come to such desperate pass with us that, if some
help come not quickly, the King will flee him away from his
distracted realm, and leave the English and Burgundians to ravage
and subdue at will!"

"God forbid!" said I, and crossed myself.

Scarce had I spoken the words before I saw approaching us on her
chestnut charger the Maid herself, who rode forward to meet us at a
foot's pace, and reined back a few yards from us, her eyes fixed
full upon the face of Sir Guy, who uncovered, I scarce know why,
for how should he know that this youthful soldier was indeed the
Maid herself?

"You come from the Dauphin," she said; "go tell him that the
darkest hour but heralds the dawn. He must not flee away. He must
stay to face his foes. I will lead his armies to victory, and he
shall yet be crowned King of France. Let him never speak more of
deserting his realm. That shall not--that must not be!"

Sir Guy was off his horse by now; he bent his knee to the Maid.

"I will tell the King that the Deliverer hath truly come," he said;
and taking her hand, ere she could prevent it, he reverently kissed
it.

CHAPTER VI. HOW THE MAID CAME TO THE KING.

So Guy de Laval had fallen beneath the spell of the Maid, even as
we had done. He spoke of it to me afterwards. It was not because of
her words, albeit she had plainly shown knowledge of that which he
had been saying before her approach. It was not the beauty of her
serene face, or the dignity of her mien. It was as though some
power outside of himself urged him to some act of submission. An
overshadowing presence seemed to rest upon him as with the touch of
a hand, and he who had laughed at the idea of the restoration of
miracles suddenly felt all his doubts and misgivings fall away.

We rode together back to our camp, and there we talked long and
earnestly of many things. The Maid had much to ask of Sir Guy, but
her questions were not such as one would have guessed. She never
inquired how the Dauphin (as she always called him) had first heard
of her, how he regarded her, what his Ministers and the Court
thought of her mission, whether they would receive her in good
part, what treatment she might expect when she should appear at
Chinon.

No; such thoughts as these seemed never to enter her head. She was
in no wise troubled as to the things which appertained to herself.
Not once did a natural curiosity on this ground suggest such
inquiries; and though we, her followers, would