fires! What molten hair! The words came shortly from her,
and brokenly, as if her carved lips disdained such coarse uses! Richard,
her words were so: "Take a message to my lord," quoth she. "I am his in
life or death. I seek to do him service. Wed or unwed, what is that to
me? I am still Jehane." Thus she--but I? Well, well, my sword spake for
me when I carved that beef-bone bare.' The Bearnais pulled his goatee,
and looked at the ends of it for split hairs. But Richard sat very
still.

'Do you know, Gaston, whom you have seen?' he said presently, in a
trembling whisper.

'Perfectly well,' said the other. 'I have seen a pale flower ripe for
the sun.'

'You have seen the Countess of Poictou, Gaston,' said Richard, and took
to his prayers.

Through these means, for the time, he was held off his father's throat.
But for Jehane and her urgent affairs these two had grappled at Le Mans.
As it was, not Richard's hand was to fire the cradle-city which had seen
King Henry at the breast. Before nightfall he had made his dispositions
for a very risky business. He set aside the Viscount of Beziers, Bertram
Count of Roussillon, Gaston of Bearn, to go with him, not because they
were the best men by any means, but so that he might leave the best men
in charge. These were certainly the Dauphin, the Viscount of Limoges,
and the Count of Angoulesme, each of whom he had proved as an enemy in
his day. 'Gentlemen,' he said to these three, 'I am about to go upon a
journey. Of you I shall require a little attention, certain patience,
exact obedience. It will be necessary that you be before the walls of Le
Mans in three days. Invest them, my lords, keep up your communications,
and wait for the French King. Give no battle, offer no provocation, let
hunger do your affair. I know where the King of England is, and shall be
with you before him.' He went on to be more precise, but I omit the
details. It was difficult for them to go wrong, but if the truth is to
be known, he was in a mood which made him careless about that. He was
free. He was going on insensate adventure; but he saw his road before
him once again, like a long avenue of light, which Jehane made for him
with a torch uplifted. Before it was day, armed from head to foot in
chain mail, with a plain shield, and a double-bladed Norman axe in his
saddle-bucket, he and his three companions set out on their journey.
They rode leisurely, with loose reins and much turning in the saddle to