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 pe