come, and he would have no such spectacle as this exposed to the
head of the army. His way of creating order was his own, not borrowed.
He did it with his great fists. As he moved along swearing and
admonishing, he let drive this way, that way, and the other, and
wherever his blow landed, a man went down.

"Damn you!" he said, "staggering and cursing around like this, and the
Commander-in-Chief in the camp! Straighten up!" and he laid the man
flat. What his idea of straightening up was, was his own secret.

We followed the veteran to headquarters, listening, observing,
admiring--yes, devouring, you may say, the pet hero of the boys of France
from our cradles up to that happy day, and their idol and ours. I called
to mind how Joan had once rebuked the Paladin, there in the pastures
of Domremy, for uttering lightly those mighty names, La Hire and the
Bastard of Orleans, and how she said that if she could but be permitted
to stand afar off and let her eyes rest once upon those great men, she
would hold it a privilege. They were to her and the other girls just
what they were to the boys. Well, here was one of them at last--and what
was his errand? It was hard to realize it, and yet it was true; he was
coming to uncover his head before her and take her orders.

While he was quieting a considerable group of his brigands in his
soothing way, near headquarters, we stepped on ahead and got a glimpse
of Joan's military family, the great chiefs of the army, for they had
all arrived now. There they were, six officers of wide renown, handsome
men in beautiful armor, but the Lord High Admiral of France was the
handsomest of them all and had the most gallant bearing.

When La Hire entered, one could see the surprise in his face at Joan's
beauty and extreme youth, and one could see, too, by Joan's glad smile,
that it made her happy to get sight of this hero of her childhood at
last. La Hire bowed low, with his helmet in his gauntleted hand, and
made a bluff but handsome little speech with hardly an oath in it, and
one could see that those two took to each other on the spot.

The visit of ceremony was soon over, and the others went away; but La
Hire stayed, and he and Joan sat there, and he sipped her wine, and they
talked and laughed together like old friends. And presently she gave him
some instructions, in his quality as master of the camp, which made his
breath stand still. For, to begin with, she said that all those loose
women