her visitor in terms which it is pleasant to dwell
on. "He was in the form of a _tres vrai prud' homme_." The term is
difficult to translate, as is the Galantuomo of Italy. The "King-Honest
Man," we used to say in English in the days of his late Majesty Victor
Emmanuel of Italy; but that is not all that is meant--_un vrai prud'
homme_, a man good, honest, brave, the best man, is more like it.
The girl's honest imagination thought of no paraphernalia of wings or
shining plumes. It was not the theatrical angel, not even the angel of
art whom she saw--whom it would have been so easy to invent, nay to take
quite truthfully from the first painted window, radiating colour and
brightness through the dim, low-roofed church. But even with such
material handy, Jeanne was not led into the conventional. She knew
nothing about wings or emblematic scales. He was in the form of a brave
and gentle man. She knew not anything greater, nor would she be seduced
into fable however sacred. Then once more the true assault began.

She was asked, if she would submit all her sayings and doings, good or
evil, to the judgment of our Holy Mother, the Church. She replied, that
as for the Church, she loved it and would sustain it with all her might
for our Christian faith; and that it was not she whom they ought to
disturb and hinder from going to church or from hearing mass. As to the
good things she had done, and that had happened, she must refer all to
the King of Heaven, who had sent her to Charles, King of France; and it
should be seen that the French would soon gain a great advantage which
God would send them, so great that all the kingdom of France would
be shaken. And this, she said, that when it came to pass, they might
remember that she had said it. She was again asked, if she would submit
to the jurisdiction of the Church, and answered, "I refer everything
to our Lord who sent me, to our Lady, and to the blessed Saints of
Paradise"; and added her opinion was that our Lord and the Church meant
the same thing, and that difficulties should not be made concerning
this, when there was no difficulty, and they were both one. She was then
told that there was the Church triumphant, in which are God, the saints,
the angels, and all saved souls. The Church militant is our Holy Father
the Pope, vicar of God on earth, the cardinals, the prelates of the
Church, and the clergy and all good Christians and Catholics, which
Church properly assembled cannot