand lead them in battle, and direct operations herself, fills themwith disgust and contempt. There is like to be trouble, I fear,with some of these. There is bold De Gamache, for example, whodeclares he would sooner fold up his banner and serve as a simplesoldier in the ranks, than hold a command subservient to that of alow-born woman!"

  That name as applied to the Angelic Maid set our teeth on edge; yetwas it wonderful that some should so regard her?

  "Let them but see her--and they will change their tune!" spakeBertrand quickly. "A low-born woman! Would they speak thus of theBlessed Virgin? And yet according to the wisdom of the flesh itwould 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 adirect mission from Himself becomes something different by virtueof that mission from what he or she was before. Yet we may notconfound this mission of the Maid here in Orleans with that onewhich came to the Blessed Mary."

  "Nor had I any thought," answered Bertrand, "of likening one to theother, save inasmuch as both have been maidens, born in lowlysurroundings, yet chosen for purity of heart and life, and forchildlike faith and obedience, for the honour of receiving a divinecommission. There the parallel stops; for there can be nocomparison regarding the work appointed to each. Yet even as thisMaid shall fulfil her appointed task in obedience to theinjunctions received, she is worthy to be called the handmaid ofthe Lord."

  "To that I have nought to say but yea," answered the Treasurerheartily, "and I pray our Lord and the Blessed Virgin to be withher and strengthen her, for I fear me she will have foes to contendwith from within as well as from without the city; and as all menknow, it is the distrust and contradiction of so-called friendswhich is harder to bear than the open enmity of the foe."

  It was difficult for us, vowed heart and soul to the cause of theMaid, and honoured by her friendship and confidence, to believethat any could be so blind as not to recognise in her a God-sentmessenger, whom they would delight to follow and to honour. Yetwhen I walked out upon the following morning--a sunny first ofMay--to have a good look round at the position of the fortifications,the ring of English bastilles to the north, the blockading towersupon the southern bank, I was quickly aware of a great deal of talkgoing on amongst the soldiers
and the officers which was by no meansfavourable to the cause of the Maid.

  Voices were hushed somewhat at my approach, for though none knewme, I was of course a stranger, and therefore likely to haveentered the town in the train of the Maid, who had yesterday madeher appearance there. But I heard enough to be sure that what theTreasurer had said last evening was likely to be true. The soldierswere disposed to scoff at being led by a woman, and the officers togrumble at having had to bear all the burden of the long siege, andthen when the King did send an army for the relief, to send itunder the command of this Maid, who would bear away the honour andglory which otherwise all might have shared.

  From their point of view, perhaps, this discontent was notunreasonable; but as I looked upon the works around me, I marvelledhow it had been possible for the English, unprotected as they musthave originally been, to erect these great towers for their ownshelter, and from which to batter the town with their cannon andgreat stone balls, when the French in great numbers and protectedby strong walls, ought to have been able to sally forth continuallyand so to harass them that the construction of such buildingsshould have been impossible.

  The great Dunois had shown considerable acumen. He had himselfdestroyed all the suburbs of the town which lay without the walls,so that the English might find no shelter there, and when they hadeffected a lodgment on the south side of the river, he haddestroyed the greater part of the bridge, thus making it impossiblefor the enemy to cross and take possession of the town. But he hadnot stopped the erection of those threatening towers circling roundthe city to the north, nor the construction of those still strongerblockading fortresses on the south side, Les Tourelles guarding thefragment of the broken bridge, and Les Augustins not far away.

  When I spoke to one grizzled old soldier about it, he shrugged hisshoulders and made reply:

  "What would you? Those English are helped of the devil himself. Wehave tried to stand against them, but it is all to no purpose. Somedemon of fighting enters into them, and they know that we shallfly--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 LaHire swearing at them. O-he, O-he, he is a master of the art! Someof us would have followed him; but the rest--one might as well haveasked a flock of sheep to go against the wolf, telling them theywere fifty to one! Not they! It was witchcraft, or something likeit. They sat still on these ramparts and watched the Englishworking 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 gohome 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 worldis talking?"

  "No; at least, I only caught a gleam of light upon her white armourlast night; but as I said to the boys in the guardroom, I care notwhether she be woman, witch, or angel; if she will bring back heartand courage, and make men again of all these chicken-heartedpoltroons, I will follow her to the death wherever she may lead. Iam sick with shame for the arms of France!"

  "Bravely spoken, my friend!" I cried, giving him my hand; "and ifthat be the spirit of the army, I doubt not but that a few dayswill see such a turn in the tide of warfare as shall make the wholeworld stand aghast!"

  "Then you believe in her?" quoth the old soldier, looking meshrewdly up and down.

  "With my whole heart!" I answered, as I turned and took my way backto my quarters.

  That same day the Maid held a council of war, at which all theofficers of any importance were permitted to attend; and here itwas that she received the first real check since she had receivedthe King's commission and royal command.

  "Let us attack the foe at once, and without delay, messires!" shesaid, sitting at the head of the council table, fully armed, savefor her headpiece, and speaking in her clear, sweet, full tones,wherein power and confidence were blended; "the Lord of Hosts is onour side. Let us go forth in His strength, and the victory will beours."

  But they listened to her in silent consternation and amaze. Herewas this inexperienced girl, blind with enthusiasm, drunk withsuccess, her head completely turned by her reception last night,actually advising an assault upon the enemy before the arrival ofthe army of relief, which had been forced to return to Blois tocross the river, and which could not arrive for a few more days.What madness would she next propose? Well, at least La Hire andDunois were there to curb her folly and impetuosity. A chit of agirl like that to sit and tell them all to go forth to certaindeath at her command! As though they would not want all theirstrength to aid the relieving army to enter when it should appear!As though they were going to weaken themselves beforehand by anymad scheme of hers!

  Thus the storm arose. Even La Hire, Dunois, and the Treasurerhimself, were against her. As for the lesser officers, when theybegan to speak, they scarce knew how to contain themselves, andrestrain their anger and scorn from showing itself too markedlytowards one who held the King's mandate of command.

  And of late the Maid had always been listened to with such honourand respect! How would she bear this contradiction and veiledcontempt, she who had come to assume the command of the city andits armies at the King's desire?

  She sat very still and quiet at the table, as the storm hummedabout her. Her clear gaze travelled from face to face as one oranother of the officers rose and spoke. Sometimes a slight flush ofred dyed her cheek for a moment; but never once did anger cloud herbrow, or impatience or contempt mar the wonderful serenity of herbeautiful eyes. Only once did she speak during the whole of thedebate, after her opening words had been delivered, and that wasafter a very fiery oration on the part of a youthful officer, whosewords contained more veiled scorn of her and her mission than anyother had dared to show.

  Instead of looking at him either in anger or in reproach, theMaid'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 willsoon be changed, and I thank you beforehand for the brave, trueservice which you shall presently render me. But meantime, bewareof rashness; for victory shall not come to the city without theMaid."

  He gazed at her--we all gazed at her--in amaze, not knowing whather words portended. But she gave no explanation. She only rose toher feet and said:

  "Then, gentlemen, since the attack is not to be yet--not till thearrival of the relieving force, let me make the tour of thebattlements, and examine the defences of the city. I would that youhad faith to let me lead you forth today; but the time will comewhen I shall not have to plead with you--you will follow gladly inmy wake. For the rest, it would perchance be a sorrow to my bravemen, who have marched so far with me, not to partake in the victorywhich the Lord is about to send us; wherefore I will the morereadily consent to delay, though, let me tell you, you are in thewrong to withstand the wishes of the Commander of the King'sarmies, and the messenger of the King of Kings."

  I verily believe that she shamed them by her gentle friendlinessmore than she would have done by any outburst of wrath. Had sheurged them now, I am not sure but what they would have given herher way; but she did not. She put her white velvet cap, with itsnodding plumes, upon her head, and taking with her the chiefest ofthe generals and her own immediate retinue, she made the tour ofthe walls and defences of the city, showing such a marvellousinsight into the tactics of war that she astonished all by herremarks and by her injunctions.

  Suddenly, as we were walking onwards, she paused and lifted herface with a wonderful rapt expression upon it. Then she turned toDunois, 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 trowthere is trouble among the men. Traitors are at work to daunt theirhearts. Go and say that the Maid bids them fear nothing, and thatthey shall enter Orleans in safety. The English shall not besuffered 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 watchyou. No hurt shall be done to you or to your company."

  So Dunois went at her command, and we saw him and his little bandride fearlessly through the English lines; and scarce could webelieve our eyes when we noted that no weapon was raised againstthem; not even an arrow was shot off as they passed.

  "She speaks the words of God. She is His messenger!" whispered themen who stood by; and her fame flew from mouth to mouth, till astrange awe fell upon all.

  She was never idle during those days of waiting. She asked news ofthe letter she had sent to the English, and heard it had beendelivered duly, though the herald had not returned. She gavecommission to La Hire to demand his instant release, and this wasaccomplished speedily; for the bold captain, of his own initiative,vowed he would behead every prisoner they had in the city if theman were not given up at the command of the Maid. I am very sure nosuch act of summary vengeance would have been permitted, but theman was instantly released and came and told us how that the letterhad been read with shouts of insulting laughter, and many derisiveanswers suggested; none of which, however, had been dispatched, asTalbot, the chief in command of the English armies, had finallydecreed that it became not his dignity to hold any parley with awitch.

  And yet she could scarce believe that they should none of themunderstand how that she was indeed come from God, and that theymust be lamentably overthrown if they would not hear her words. Onthe third day of her stay in the city she caused her great whitebanner to be carried forth before her, and riding a white horse,clad in her silver armour, and clasping her banneret in her handshe rode slowly out upon the broken fragment of the bridge oppositeto the tower of Les Tourelles, and begged a parley from the Englishgeneral in command.

  It was not Lord Talbot who came forth and stood upon his own end ofthe 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 WilliamGlassdale. To him the Maid addressed herself in her clear mellowvoice, which could be heard across the flowing river:

  "Retournez de la part Dieu a l'Angleterre!" was the burden of hercharge, imploring him to have mercy upon himself and his soldiers,as else many hundreds of them, and himself also, must perishmiserably, and perchance even without the offices of the Church.

  But she was answered by roars of mocking laughter from the soldiersof the fort, and worse still, by gross insults from Classidashimself, hurled across at her from a biting tongue, which carriedlike the note of a trumpet.

  Silently she stood and gazed at him; mournfully she turned and rodeback to the town.

  "May God have mercy upon their souls!" she prayed; and for the restof the day she was sorrowful and sad.

  "If it could have been done without bloodshed!" she murmured againand yet again.

  Ah, and then the day when the news came that the relieving army wasin 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; sheseized her weapons, her page flew to bring her full armour. Herhorse was already in waiting; she swung upon his back. She wavedher 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 fromleaving the shelter of the town. She smiled at him, and rodethrough the gate, her white banner floating in the wind.

  "See yonder; that is the point of danger. We will station ourselvesthere, and watch our brave army march past. They shall not be hurtnor dismayed. All shall be well!"

  So we rode, wondering and amazed, behind and around her, and at theappointed 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 intheir towers gazed in amaze, but fired no shot. We all passed intothe city in safety.

  Great God, but how would it be with our Maid when the real battleand bloodshed should begin?