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 B. HOLLER RICHABDSOtf. 
 
 SURGEON, U.S. N. 

 
 Gentlemen," said he, " I have need of a hundred men of will." — p. 166.
 
 THE DRAGOONS 
 OF LA GUERCHE 
 
 BY AMEDEE ACHARD 
 
 Translated from 
 
 the French 
 
 BY RICHARD DUFFY 
 
 HOWARD, AINSLEE <* CO. 
 PUBI ISHERS NEW YORK
 
 Copyright, 1899, 
 By Street & Smith. 
 
 Copyright in Great Britain.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER 
 I- 
 II- 
 III- 
 
 IV 
 
 v- 
 
 VI 
 VII- 
 VIII- 
 IX- 
 X- 
 XI- 
 XII- 
 XIII- 
 XIV- 
 XV- 
 XVI 
 XVII- 
 XVIII- 
 XIX 
 XX- 
 XXI- 
 XXII 
 XXIII 
 XXIV 
 XXV- 
 XXVI 
 XXVII 
 XXVIII 
 XXIX 
 XXX 
 X X X I 
 XXXII 
 
 x x :■: 1 1 1 
 
 -A Desperate Resolve 
 
 -Magdebourg .... 
 
 -The Prophecy of Magnus 
 
 -With Fire and Sword 
 
 -Count Pappenheim's Nobility 
 
 -A Monk With an Appetite 
 
 -A Monk-Ridden Inn 
 
 -The Hostelry of Master Innocent 
 
 -A Terrible Awakening 
 
 -The Dungeons of Ravennest . 
 
 -The Kindness of Fate 
 
 -Matthews Drinks His Own Medicin 
 
 -The Battle .... 
 
 -The Wiles of a Daughter of Eve 
 
 -Prisoners in a Palace 
 
 -Drachenfeld Castle . 
 
 -Propositions and Provocations 
 
 -The Little House at Nuremberg 
 
 -Four Against One 
 
 -The Dragoons of La Guerche 
 
 -A Halt in the Shadow of a Wall 
 
 -What Woman Wills . 
 
 -The Postern of Drachenfeld 
 
 -Requiescal in Pace 
 
 -The Retreat of the Dragoons 
 
 -The Flag of Truce . 
 
 -The Cannon's Roar 
 
 -The Marsh 
 
 W..lf ami She-Wolf . 
 
 A Fight to the Death 
 -The Wolf at Bay 
 
 Vac Victis 
 
 The King's Avenged 
 
 PAGE 
 
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 40 
 48 
 
 55 
 62 
 67 
 72 
 84 
 
 92 
 
 100 
 
 113 
 124 
 136 
 144 
 
 151 
 156 
 161 
 172 
 180 
 190 
 
 197 
 20G 
 
 217 
 227 
 836 
 
 249 
 2.56 
 2C4 
 
 279
 
 The Dragoons of La Guerche 
 
 CHAPTER I * 
 
 A DESPERATE RESOLVE. 
 
 The Thirty Years' War had reached that stage of fury 
 which was to lay Germany waste with sack and pillage. 
 It was the hour when the best and bravest generals of 
 Europe met face to face and made of death the sole 
 recognized king from the Elbe to the Danube, from 
 Pomerania to the Palatinate. Two figures dominated 
 the epoch, Gustavus Adolphus, the hero-king of 
 Sweden, and Wallenstein, the master and the sword of 
 the old German Empire. What events might not issue 
 from this stupendous clash of arms ! 
 
 In the midst of the unleashing of these passions, in 
 this whirlwind of blood we return to the personages who 
 figured in "The Huguenot's Love." We shall follow 
 them through new adventures, through intrigues and 
 combats, some of them inspired by rancor and hatred, 
 others by devotion and love. It is with Mademoiselle 
 de Souvigny and Mademoiselle de Pardaillan, Count 
 Pappenhcim and Count Tilly, John of Werth and Mat- 
 thew Orlscopp, the Baroness of Igomer and Margaret, 
 Magnus and Carquefou, Armand-Louis and Renaud, 
 that we shall once more beat about the shores of the 
 
 * "The HuRuenot's Love," of which "The Drapoons of La 
 Guerche" is the sequel, is published uniform with this volume 
 by Howard, Ainslec & Company.
 
 8 A DESPERATE RESOLVE 
 
 Baltic to the plains of Lutzen, running across castles 
 and cities in our way. 
 
 It will be remembered that Armand-Louis and Renaud 
 had spurred their steeds towards the camp of the King 
 of Sweden in pursuit of their sweethearts. At this time 
 Gustavus Adolphus, with some thousands of men, was 
 in the vicinity of Potsdam. He was endeavoring by the 
 most eloquent remonstrances, propped by divers pieces 
 of artillery which he discharged against the city, to wean 
 away his father-in-law, the Elector of Brandenbourg, 
 from his alliance with the Emperor Ferdinand. It was 
 exceedingly important to him that there should be no 
 hostile city between the heart of Germany and the shores 
 of Sweden which might place obstacles to his retreat in 
 case of reverses. 
 
 Neither the remonstrances nor the pleadings of Gus- 
 tavus Adolphus in favor of the German Protestant 
 princes, whose independence was imperilled by the 
 House of Hapsburg, had any effect upon the astute heart 
 of George William. The pieces of artillery produced a 
 better and more profound impression. According as 
 they increased in number, the Elector of Brandenbourg 
 showed himself correspondingly disposed to come to 
 terms. 
 
 When the King of Sweden grew tired of this dilatori- 
 ness, which cost him so much precious time, he directed 
 the mouths of his cannon full upon the palace of his 
 father-in-law. The latter, at once convinced by the ex- 
 cellence of this argumentation, agreed to serious negotia- 
 tions. 
 
 Unhappily for the cause which the King of Sweden 
 had entered Germany to defend, Gustavus Adolphus was 
 not the only one acquainted with the parleys which kept 
 him one day at Potsdam, another in Berlin. Duke 
 Francis-Albert knew from day to day what was said in 
 the councils of the king, and day by day he informed 
 the Commander-in-chief of all details. Count Tilly, al- 
 most certain that Gustavus Adolphus would not issue 
 from his enforced inaction as long, as he had not over- 
 come the passive resistance of George William, decided 
 to strike a decisive blow and capture Magdebourg, whose
 
 A DESPERATE RESOLVE 9 
 
 archiepiscopal prince had sought the Swedish alliance, 
 placing his little army under the command of Thierry of 
 Falkenberg, one of the lieutenants of the young king. 
 
 He hastily gathered the troops, which were scattered 
 in the vicinity, and. urged on by the impetuosity of Count 
 Pappenheim, who burned to try his mettle with the Hero 
 of the North, he suddenly presented himself in the free 
 city at the same time that Armand-Louis and Renaud 
 reached the presence of the Marquis of Pardaillan. 
 
 When the two young gentlemen entered the Swedish 
 camp the news that Magdebourg was threatened had 
 just been received. 
 
 Twenty-four hours later a courier rode up, announc- 
 ing that the city was invested. He was accompanied by 
 a fellow messenger. But while the one, sent by Chris- 
 tian William, the Protestant Archbishop of Magde- 
 bourg, sought the king, the other, guided by Carquefou, 
 requested to see the Marquis of Pardaillan, whom he 
 found sick abed. 
 
 The unexpected information that Magdebourg was 
 being attacked excited the rage of the king, at the same 
 time that the dispatch borne by Benko filled the soul of 
 the Marquis of Pardaillan with terror. Gustavus Adol- 
 phus beheld a check upon the cause for which he had 
 drawn his sword ; the aged Huguenot thought only of 
 his daughter and adopted child, exposed to all the hor- 
 rors of a siege, which, on account of the name of the 
 man who had undertaken it, assumed a most ominous 
 aspect. 
 
 His wrinkled features livid with forebodings, the mar- 
 quis summoned to his side the two young Frenchmen, to 
 whom he exhibited the message of Magnus. 
 
 "They have escaped one most horrible danger only to 
 fall into another more frightful still," he said. 
 
 " r .od gave them back to us only to take them from 
 us." cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Oh, but Magnus is a lucky wretch," murmured Re- 
 naud. "To think that he should have been there and not 
 myself. Nevertheless I'll hug him with all my heart 
 when we get into Magdebourg."
 
 io A DESPERATE RESOLVE 
 
 "When you get into Magdebourg!" the marquis in- 
 terrupted. "With whom do you expect to enter?" 
 
 "With King Gustavus Adolphus, I fancy, and I as- 
 sume that the dragoons of La Guerche will be the first 
 to pass through the gates." 
 
 "What, do you talk of the king? Would you see me 
 so sad if His Majesty were going to strike camp and 
 march against the enemy? Oh, don't hope for that! 
 Count Tilly alone is before Magdebourg; he alone will 
 enter the city." 
 
 "You believe then, that Gustavus Adolphus, the prince 
 to whom you have consecrated your entire life, will not 
 fly to the aid of a city that has given itself up to him ?" 
 
 "Oh, do not accuse him. How can he leave when his 
 father-in-law, the Elector, haggles with him over a 
 stronghold and reserves for himself the cursed chance of 
 attacking the Swedes, in case they suffer a check, so that 
 he may obtain a more advantageous peace from Emperor 
 Ferdinand." 
 
 "Do you think, then, that Magdebourg will not be 
 aided?" asked Armand-Louis, turning pale. 
 
 "Magdebourg will not be aided at all unless by me !" 
 
 The Marquis of Pardaillan made an effort to seize his 
 sword and stand up, as he spoke, but an atrocious pain 
 forced him back to his seat. "Oh, what unhappiness ! 
 Only a father could lend them aid, and this wretched 
 father is reduced to impotence." 
 
 "You are mistaken, Marquis," interposed Armand- 
 Louis. "Mademoiselle de Pardaillan and Mademoiselle 
 de Souvigny, to whom I have plighted my faith, shall 
 not be deserted because your age and illness are traitors 
 to your courage. Renaud and Armand-Louis will re- 
 place you." 
 
 "To be sure," cried Renaud, "and that most speedily." 
 
 "You are going?" asked the marquis with emotion, as 
 he took their hands. 
 
 "You do us injury to doubt it," replied Armand-Louis. 
 "We will have left camp within an hour. I ask your 
 permission to see the king, who may perhaps have some 
 order for me to bear to the general in command at Mag- 
 debourg."
 
 A DESPERATE RESOLVE n 
 
 "I cannot say whether we'll save the city," added Rc- 
 naud. "The aid of two men is not a great deal; but as 
 long as life is within us, never believe that your daugh- 
 ters are lost !" 
 
 "I shall never forget your words," returned the mar- 
 quis, who extended his arms and clasped the two French- 
 men long and tenderly to his bosom. 
 
 As they were leaving the tent of the marquis, and 
 while Renaud was wiping his eyes, they encountered 
 Carquefou, who was polishing the hilt of his rapier with 
 the sleeve of his leather cloak. 
 
 "Sir." began the honest valet, approaching Renaud, "I 
 have long ears and as a consequence I hear even when I 
 don't listen. Why did you tell the Marquis of Pardaillan 
 just now that you had the aid of two men only? Don't 
 you count me or, in your opinion, am I only half a man? 
 One may be a coward by birth, by character or by prin- 
 ciple and not be the less brave when occasion requires. 
 Now I am going to prove this to you when we are under 
 the walls of Magdebourg. This said, Sir, permit me to 
 go and make my will, for 'tis sure as the sun that we 
 shall never return from this expedition." 
 
 Armand-Louis left the care of preparing all for their 
 departure to Renaud and went to the king. His name 
 opened all doors for him. He found Duke Francis-Al- 
 bert with Gustavus Adolphus. The duke appeared to 
 be studying some maps and plans which were spread out 
 on the table. 
 
 At the si.L, r ht of the Saxon, the Huguenot recalled the 
 warning of Margaret. To the gracious smile of the duke 
 he replied with a cold bow, then in a high voice, he said : 
 "I do not come hither, Sire, in the interest of my service 
 but of my personal affairs. May I hope that Your Maj- 
 esty will be good enough to accord me a private inter- 
 v of a few moments' duration?" 
 
 "I wish to inconvenience no one," interposed the duke, 
 frowning. "I leave, Count of La Guerche." 
 
 Armand-Louis bowed without answering and the duke 
 moved aws 
 
 "Ah, you do not like the poor duke!" exclaimed the 
 king.
 
 12 A DESPERATE RESOLVE 
 
 "Sire, you like him too much,'' returned the Huguenot. 
 
 "If such words fell not from the lips of a friend," re- 
 torted the king haughtily, "I should tell you, my dear 
 Count, that I am the only judge of my likes." 
 
 "A person whose devotion Your Majesty cannot doubt, 
 a woman who was praying for Gustavus Adolphus the 
 day the fleet left Sweden's shores, did not like the duke 
 any more than I do. Need I name her — Margaret!" 
 
 "Ah, Margaret told it you !" exclaimed the king, 
 nervously. "I knew it. He inspired her with terror. 
 Nobody about me loves this poor duke ; but he is the 
 friend of my childhood. One day I wounded him 
 cruelly — " 
 
 "Sire, do you believe that he has forgotten that?" 
 
 "It is enough that I remember it to pardon him for 
 remembering it. My foremost duty is to try by every 
 means to efface the trace of this outrage." 
 
 Gustavus Adolphus walked up and down the chamber 
 once or twice and then asked : 
 
 "What subject calls you hither? What do you desire 
 of me?" 
 
 The Huguenot understood that he must abandon the 
 matter of their first words. 
 
 "Mademoiselle de Souvigny is at Magdebourg. At 
 this moment there's a truce. The imperial troops, com- 
 manded by Torquato Conti, no longer hold the country 
 and are scattering in all directions. My presence is use- 
 less here; therefore I am going to Magdebourg." 
 
 "To Magdebourg! Why cannot I accompany you!" 
 exclaimed the king. 
 
 "I have come to inquire of Your Majesty whether there 
 is any order for me to bear to Thierry of Falkenberg?" 
 
 "Tell him to hold his post till the last extremity, to 
 burn his last cartridge, to fire his last ball ! Let him 
 defend the inmost wall and die on it, if necessary. By 
 the faith of Gustavus Adolphus, as soon as liberty of 
 action is allowed me, I'll lend him the help of my sword." 
 
 "Is that all ?" 
 
 "All. Stay, assure him that if I were not chained here 
 by the Elector of Brandenbourg, I should have arrived 
 with you in Magdebourg."
 
 A DESPERATE RESOLVE 13 
 
 The king tossed the maps and plans on the table with 
 a violent gesture and added menacingly : 
 
 "If the Elector. George William, were not the father of 
 Eleanor, there would not have been a stone upon a stone 
 in Spandau six weeks ago and my cavaliers would have 
 dug their horses' hoofs in the streets of Berlin." 
 
 **I beg your pardon, Sire," interposed Armand-Louis, 
 taking a step toward the door, "but my hours are count- 
 ed. I must go." 
 
 "Good luck, then," replied the king, extending his 
 hand. "Ah. you are a happy man." 
 
 "I have a request to make to you. Your Majesty alone 
 knows whither I go. Will Gustavus Adolphus keep this 
 knowledge for himself alone?" 
 
 "Not even reveal it to the Duke of Lauenbourg, is not 
 that what you mean?" said the king, smiling. 
 
 "Above all. not to him !" 
 
 "Your business is yours. I shall keep my counsel," 
 answered the king with a shade of displeasure. 
 
 Duke Francis-Albert was not in the gallery which led 
 to the king's chamber. Armand-Louis saw Arnold of 
 Brahe there. 
 
 .h," exclaimed the Huguenot, "I find the face of a 
 friend when I feared that of an enemy. A double good 
 fortune!" 
 
 Then drawing him into the embrasure of a window he 
 added : 
 
 "Do you love your king as you love Sweden?" 
 
 "He is my master by birth, my master by choice. Mv 
 life and blood are his." 
 
 "Then watch over him." 
 
 "What is wrong?" 
 
 "There is a man whom the king loves and who hates 
 the king." 
 
 "The Duke of Saxc-Lauenbourg?" 
 
 "Not so loud ! When this man is in the king's cham 
 ber, be afoot at the door with your hand on your sword- 
 hilt. If lie goes hunting with the king, ride close to 
 them. If some expedition calls the king far from camp. 
 do n«>t lose Bight of the other. I.H him understand that 
 a devoted heart is there and that faithful eyes survey his
 
 14 A DESPERATE RESOLVE 
 
 every action. He's a coward, perhaps he will dare noth- 
 ing. On my faith of a gentleman, if I speak to you thus, 
 it is not without grave reason." 
 
 "Fear not. I shall walk in his shadow. I shall breathe, 
 his atmosphere," replied Arnold, clasping the Hugue- 
 not's hand firmly. 
 
 When night fell, three men, after a hard gallop, were 
 far from the camp. They followed the road which leads 
 from Spandau to Magdebourg. 
 
 "Ah," the Duke of Lauenbourg said to himself, who 
 had not again seen the Count of La Guerche, "if Captain 
 Jacobus were here I should have let him loose on the 
 track of this cursed Frenchman."
 
 MAGDEBOURG 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 MAGDEBOURG. 
 
 If three cavaliers might not traverse the long distance 
 between the Swedish camp and the city beleaguered by 
 Count Tilly without risking certain perils, dangers trebly 
 great awaited them at the approaches to the imperial 
 camp. The keen surveillance of countless cavalry patrols 
 about the city allowed none to enter or leave Magde- 
 bourg. Every man captured by them stood a good 
 chance of being run through by a sword. More fre- 
 quently a pistol ball ended his examination before he 
 had an opportunity to reply. A cordon of sentinels, re- 
 lieved from hour to hour, made all communication be- 
 tween the city and the surrounding country impossible. 
 It was therefore not a slight undertaking to enter Magde- 
 bourg, and neither Armand-Louis nor Renaud under- 
 rated the fact. 
 
 The roar of cannon in the distance soon apprised them 
 that they were now separated from the city only by a nar- 
 row stretch of field and forest. This formidable noise 
 seemed to inspire them with an even greater ardor and 
 they boldly spurred their steeds ahead. As they issued 
 from a wood they perceived deep columns of infantry ad- 
 vancing toward the new part of the city, whence mounted 
 clouds of smoke zebraed by red flames. Platoons of cav- 
 alry guarded every road, fifty pieces of artillery thundered 
 on the plain, and riderless horses ran wild from all sides. 
 Some corpses stretched in the plain showed that not all 
 balls and bullets had been spent. Far away the ram- 
 parts <>f the city were crowned with fire. The forts 
 which defended the approaches to the city bore on their 
 summits the colors of the emperor. 
 
 "They are preparing l<> attack the place," said Armand- 
 Louis.
 
 16 MAGDEBOURG 
 
 "Many are the legs that will be broken this evening," 
 Carquefou murmured philosophically, meanwhile mak- 
 ing a careful scrutiny of his pistols. 
 
 He was too well acquainted with his master not to 
 know that there could never be any fighting in his neigh- 
 borhood without his taking a part in it. As if their noble 
 steeds understood the secret intention of their riders, they 
 continued to advance at a slackened pace. 
 
 Armand-Louis lost nothing of what was going on 
 about him. The cavalry patrols, as well as the sentries, 
 were all interested in what was taking place about the 
 city. 
 
 In a few moments Armand-Louis, Renaud and Car- 
 quefou should have attained the outposts of the imperial 
 army. A few soldiers, struck down by grape-shot, lay 
 dead in the field. Armand-Louis lightly dismounted and 
 put on the green belt which had decorated the body of 
 an officer. 
 
 "Now that's not bad," said Renaud, as he remarked 
 the action of his friend. 
 
 He dismounted, as did Carquefou also, and looking 
 around them, they had little trouble in finding the ob- 
 jects of their quest. 
 
 "Now for a bold dash," said Armand-Louis. 
 
 "And at a gallop," added Renaud. 
 
 "Oh, I knew it would come to this," cried Carquefou. 
 
 They spurred their horses and set off at top speed. 
 Two or three sentries turned to look at them. One even 
 lowered his musket, but when he noticed the green belts 
 he shouldered it again. 
 
 A cavalry patrol beheld the three hardy adventurers 
 pass and did not doubt but they belonged to the major 
 body of the imperial army. 
 
 Farther on a company of infantry was halted in a 
 causeway which they had to traverse to reach the burn- 
 ing suburbs. 
 
 "Order of Count Tilly!" cried Armand-Louis, who 
 rode ahead. 
 
 The company opened ranks. 
 
 "I thought I saw the throats of a thousand wolves," 
 said Carquefou when they had passed.
 
 MAGDEBOURG 17 
 
 Thev had crossed the outposts of the camp ; another 
 spurt bore them to the entry of the suburbs, where the 
 ranks of the imperial troops were all disordered. The 
 wounded were lying on the walls, others groaned as they 
 were carried away by their comrades. Several wild balls 
 began to shatter the plaster of the houses in the neigh- 
 borhood. 
 
 "Hello, friend !" cried Armand-Louis to a lansquenet, 
 "have they burst in the gates of the city ?*' 
 
 "It rains shot," answered the soldier, "but the gates 
 hold firm. These cursed shop-keepers keep a hell-fire 
 upon us from the top of their ramparts." 
 
 "Forward!" said Renaud. 
 
 "Oh, but this is fine sport," murmured Carquefou, "the 
 shot of our friends catches us on the nose and the shot of 
 our enemies in the back." 
 
 They soon found themselves among the first columns 
 of the attack. The carnage was terrible. They were 
 fighting under the very walls of Magdebourg. It was 
 evident that the suburb which Count Tilly chose for at- 
 tack that day would remain in the power of the assail- 
 ants. To save part of his garrison, which had been over- 
 come by superior forces, the officer who commanded that 
 post, had just opened a postern. Perfect waves of men 
 were to be seen gathered about this postern. Iron and 
 lead made great holes in their number, but, like the waves 
 on the shore of the sea, other waves replaced the ones 
 which disappeared. The conquerors wished to enter with 
 the conquered. 
 
 Aloft, and wielding a battle-axe with the vigor of a 
 forester felling trees, John of Werth split the skulls of all 
 before him. The captain had been supplanted by the 
 soldier. In the city before him, had not Mademoiselle de 
 Souvigny taken refuge? 
 
 "God's day, we're done for!" moaned Carquefou when 
 he recognized tin- baron. 
 
 Renaud wt >uld have l< aped to the side of John of Werth 
 but Canjucfou restrained him by main force. 
 
 "Marquis," h<- said, "do you forget that we are like 
 Daniel in the lion's den. Don't have us die before our 
 time."
 
 1 8 MAGDEBOURG 
 
 Before the postern, buttressed on his stout legs, stood 
 Magnus, swinging his musket around his head like a war- 
 club. Each time that the bloody weapon traced a circle, 
 a man fell. A void was being made about him. 
 
 "Our salvation lies there !" added Carquefou, pointing 
 out Magnus to Renaud. 
 
 But the marquis was delirious with the fever of battle. 
 
 "To hell with this rag!" he roared as he tore off the 
 green belt. Then, whirling his sword, he charged upon 
 a captain of the lansquenets. 
 
 Armand-Louis was thick in conflict with two imperial- 
 ists, who barred his way to the postern. Magnus per- 
 ceived him. A terrible leap landed him in the midst of 
 the Austrians and his bloody musket barrel knocked 
 down two more victims. 
 
 A handful of determined men had followed him. The 
 fire from turret and rampart was redoubled. The assail- 
 ants retreated somewhat and a broad, naked spot lay be- 
 tween them and the postern. 
 
 "Follow me !" cried Magnus. 
 
 Armand-Louis, Renaud and Carquefou, who with 
 lowered head struck everybody in their way, joined Mag- 
 nus almost instantly. 
 
 "Now to the postern !" roared Magnus. 
 
 "He talks like a sage !" growled Carquefou still wild- 
 ing his sword as they retreated. 
 
 Through the wreck of the garrison they made impetu- 
 ously for the wide-opened postern, behind which a troop 
 of Swedes was ready to receive them. At this moment 
 Tohn of Werth recognized the trio. 
 
 "Ah, the bandits !" he shrieked. 
 
 In the twinkling of an eye he had calculated the dis- 
 tance which separated him from the fugitives. But they 
 were beyond him now. Turning to the group of soldiers 
 which surrounded him he roared : 
 
 "Fire!" 
 
 But the fugitives had all passed within the ramparts. 
 The heavy doors of the postern rolled upon their hinges 
 and a few hurtling balls rebounded upon the ironbound 
 planks of oak. 
 
 "I think we got here in time," said Carquefou. Mag-
 
 MACDEBOURG 19 
 
 nus did not lose a minute in conducting Armand-Louis 
 and Renaud to the house at which he had sought a lodg- 
 ing for the two young ladies upon their arrival in Magde- 
 bourg. 
 
 The time had passed when they used to go to the win- 
 dow, anxious and curious at each noise in the street. How 
 many pieces of cannon had they not counted as they were 
 drawn past the house by the citizens ! How many pa- 
 trols and companies rushing by full of ardor for the 
 fray, and returning wounded and blackened with powder. 
 The shrieking of shells or the whistling of bullets still 
 made them quake, but no longer terrified them. They 
 understood now the perils from which the courage and 
 resolution of Magnus had delivered them. They thanked 
 God ; and judged the burning projectiles which filled the 
 city with ashes and ruins to be less terrible than the 
 Baroness of Igomer or the Convent of St. Rupert. 
 
 Their hours were passed in conversing of their be- 
 trothed. What were they doing? In what territory were 
 they now seeking them? Had the messenger sent by 
 Magnus yet reached them? To be sure the two young 
 gentlemen must be suffering greater anxieties than they. 
 At times they thought it could not be long before they 
 should see them ; but so sweet a hope suddenly filled 
 them with affright, when they recalled the thousand dan- 
 gers their lovers would be exposed to in this beleaguered 
 city. They would be surely the first in the fight ; and 
 moreover, were not the men who directed this hail of shot 
 against Magdebourg named John of Werth and Henry of 
 Pappenheim ? The memory of these two implacable ene- 
 mies made the cousins pale with fear and foreboding. 
 
 "Heaven grant that they may not come hither," said 
 Adrienne, when all these dangers passed before her men- 
 tal vision. But the prayers which the two maidens ad- 
 dressed to heaven were rather timid. They felt them- 
 quite alone, and if a stray shot should kill Magnus 
 what would become of tin m, left in a city delivered up to 
 all the horrors and hazards of a siege in which they had 
 neither kinsfolk nor friends. 
 
 on as the halls prepared for the wounded had 
 begun to receive their blood-stained guests, Adrienne and
 
 so MAGDEBOURG 
 
 Diana, amidst the women of the city, lent themselves to 
 the succor of the fallen soldiers. Their delicate hands 
 became accustomed to dressing the most horrible 
 wounds. They dwelt amid cries and groans. They 
 spent long nights between walls where moans of agony 
 banished all sleep. Ah, but how far removed from this 
 were their happy days at St. Wast ! 
 
 When other young women came to relieve them at the 
 pillows of the sufferers they returned to theii apartments, 
 where they made bandages or melted shot. 
 
 At the very hour that Armand-Louis and Renaud ap- 
 peared before Magdebourg, Adrienne and Diana had 
 just received their relief after a whole night in the hos- 
 pital, which death visited every minute. Despite the 
 formidable thunder of the strife, which bloodied one of 
 Magdebourg's gates, the two cousins had retired to a 
 little room whose narrow windows looked out upon the 
 garden. They were both in silent meditation, while fill- 
 ing a large basket at their feet with lint. At times their 
 hands rested, a sigh swelled their bosoms and their eyes 
 would be pensively raised heavenward. 
 
 The detonations of the artillery succeeded one another 
 every minute. A sudden clamor in a neighboring street 
 indicated to them that a wounded man was being brought 
 to his family. Then they would shudder and resume 
 their pious labor, which had suffered the interruption of 
 a momentary dream. 
 
 Gradually a silence fell ; now only at intervals was a 
 cannon heard, the final shots of the ending battle. Then 
 footsteps were heard in the street and almost immediately 
 afterward the knocker of the door was let fall heavily. 
 
 "Dost hear?" asked Adrienne, springing from her 
 chair. 
 
 " 'Tis Magnus," returned Diana, who felt her cheeks 
 turn pale. 
 
 " "Tis he," said Adrienne, "but he's not alone. Who 
 can be with him? Who is there to come here?" 
 
 Meanwhile hurried steps clattered on the stairway. 
 
 "God is good, he has heard our prayers !" cried Diana. 
 
 "Ah, thou knowest them as I do. 'Tis Armand !" 
 
 " 'Tis Renaud !"
 
 MAGDEBOURG 21 
 
 The door was pushed open and four men, whose gar- 
 ments were stained with dust, powder and blood, burst 
 into the room. 
 
 Before they could utter a sound Armand-Louis and 
 Renaud were at the feet of Adrienne and Diana. 
 
 Incapable of standing alone, Adrienne leaned on the 
 shoulders of Armand-Louis. 
 
 "You are cruel," she cried, "you would have me 
 tremble for your safety every hour." 
 
 "Is it life to live separated from you?" asked Armand- 
 Louis in transport. 
 
 "Thou knowest my love for him," added Adrienne, 
 looking upward, in an utter exaltation of soul, "if it be 
 Thy will, Our Saviour, to join us in death as we have 
 been joined in life, may Thv holv name be blessed and 
 Thy will be done !" 
 
 "Come here," said Magnus to Carquefou brusquely. 
 "Baliverne has done a deal of work to-day. I must have 
 a chat with her." 
 
 "And the Shivcrer shall not take ill a little refresh- 
 ment," replied Carquefou. "I feel her fainting on my 
 hips." 
 
 Recovering from the emotion of the first few moments 
 and again mistress of herself, Diana was threatening Re- 
 naud with her pretty finger. He remained kneeling be- 
 fore her in speechless adoration and joy. 
 
 "I can understand the Count of La Guerche's return," 
 she said, rallying. "It is enough to see his attitude to her 
 to understand the motives which urged him hither. But 
 why did you follow him to Magdebourg?" 
 
 "I do not know," replied Renaud, troubled. 
 
 "Oh, what an innocent ! Well, if you do not know 
 why you came you had better leave at once, for the 
 country is unhealthy. It rains bullets here and the wind 
 is the color of fire. The Count of La Guerche has a light 
 to live here. Something keeps him here and he is willing 
 lose .'ill to remain with this something. But the Mar- 
 quis <-f Chaufontaine I Ui, fie! if he should receive a 
 scratrh we could never forgive ourselvi 
 
 "You send me back?" asked Renaud, scarrcly able to 
 breathe.
 
 22 MAGDEBOURG 
 
 "To be sure, if you have no good reasons for remain- 
 ing here." 
 
 "But, Mademoiselle, I love you, I adore you!" cried 
 Renaud beside himself. 
 
 "Are you quite sure of that ?" said Diana gravely. 
 
 "Am I sure of it ? I would sacrifice ten thousand lives 
 to spare you a tear. I no longer belong to myself since 
 I first saw you. The castle of St. Wast, where you 
 dawned upon me, captured my heart and has kept it. 
 I'm almost mad, it is true" 
 
 "Almost?" interposed Diana, smiling. 
 
 "Well, if you wish, wholly mad, and something more. 
 There is no stupidity or extravagance of which I am not 
 capable. There are days when he who addresses you is a 
 perfect villian. Oh, sweet heaven, what a confession 
 'twould be, did I tell all! Collect all the faults and all 
 the imprudences of the world, combine them in one and 
 you have me. But I love you, and at the height of my 
 follies, when my heart and my head have the bit in their 
 teeth, if you made a sign, a single sign, you would see me 
 at your feet like a child. Armand can tell you. He has 
 seen me. Ask him what he thinks of my fever. I be- 
 lieved in the beginning that I had convulsions. I spared 
 nothing to heal myself. Oh, nothing, I swear. But 
 nothing could cure me, neither travels nor bottles, neither 
 time nor absence, neither this nor that, nor the things I 
 do not tell. Had I any need to love you, let me ask you? 
 But this love is like a nail which one strikes. Each day 
 it sinks deeper. It is like a charm which you have cast 
 upon me. In faith, I've done my share, now you must, 
 do yours. Henceforward you will see me eternally near 
 you, and if some day, in punishment of my sins, which 
 are, alas, rather numerous, you drive me from your pres- 
 ence, I do not know whither I shall betake myself, to the 
 land of the Indians, or to declare war on the Incas of 
 Peru, and I shall be killed in some barbaric isle, while 
 crying out your name to the savages about me." 
 
 "Well," replied Diana, "now that I know your reasons 
 for coming hither, I fancy that some day I may myself 
 be called Madame de Chaufontaine."
 
 MAGDEBOURG 23 
 
 Rcnaud gave a cry that rang through the house. He 
 attempted to stand but burst into tears. 
 
 "Ah, tears are good," said Diana, offering him her 
 hand. "No words can equal them, and as I see them, 1 
 also dare tell you, Renaud, that I love you and shall never 
 Jove any but vou!"
 
 24 THE PROPHECY OF MAGNUS 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE PROPHECY OF MAGNUS. 
 
 That same evening Armand-Louis went to Thierry de 
 Falkenberg, who was at the town hall and imparted to 
 this officer the instructions Gustavus Adolphus had given 
 him in their brief interview. 
 
 "Oh, I will hold the city as long as I can," said the 
 Swedish officer, "but can I hold it long?" 
 
 He then informed Armand-Louis that signs of discon- 
 tent began to show among the inhabitants of Magde- 
 bourg. Some regretted their stifled commerce, others, 
 the consequences of an attack in case fate betrayed their 
 arms. The place was suffering much under the fire of 
 the besiegers. 
 
 "Had I not two thousand soldiers of the Swedish army 
 and a body of volunteers determined to resist till the 
 bitter end," added M. de Falkenberg, "Madgebourg 
 would already have opened her gates." 
 
 "You know what the king, your master, desires," re- 
 turned Armand-Louis. "The word surrender must not 
 be spoken." 
 
 "It never shall while I live, I swear to you." 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud investigated the interior of 
 the city and the ramparts. Everywhere they found the 
 evidences of long conflicts, portions of the walls in dust, 
 houses riddled with bullets, disemboweled towers, smok- 
 ing ruins ; everywhere, a gloomy population ; no more 
 songs or shouts, but women and children weeping in the 
 churches. The suburbs, invaded by the Imperialists, were 
 a heap of wreckage, lighted up here and there with flames. 
 
 Nevertheless, though the enthusiasm of the first days 
 had fallen, the defense was equally energetic and vigilant. 
 The army of Tilly, having mastered the forts and the sub- 
 urbs, had dealt cruel losses. The best regiments, which 
 had been so often led to victory, were decimated ; and a
 
 THE rROPHECY OF MAGNUS 25 
 
 goodly number of excellent captains had lost their lives 
 in these murderous affrays. Xo part of the belt of wall 
 which encircled Magdebourg was broken. Its artillery 
 replied unfailingly to the Austrian artillery. The gen- 
 erals of the enemy who found the oldest troops in their 
 hands hesitating, began to believe that they could never 
 take this rebel city by main force. 
 
 To recommence the assault after the check at the pos- 
 tern would have been to expose the arms of Ferdinand to 
 a defeat whose consequences were incalculable. 
 
 One morning, after a long series of skirmishes which 
 had cost the enemy many lives, the sentinels placed on 
 the highest towers, observed that divers batteries, which 
 the previous evening had been vomiting flame and iron, 
 appeared to be disburdened of their engines of destruc- 
 tion. There were no soldiers about these deserted bat- 
 teries. Carquefou, who was on guard close by a postern, 
 hung a rope from a spike and let himself down into the 
 trench. 
 
 "Faith, 'tis so much the worse," he said to his com- 
 rades. "Fear gives way to curiosity." 
 
 Several resolute men followed him into the burned 
 suburbs, and gliding nearer and nearer behind fragments 
 of the walls and along the trenches, at last reached the 
 outposts of the Imperial army. Its lines were no longer 
 so tight about Magdebourg. The army had retreated 
 some distance. 
 
 The news of this unexpected retreat traversed the city 
 like lightning. Everybody rushed into the streets and 
 questioned those who had gone as scouts to reconnoiter 
 the positions of Tilly's army. 
 
 "I advanced timidly to the site of that great battery, 
 whose top you can see beyond on the down," said Car- 
 quefou. "God knows I was ready to run like a hare at 
 the first alarm. The hurdles had been overthrown, the 
 parapets knock" id down, the cannons carried away. I 
 could see naught on the plain but a company of cavaliers 
 behind a curtain of trees. 
 
 A hundred civilians flung their caps in the air. 
 
 "They're going away!" was cried upon all sides, and 
 the happiest of them fell to embracing each other.
 
 26 THE PROPHECY OF MAGNUS 
 
 "If they're going away," said Magnus, "the moment 
 is come for us to keep a watchful lookout." 
 
 The veteran was glared at in astonishment. 
 
 "Don't you understand ?" they said." The Imperialists 
 are beating a retreat." 
 
 "I understand, perhaps, and that is why I say, if you 
 do not watch by day and by night, some fine morning 
 the Croatians will be in Magdebourg." 
 
 The civilians laughed at him. 
 
 "The Trojans laughed also when the daughter of 
 Hecuba spoke," retorted Magnus, "and Troy was taken 
 and reduced to ashes." 
 
 Nevertheless, he desired to learn what Carquefou had 
 discovered. Armand-Louis, who was ever thinking of 
 some means to restore the young ladies to the Marquis of 
 Pardaillan, together with Renaud, accompanied Magnus, 
 hoping to find some road passable. 
 
 For a long time they followed the lines of circumvalla- 
 tion, which had been occupied by the enemy the evening 
 before. Not a single breastwork but was abandoned. 
 
 "Some deserter must have told them," said Magnus 
 anxiously, "that we have the forces to take and keep 
 them." 
 
 "Magnus believes in nothing; not even flight," re- 
 turned Renaud, who was already foretasting the pleas- 
 ures of the journey he should undertake with Diana. 
 
 "Count Tilly has never taken flight," said Magnus. 
 "If he retires at times, it is his fashion, like the tiger's, in 
 order to make a better spring." 
 
 All three forged ahead in search of an open way. But 
 behind a hedge they discovered a cordon of infantry ; in 
 the depths of the woods, a squadron of cavalry; in the 
 centre of villages and farms, regiments. There was no 
 trace of rout, no wagon overturned, no piece of artillery 
 abandoned. Each copse of trees as well as every hollow 
 in the road sheltered a sentinel. 
 
 "The Imperial army acts as a wolf when it watches a 
 lamb," said Magnus. 
 
 "And in this instance the lamb is Magdebourg, is it 
 not?" asked Armand-Louis. 
 
 At this instant three or four shots crashed and a cor-
 
 THE PROPHECY OF MAGNUS 27 
 
 responding number of balls dug up the earth about them. 
 
 "There's my answer," said Magnus. 
 
 They returned to Magdebourg, which they found in 
 jovial mood. Bonfires blazed in the streets, tuns of beer 
 and wine were tapped, tables set. Children were singing 
 and dancing, all doors were opened wide. Confusion 
 and clamor reigned everywhere. Some of the notables 
 were talking of a banquet to be given at the town hall to 
 celebrate the deliverance of their valiant city. 
 
 "If you cannot induce M. de Falkenberg to command 
 these shopmen to return to the ramparts, Magdebourg is 
 lost," said Magnus. 
 
 Armand-Louis hastened to the Governor's palace. It 
 was thronged with an immense crowd. The civilians, 
 freed from their arms, were congratulating one another. 
 The younger men were forming dances in the square. 
 It was with difficulty that Armand-Louis elbowed his 
 way to the apartment of the Swedish chieftain. He found 
 him engaged upon his replies to the last despatches of 
 Count Tilly. A burgomaster, standing upon a table. 
 read them in a loud voice to the magistrates and notables 
 of the city. 
 
 Their tone was extraordinarily moderate, although the 
 Austrian commander again summoned Magdebourg to 
 capitulate. 
 
 "The cock docs not crow so loud now," commented 
 one of the auditors. 
 
 "He is beginning to understand that our walls are not 
 made of gingerbread," said another. 
 
 "The old wretch must have caught cold in our 
 trenches," said a third. 
 
 "His doctors must have ordered him a change of air," 
 added his neighbor. 
 
 With a superb disdain the burgomaster flung the dis- 
 patches on the table, amid the laughter and raillery of the 
 assembly. 
 
 "Henceforward Count Tilly will know of what stuff 
 Magdebourg is made," said the burgomaster. 
 
 "And ye, Magdebourgians, remember the fate of Maes- 
 tricht," said Magnus.
 
 28 THE PROPHECY OF MAGNUS 
 
 All eyes were cast upon the old soldier. A shudder 
 ran through the room. 
 
 "One night not long since, Maestricht believed itself 
 saved," pursued Magnus. "The enemy was retreating 
 wearied of vain attacks on the ramparts. The next day 
 Maestricht was taken. If you do not wish to wake up 
 in fire and blood, then, men, be on your guard !" 
 
 A messenger entered, bearing news. He had seen the 
 Walloon regiments of the Pappenheim corps on the 
 march toward Schoenbeck. 
 
 "They were followed by a large body of artillery," he 
 added. 
 
 At these words a great tumult broke out in the hall. 
 They thought no more of the warning of Magnus, save to 
 mock at him. 
 
 "If you are sick, friend, don't drink, but at least let us 
 make merry in peace," cried the burgomaster. 
 
 "Plague upon the one who won't have us enjoy our- 
 selves," said another of them. 
 
 "Comrade, if you are afraid at Magdebourg, then set 
 out for Maestricht." 
 
 Each one vied with his neighbor to launch a jest, but 
 while some of them chattered, others, having paid a visit 
 to the cellars of the hall, charged tables with bottles and 
 pots. 
 
 "Good appetite to ye, sirs," said Magnus. "I will not 
 sit at a funeral feast." 
 
 In the meantime Armand-Louis had approached M. 
 de Falkenberg and had informed him of what he had 
 seen and of what he suspected. The Swede frowned and 
 glared about him. 
 
 "I know," he said. "I know; but nobody here is in 
 a condition to hear me. Prince Christian William him- 
 self, who will lose his head if Magdebourg be taken, is 
 riding about the city in holiday attire. I shall deem my- 
 self fortunate if I can keep a few hundred men at my side. 
 The merry-making fever is in the air. It has infected 
 even my soldiers." 
 
 The captain pointed to a band of Swedes tipping 
 glasses with the citizens in the square under his window. 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud left the town hall more
 
 THE TROPHKCY OF MAGNUS *9 
 
 sorrowful than when they had entered it. Magnus spoke 
 no more. Each street they passed through offered a 
 holiday sight. Musicians, seated on casks, scraped their 
 fiddles to the lissome steps of dancing youths and 
 maidens. Hundreds of tables set in the open air, re- 
 ceived the thousands of guests. Passersby were invited 
 to sit down and drink. Every hearth was blazing. Not 
 an empty glass was to be seen. The nostrils of Car- 
 quefou dilated; he fondled his stomach tenderly with his 
 hand as he passed the kitchens. Here he accepted a 
 glass of Rhine wine, yellow as gold ; farther on, a wing 
 of roast capon, brown and deliciously crusted. 
 
 "They eat and you eat with them !" muttered Magnus, 
 glancing sideways at his comrade. "Oh, unhappy one! 
 To-morrow the enemy will be in Magdebourg." 
 
 "That's just my reason," replied Carquefou. "I won't 
 have the Austrians or Croatians find a bone to put be- 
 tween their teeth," and he buried in his pockets all that he 
 could not swallow. 
 
 When night fell Magnus saddled the horses of 
 Adricnne and Armand-Louis, and Hung under the beasts' 
 noses a bushel of oats. Carquefou scrupulously followed 
 his example. 
 
 "We must neglect nothing that is good," he said, 
 "neither wines nor precautions." 
 
 Soon afterward the steeds of Diana and Renaud had 
 no cause to envy their neighbors. They were saddled 
 and had double provender in their troughs. 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud took good care to conceal 
 their fears from the young ladies. Magnus might be mis- 
 taken in his forebodings, and in any case it were useless 
 to cause them a night of alarm, which the morrow alone 
 could dissipate or justify. They advised them, however, 
 to be ready to leave at the first rays of the rising sun. 
 
 The merrymakers prolonged their festivities far into 
 the night. The post which M. de Falkenbcrg had pru- 
 dently placed along the ramparts to warn the garrison in 
 of need, gradually disappeared. The soldiers, still 
 faithful to the countersign, but worn out by many liba- 
 3, fell asleep, one after t! ' r. Silence followed 
 song and soon naught was heard in the city bound in
 
 3© THE PROPHECY OF MAGNUS 
 
 sleep, save the vague and indescribable noise of some 
 good citizens making staggering endeavors to find their 
 homes. 
 
 Silence reigned in the countryside as well. The dying 
 bivouac fires lighted the horizon here and there when 
 their flames were whipped by the wind. 
 
 Meanwhile, at that undecided hour when pale flashes 
 of light spread out in the heavens and made the scattered 
 trees and houses in the plain issue composedly from the 
 darkness, a low rumble arose in the distance. It was 
 regular, such as would be caused by a body of troops on 
 the march. 
 
 Magnus, whose anxiety prevented sleep, was wander- 
 ing about the gates. He kicked a sentinel and asked 
 him : 
 
 "Don't you hear anything?" 
 
 The sentinal hearkened for a second and burst out 
 laughing. Then he answered : " 'Tis the Croatian cav- 
 alry making away. 'Good luck,' they're saying to us." 
 
 Then pillowing his head on the back of a snoring com- 
 rade, he closed his eyes. 
 
 The same noise continued in the distance. At one 
 time Magnus thought it was moving away. 
 
 " 'Tis some witchery !" he said to himself. A wavering 
 white line on the other side of the Elbe made him be- 
 lieve that a cavalry corps was leaving the Imperial army. 
 
 "Can Count Tilly be really beating retreat?" mur- 
 mured Magnus. "Yet he's said to be a good general and 
 I've seen him at work." 
 
 He climbed upon the crest of the rampart and gazed 
 into the distance. Nothing disturbed the tranquillity of 
 the devastated country. Not a man showed himself ; but 
 by dint of scrutiny, Magnus thought he could distinguish 
 the uncertain movements of a troop of soldiers in a copse, 
 which stood on the horizon. Further, it seemed to him, 
 that a thin black line, whence issued divers shafts of bril- 
 liance, was crawling along the windings of a hollow road 
 
 The sun arose and flooded the plain with light. A 
 man appeared at the end of a path, running breathlessly. 
 He leaped quickly into the trench, seized with both hands
 
 THE PROPHECY OF MAGNUS 31 
 
 a rope which dangled from the top of the wall and scaled 
 the rampart with the agility of a cat. 
 
 Magnus thrust himself before the man, in whom he, 
 at this instant, recognized Carquefou. 
 
 Tis true I've a good appetite, but I've also good 
 l^gs." said Carquefou. "I took a fancy last night to have 
 a stroll in the neighborhood of the Imperial camp. I 
 know the road, having crossed it ahorse in broad day. I 
 thereupon slipped along as far as the bank of the Elbe, 
 below there. Ah, the wretches, they are all astir!" 
 
 "The Imperialists?" 
 
 "God's death, to be sure! I'm not talking of the 
 Swedes. Artillery, cavalry, infantry — all are marching 
 together. I recognized Count Pappenheim on horse- 
 back, wearing his cuirass and leading ten regiments. 
 The cavalrymen have their sabres in their fists, the in- 
 fantry their pikes or their guns on their shoulders. 
 They'll reach Magdebourg before an hour's time." 
 
 "And vou are bound at this pace, whither?" 
 
 "To M. de Falkenberg." 
 
 "Thou art a man, Carquefou !" 
 
 "Who knows? Who knows? I'm afraid of being 
 caught like a hare in his burrow, that's all." 
 
 Carquefou and the veteran hurried on their way, 
 stumbling over these evidences of a holiday which was 
 to be followed by so sinister an awakening. They had 
 hardly gained the doors of the town hall when the crash 
 of musketry was heard from afar. 
 
 "Alas, 'tis too late!" said Carquefou. But Magnus, 
 drawing his sword, leaped up the stairway of the castle, 
 yelling: 
 
 "To arms ! To arms !" 
 
 While talking they had reached the next street. Be- 
 n tables and benches citizens were sleeping heavily 
 and barred the way. Magnus and Carquefou kicked 
 ie of them, crying : 
 
 "To anus! To arms! The cneniv is coming!" 
 
 Two or three of the sleep rs awoke and stood up 
 drowsily. One of them recognized Magnus.
 
 32 THE PROPHECY OF MAGNUS 
 
 "Ah, the man of Maestricht," he said, and promptly 
 dropped down to dream again. 
 
 "Oh, what fools, who have eyes and do not see, ears, 
 and do not hear!" exclaimed Magnus.
 
 WITH PIRB AND SWORD 33 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WITH FIRE AND SWORD. 
 
 At the cry raised by Magnus, M. de Falkenberg, who, 
 surrounded by his officers, had been on the watch, leaped 
 outside. Repeated charges of musketry thundered in the 
 new city. The sound of the tocsin was now mingled with 
 them. 
 
 "To arms!" repeated the Swede, then gathering the 
 handful of soldiers and volunteers he had beside him, M. 
 de Falkenberg rushed ownard to meet the enemy. 
 
 As they reached the end of the square they met Ar- 
 mand-Louis and Renaud, who, while retreating, were 
 animating a group of surprised and routed citizens to ad- 
 vance to the fray. 
 
 The sight of the Swedish uniforms gave courage to 
 the citizens. They stopped. 
 
 "Forward !" commanded Falkenberg, flinging himself 
 first upon the Imperialists. 
 
 "Forward!" repeated Armand-Louis and Renaud. 
 
 The burgomaster, half frightened out of his wits, had 
 followed Falkenberg. He caught sight of Magnus, who 
 was brandishing Baliverne. 
 
 "Ah, why did I not believe you?" he groamd. 
 
 "The time for weeping is past and steady now and 
 let's make holiday with our swords!" returned the vet- 
 eran. 
 
 "And later we'll make holiday with our spurs, if we get 
 the chance," added Carquefou. 
 
 Before them wen- tin- Walloon companies, led to the 
 
 inlt by Count Pappenheim. At the first dash they 
 
 planted the colors <>f the Emperor upon the ramparts of 
 
 new city, while John of Werth, at the head of the Ra- 
 
 v.irinn regiments, struck at the opposite side of Magde- 
 
 bourg.
 
 34 WITH FIRE AND SWORD 
 
 The attack had been made with as much promptitude 
 as skill ; after a decoy retreat, this was a rapid and terri- 
 ble return. The tactics forespoken by Magnus had in 
 reality been the strategy of old Count Tilly ; the execu- 
 tion of them had been confided to his most daring lieu- 
 tenants, at the head of his best troops. 
 
 Almost without striking a blow they had reached the 
 heart of Magdebourg on a gallop ; but then they met Fal- 
 kenberg and his Swedes. 
 
 Electrified by their example and that of Armand-Louis 
 and Renaud, who rallied to the charge the soldiers and 
 volunteers they had collected, they broke the first ranks 
 of the Walloons and drove them back to the ramparts. 
 
 But new cries arose at the other side of the city. The 
 ominous crash of musketry resounded more rapidly and 
 more loudly every minute. A great number of the fugi- 
 tives flung themselves amid the Swedes, filling the air 
 with clamors of terror. 
 
 A man, whose breast had been pierced by a bullet, fell 
 at the feet of Falkenberg, saying, "John of Werth !" 
 
 Then he gasped and died. 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud looked at each other. Be- 
 fore them Count Pappenheim, behind them John of 
 Werth. Their two implacable enemies were united to 
 conquer them. They were thinking of Adrienne and 
 Diana. 
 
 "We must not separate now," said Armand-Louis to 
 Renaud. Then, addressing Falkenberg, "Sir, do you see 
 to Count Pappenheim and his Walloons. We'll attend to 
 John of Werth and his Bavarians." 
 
 At this moment Magdebourg was a fearful spectacle. 
 Women and children, dragged from their slumber, ran 
 hither and thither in the streets and squares, where the 
 citizens, deprived of their leaders, sought to reunite their 
 forces. Most of them took refuge in the churches, whose 
 domes resounded with shrieks. The bells rang madly, 
 calling all citizens to defend the common cause. Mus- 
 ketry shrieked from all sides simultaneously. Volleys of 
 bullets, landing at the crossways, struck down hundreds 
 of wretches who augmented the confusion by their 
 groans. Already gruesome flashes of fire illuminated
 
 WITH FIRE AND SWORD 35 
 
 several quarters of Magdebourg. Long columns of 
 smoke mounted to heaven, while the flames approached 
 ever nearer. New and more numerous hordes burst into 
 the city ; driven back, they returned to the charge with 
 more furious impetuosity and their mass rendered the re- 
 sistance of desperation all in vain. That which the bat- 
 tleax did not destroy, the torch devoured. The cannons 
 of the city, turned around upon the city, vomited destruc- 
 tion upon it. Whole rows of houses crumbled in clouds 
 of cinders. All that came within reach of sabre or 
 musket perished. Horror and awe were at the height, 
 when the gates forced inward by cannon balls, opened a 
 passage for the Croatian cavalry. It came like a torrent, 
 wrecking all in its path. 
 
 At the end of an hour the horses were pawing in blood. 
 
 Meanwhile Armand-Louis and Renaud held head 
 against John of Werth. Magnus and Carquefou were in 
 the foremost rank. The Bavarians found themselves 
 before a wall of bronze. From time to time Magnus 
 looked behind him. This astonished Carquefou. A 
 band of harrassed but ever fighting soldiers appeared at 
 the corner of the street. Magnus recognized the Swed- 
 ish uniform. Falkcnberg was not there. Magnus 
 knocked over a Bavarian who persisted in attacking him 
 and leaped toward the Swedes. 
 
 "M. de Falkenberg?" he asked of a young officer, all 
 covered with blood. 
 
 "An Austrian ball killed him," replied the officer. 
 
 A thunder of wild shouts burst on the air. The Wal- 
 loons pressed forward. Magnus rejoined Armand-Louis, 
 saving: 
 
 'The city's lost!" 
 
 "I'.h?" said Armand-Louis. "Then let's make one 
 more effort and save those confided to our care." 
 
 All f>»ur, Armand-Louis, Renaud, Magnus and Car- 
 quefou rushed forward and fell upon the Bavarians, 
 breaking their ranks as a battering ram breaks a wall. An 
 empty space lay before them. 
 
 "Honor is saved!" cried Armand-Louis, "now to the 
 gallop !" 
 
 Then all four disappeared down a little street. A few
 
 36 WITH FIRE AND SWORD 
 
 minutes later, grouped about Adrienne and Diana, they 
 were seeking a means of escape from the burning city. 
 
 At this crisis, the unhappy defenders of Magdebourg 
 who still stood, resisted only to sell their lives dearly. 
 Each soldier fell in turn. The Croatians, spread broad- 
 cast, leaped ahorse and rode into the churches, pitilessly 
 massacring the flocks of kneeling women. Their sabres 
 never wearied. 
 
 Pillage followed carnage. A terror-stricken mob, 
 hunted from the houses, ran wildly through the city, 
 pursued by troops whom the intoxication of victory and 
 blood rendered implacable. They killed for the sake of 
 killing; they burned simply to destroy. Conflagration 
 raged from street to street. 
 
 In the midst of this furnace, which had been Magde- 
 bourg, Armand-Louis and his companions attempted to 
 open a passage to the gates. But what obstacles in their 
 way ! Here a street was blockaded by a fallen steeple, 
 reeking a cloud of black smoke ; farther on, a company of 
 Walloons was firing an entire district and driving the in- 
 habitants into the flames at the point of pikes. Yet the 
 four soldiers continued to advance, protected in some 
 wise by the tumult and terror of this work of annihilation. 
 If Croatian or Hungarian cavaliers came dangerously 
 close, the sword of Renaud or of Magnus soon felled 
 them to earth. Adrienne and Diana, all quivering with 
 awe, closed their eyes while their horses leaped over 
 corpses. When a numerous troop of the Imperialists 
 was seen afar off, the fugitives hid themselves behind a 
 smoking wall or under the fallen and smouldering dome 
 of some chapel. The troop once passed, they proceeded 
 on their way. 
 
 Suddenly a company of cavaliers rode before them, 
 wh.'le they were turning the corner of a still burning 
 building. The riders were galloping behind a man, who 
 wore a doublet of green satin, and who seemed to be their 
 leader. A scarlet plume waved from his grey cap, brush- 
 ing his shoulder. He. had a thin profile, a red beard and 
 the look of a wolf. 
 
 "Count Tilly," murmured Magnus. Carquefou crossed
 
 WITH FIRE AND SWORD 37 
 
 himself, then raising a musket, hooked to his saddle-bow, 
 which he had reserved for a supreme occasion, he said : 
 
 "If he turns around, 'tis to look his last on the sun." 
 
 The squadron passed. A man galloped up to the side 
 of Count Tilly. A great mantle of green cloth enveloped 
 his form. 
 
 "If that's not the Duke of Saxe-Lauenbourg," said 
 Armand-Louis, "it is his phantom." 
 
 Carquefou replaced his musket in position, saying: 
 "Here's a ball that loses the chance to lodge itself in the 
 body of an illustrious cutthroat." 
 
 They had almost gained the ramparts when a body of 
 citizens, all covered with blood, rushed past them, pur- 
 sued by a regiment of Imperialists. 
 
 "Ah ! 'twere better to die here than flee farther," cried 
 one of the citizens. 
 
 They all retreated to the bottom of a garden. Armand- 
 Louis glanced about him. Naught could be seen on 
 any side but pikes and muskets, menacing visages and 
 bloody sabres. The torrent of citizens had borne them 
 along into the garden, which was protected on three sides 
 by an old wall. 
 
 While Armand-Louis was seeking a breach, a troop of 
 soldiers followed upon the citizens into the garden. 
 
 "Death to the heretics! Death to the rebels!" cried a 
 Walloon officer ; and a volley of bullets flew, decimating 
 the mutilated ranks of the citizens. 
 
 The horse of Adrienne began to rear and fell upon its 
 haunches. Armand-Louis quickly lifted her off and set 
 her behind him on his steed. 
 
 "Fly!" he said to Renaud, "I will follow you if I can." 
 
 "There's a bit of advice," retorted Renaud, "which I'd 
 make you answer for in the field were there not a thou- 
 sand murderers crowding upon us from all sides.'' 
 
 But already Diana had come to Adrienne, and seizing 
 her hand, said : 
 
 "Thy lot shall be mine!'' 
 
 They might still cross the walls of the garden and gain 
 the rampart, had it nut been that the horse of Armand- 
 Louis suffered from two wounds, in addition to his double 
 burden.
 
 38 WITH FIRE AND SWORD 
 
 Suddenly Magnus dismounted, and pointing to one 
 end of the street with his sword, said : 
 
 "John of Werth !" 
 
 "And Captain Jacobus !" exclaimed Carquefou, dis- 
 mounting in turn. 
 
 Then each offered the bridle of his horse to Armand- 
 Louis. 
 
 "No; no; not at that price," cried the Huguenot. 
 
 John of Werth had already caught sight of them and 
 pointing them out to Captain Jacobus, he cried : 
 
 "This time they're mine." 
 
 Gathering his Bavarians about him, he dashed into the 
 garden. At the same instant another troop of cavalry 
 appeared at the opposite end of the street. Their 
 cuirasses bespattered with blood blazed in the sunlight. 
 They marched in good order, swords erect, following the 
 pace of the chief at their head. 
 
 "Ah, Count Pappenheim !" cried Armand-Louis, as he 
 recognized this personage. 
 
 "A tiger and a lion," said Carquefou, regarding in turn 
 the Bavarian captain and the Grand Marshal of the Em- 
 pire. 
 
 "Let all follow me !" commanded Armand-Louis in a 
 loud voice. 
 
 Bursting out of the garden in the teeth of the Croatians 
 and Walloons, striking and felling all who impeded his 
 passage, he opened a bloody path up to the cuirassiers of 
 Pappenheim, who gazed astounded at the havoc four 
 swords had wrought. 
 
 "Count Pappenheim," said Armand-Louis to his terri- 
 ble rival, "here are two gentlewomen whom I entrust to 
 your loyalty. If you are really he who is called The 
 Soldier, save them. As for myself and the Marquis of 
 Chaufontaine, we are your prisoners. Here is my 
 sword." 
 
 "Here is mine," added Renaud. 
 
 John of Werth had just ridden over the bodies of the 
 citizens retrenched in the garden. He had now arrived 
 at the group formed by Adrienne and Diana. 
 
 "At last," he said. 
 
 Almost at once his hand grasped the arm of Adrienne,
 
 WITH FIRE AND SWORD 39 
 
 as the talons of a vulture upon the trembling wing of a 
 dove. 
 
 But Count Pappcnheim, swift as thunder, rode between 
 the maiden and the Bavarian, saying in an imperious 
 tone : 
 
 "Baron, you forget that Mademoiselle de Souvigny is 
 in my care. Who touches her, touches me." 
 
 The glances of the two captains crossed with the glitter 
 of swordblades. But Count Pappenheim was surrounded 
 by his cuirassiers, who were devoted to him. John of 
 Werth understood that he could not be the more power- 
 ful, lie lowered the point of his sabre. 
 
 "Mademoiselle de Souvigny, prisoner of a general of 
 Emperor Ferdinand," he said. "I do not dispute her 
 with you. Her ransom will go into the treasury of His 
 Roman and Apostolic Majesty, together with that of 
 Mademoiselle de Pardaillan." 
 
 Then bowing to Diana, he added : 
 
 "This is a capture which Count Tilly, Commander-in- 
 Chief of the Imperial army and an acquaintance of the 
 Marquis of Pardaillan, your father, will thoroughly ap- 
 preciate. 
 
 Then he retired slowly.
 
 4o COUNT PAPPENHEIM'S NOBILITY 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 COUNT PAPPENHEIM'S NOBILITY. 
 
 The name of Count Tilly, which has been mentioned 
 in the preceding colloquy, had a meaning which did not 
 escape Count Pappenheim. It made the Commander- 
 in-Chief of the army a kind of umpire between Made- 
 moiselle de Souvigny and of Mademoiselle de Pardaillan. 
 John of Werth would not tarry to inform him of what had 
 occurred, and Count Tilly would be sure to assert his 
 absolute authority, thus leaving Count Pappenheim no 
 longer free to act as he should have desired. His first 
 thought was to pay the debt of gratitude he owed Ar- 
 mand-Louis by restoring to him his freedom and Made- 
 moiselle de Souvigny. This would be the most noble 
 means of showing the French gentleman that he under- 
 stood great deeds and could imitate him in the practice 
 of heroic devotion. But did the young ladies still belong 
 to him, now that the name of His Majesty, the Emperor, 
 had been mentioned ? 
 
 As he had anticipated, John of Werth did not lose a 
 minute in going to Count Tilly and relating to him the 
 scene of which he had been a witness. The avidity of the 
 terrible general knew no bounds ; excited by the riches, 
 which long wars and rapine had permitted him to amass, 
 he thought unceasingly of some means to increase them. 
 Even as he named the two prisoners which fate had led 
 into the Imperial camp, John of Werth hastened to re- 
 mind Count Tilly that they were connected by blood with 
 the richest and noblest lords of Sweden. If the laws of 
 war gave them to one of his lieutenants, was it not just 
 that a part of their ransom should be given to the gen- 
 eralissimo of the army? 
 
 "Further," added John of Werth, "you know that 
 Mademoiselle de Pardaillan, Countess of Mummelberg, 
 by her mother's side, is by birth quite as much a Bo-
 
 COUNT PAPPENHEIM'S NOBILITY 41 
 
 hemian as a Swede, and, therefore, subject to his Majesty. 
 the Emperor, our master. She possesses rich tracts in 
 Austria, which have been sequestrated. Part of them 
 may be the reward of him who conducts her to the feet 
 of her legitimate sovereign." 
 
 The eyes of Count Tilly gleamed with a ferocious 
 covetousness. 
 
 "Now," thought John of Werth, "Adrienne will always 
 be within reach of my claws." 
 
 Shortly thereafter a messenger from Count Tilly in- 
 formed Count rappenheim that the Commander-in-Chief 
 was awaiting him in the very palace Falkenberg had oc- 
 cupied the day before, when it was the scene of so much 
 rejoicing and festivity. 
 
 "Do not leave this house," said Count Pappenheim to 
 Armand-Louis as he resumed his armor, "neither you nor 
 any of your friends. The city belongs to Count Tilly ; 
 this house belongs to me." 
 
 He placed before the door, on which his name was in- 
 scribed in chalk, a platoon of his cuirassiers, commanded 
 them to allow entrance to none, no matter under what 
 pretext, and then betook himself to the conqueror of 
 Magdebourg. 
 
 It was not long ere the names of the two young ladies 
 were pronounced. 
 
 "I was expecting this," thought Count Pappenheim, 
 glancing at John of Werth. 
 
 John of Werth was stroking his mustache. 
 
 "This is an important capture," Count Tilly continued. 
 "One of the young ladies has wealth enough to save her 
 guardian the trouble of counting it. The other is de- 
 ided from one of the most considerable families in 
 C' rmany. Her perversity in heresy, or even some clever 
 arrangement may be reason sufficient to pass the land 
 she possesses into the hands of the crown. Besides. 
 Mademoiselle dc Pardaillan is the heiress of a gentleman, 
 who not only is known to be immensely wealthy, but who 
 is also the counsellor and confidant of our implacable 
 enemy. I claim these prisoners, therefore, in the name 
 of my sovereign. They may be able to serve our c:ium> 
 well."
 
 42 COUNT PAPPENHEIM'S NOBILITY 
 
 "When he knows they are in our hands," interposed 
 John of Werth, "the Marquis of Pardaillan will surely 
 come to the Imperial camp at once, to treat of their ran- 
 som." 
 
 "Who can say," added Count Tilly, "whether the hopes 
 of liberating them quickly and without ransom will not 
 induce him to confide to us the secrets of his master? 
 Why should he not reveal the plans of Gustavus Adol- 
 phus, when all that is dearest to him in life is at stake?" 
 
 "The Marquis of Pardaillan is a warrior," Count Pap- 
 penheim hastened to reply, "and he will never do what 
 you yourselves would refuse to do, though you had ten 
 naked swords at your heart." 
 
 "Then he'll dive down deep into his coffers and empty 
 them, if he desires to get his daughter and his ward back 
 to Sweden. In default of revelations, which the vic- 
 torious armies of His Majesty can dispense with, our 
 master, Emperor Ferdinand, will have gold to pay some 
 of his faithful soldiers." 
 
 "Gold !" cried Count Pappenheim, looking the old gen- 
 eral straight in the eyes. "There was enough of it in 
 Magdebourg to keep a big army for three months. What 
 has become of it?" 
 
 The deep-set eyes of Count Tilly flashed, but without 
 replying directly to the question of a captain, whose vio- 
 lence and whose popularity he well knew* he said : 
 
 "The dispatch which bears the news of the capture of 
 Magdebourg to Munich and to Vienna contains the 
 names of Mademoiselle de Souvigny and Mademoiselle 
 de Pardaillan among the principal prisoners." 
 
 "I do not doubt," added John of Werth, "but that the 
 Emperor will hasten to summon them to his court. They 
 will adorn it with their beauty as the daughters of the 
 Eastern princes adorned the court of Alexander of Mace- 
 don." 
 
 Since the Emperor Ferdinand was thus informed, 
 Count Pappenheim could no longer think of executing 
 his generous project. This was the stroke of too clever 
 a hand. 
 
 "If the Emperor, my master, orders them to his pres- 
 ence, I myself will be the guide and protector of Made-
 
 o 
 
 : 
 :
 
 COUNT PAPPENHEIM'S NOBILITY 43 
 
 moiselle de Pardaillan and Mademoiselle de Souvigny," 
 replied the grand-marshal. 
 
 "They could not be in better hands," cried John of 
 Werth. "I doubt only whether His Majesty will consen* 
 to be deprived of the services of a chief who knows ho\ 
 to enchain victory to his sword." 
 
 "Oh, Bavaria can furnish captains to replace me." 
 
 John of Werth smiled and was silent. He did not des- 
 pair of yet finding an efficacious means to force the mar- 
 shal of the empire to separate himself from his prisoners. 
 What was important to him was to see that they were 
 not returned at once to the camp of Gustavus Adolphus. 
 
 "I have been told alss," said Count Tilly, "that you 
 have two French gentlemen as prisoners." 
 
 "The Count of La Guerche and the Marquis of Chau- 
 fontaine," added John of Werth. 
 
 " 'Tis true." 
 
 "What a windfall I" commented John of Werth care- 
 lessly. "Two desperate enemies to the imperial cause. 
 They shan't appear at court. A good tight lodging in 
 the state's prison will do for them." 
 
 "You forget, I believe," replied Count Pappenheim, 
 rising haughtily, "that these two gentlemen gave up their 
 swords to me." 
 
 "Ah, I understand," retorted John of Werth, "your in- 
 tention is to restore to them liberty. That's chivalry — " 
 
 "Such as yourself practiced one day; if I remember 
 aright, when you restored his liberty to the Marquis of 
 Pardaillan at the battle of Lutter," interrupted Count 
 Pappenheim. 
 
 John of Werth bit his lips. The argument was un- 
 answerable. 
 
 "Am I not concerned in this?" cried Count Tilly. "I 
 believe the smoking ruins of Magdebourg which sur- 
 round us are sufficient proof that I command Magde- 
 bourg." 
 
 "If you are generalissimo of the army, I believe 1 am 
 the hereditary marshal of the empire. What I have 
 taken, none dare touch." 
 
 "Count, do you know to whom you are speaking?"
 
 44 COUNT PAPPENHEIM'S NOBILITY 
 
 "Count Tilly, you are speaking to Count Pappenheim. 
 That much I know." 
 
 The two chiefs glared at each other like two lions meet- 
 ing in the desert to drink at the same spring; the one 
 with all the haughty command with which he was in- 
 vested, the other with all the arrogance of the race 
 whence he sprung. The same pallor clouded each brow. 
 If pushed to extremes Count Pappenheim might depart 
 and not the whole army could stop him at the head of his 
 cuirassiers ; mayhap even a goodly part of it would follow 
 in his train ; and it meant risking all to exact all. 
 
 "Gentlemen," cried John of Werth, "what boots us the 
 life of two captains, whose ransom is not even ten crowns 
 of gold? On the contrary, it is well that the enemy 
 should know the contempt in which we hold their swords. 
 They will tell the Swedes what fate the army of Count 
 Tilly reserves for whomsoever resists. This surname of 
 'Invincible,' which it has so long deserved, they'll find it 
 deserves more than ever." 
 
 This flattery, adroitly put, banished the anger of the 
 general. A little smile spread over his face, as he re- 
 turned : 
 
 "John of Werth is right. Let the marshal of the em- 
 pire do as he pleases with the two adventurers, which 
 chance has placed in his way." 
 
 The conference was ended. Count Pappenheim slowly 
 returned to the house before which stood the guard of 
 cuirassiers. He had just bearded a man who did not 
 easily forgive, and he knew John of Werth enough to be 
 assured that he would not abandon his schemes, though 
 he had adjourned them. He must therefore place the 
 Count of La Guerche and the Marquis of Chaufontaine 
 beyond the reach of any hostile hand. 
 
 His manner, as he entered the room occupied by the 
 two gentlemen, gave them to understand that something 
 had happened. Adrienne and Diana clung close togeth- 
 er like two doves at the approach of a vulture. 
 
 "You know whence I come," said Count Pappenheim. 
 "Nothing is lost ; but you must separate." 
 
 "Separate?" echoed Adrienne. 
 
 "The name of one against whom I can do nothing, an
 
 COUNT PAPPENHBIM'S NOBILITY 45 
 
 august name, has been pronounced ; Mademoiselle de 
 Souvigny is the prisoner of His Majesty Ferdinand, the 
 Emperor of Germany. Mademoiselle de Pardaillan as 
 well." 
 
 Adrienne was too much shocked to reply. Count Pap 
 penheim profited of this silence to relate to them whal 
 had passed at the abode of Count Tilly. When they 
 learned that their companions were to be sent either to 
 Munich or Vienna, Armand-Louis and Renaud leaped 
 like two panthers whose hips have been pierced with ar- 
 rows. 
 
 "Both prisoners? And we?" they cried. 
 
 "You, gentlemen, are free." 
 
 " Tis treason," exclaimed Renaud. 
 
 "There's a word, Sir," retorted the marshal, slightly 
 paling, "which I should make you answer for, were you 
 not my guest. I did all in human power to save you ; but 
 I'm not master, nor am I Ferdinand of Hapsburg, before 
 whose name the haughtiest heads bow. Yet be assured, 
 for the young ladies are under my charge." 
 
 "And you will answer for them on your life, your 
 honor?" cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 "There's no need to remind me of it, Count, but mean- 
 while, gentlemen, you had better leave." 
 
 "So soon ?" queried Armand-Louis, drawing near Ad- 
 rienne. 
 
 "The sooner the better." 
 
 "What do you fear?" asked Adrienne. 
 
 "I fear nothing and I mistrust everything. Do I know 
 what the general in command of Magdebourg will decide 
 to-night? There is a man close to him who hates you 
 all and he may be fertile of evil counsel." 
 
 *'< >h, go then, go quickly," said Adrienne. 
 
 Armand-I.<>uis arose and said shortly: 
 
 "Let us understand well. Count Tappenheim is for 
 us, is it *ru< v ' 
 
 "It is," r< plii d the count. 
 
 "We are beneath your roof and I see below me cuir- 
 rs, who, at a signal from their general, would all die 
 to protect this house." 
 
 "All."
 
 46 COUNT PAPPENHEIM'S NOBIUTY 
 
 "But against us we have Count Tilly, John of Werth 
 and an army." 
 
 "That is to say, might, machination and spleen." 
 
 "Then if we heed your advice we'll leave to-night." 
 
 "Within an hour." 
 
 "And we'll make straightway for the Swedish out- 
 posts?" 
 
 "Without looking back." 
 
 Adrienne and Diana felt a chill run through them. 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud started. 
 
 "Ah, I understand," said the grand-marshal of the em- 
 pire, "You have a thousand things to say, a thousand 
 confidences to exchange — perhaps even you have to un- 
 dertake a deliverance which is the sum of all your 
 prayers." 
 
 " 'Tis true," cried Renaud, "and which we shall obtain 
 with God's aid and our swords." 
 
 "Remain then. I allow you a night. 'Tis an im- 
 prudence, but perhaps this imprudence will enable me the 
 better to provide for your retreat. Besides, I'll not at- 
 tempt to combat the counsels of love. My experience 
 has taught me the follies it inspires. Happy we are when 
 they are still only follies !" 
 
 This allusion to the incidents of their meeting at La 
 Grande Fortelle caused Adrienne's visage to mantle with 
 a veil of purple. In it Armand-Louis beheld the proof 
 that Count Pappenheim was not the man he had hitherto 
 judged him, and he proffered his hand impulsively. 
 
 Renaud, touched by this action, approached the mar- 
 shal, saying: 
 
 "You have in your hands two gentlewomen, whom a 
 good resolution, an impulse of the heart may make free. 
 Are you not of a name to brave the anger of Count Tilly, 
 of a rank to coerce even the Emperor, your master, to 
 respect? Say the word and these two women will bless 
 you." 
 
 Without answering Count Pappenheim threw open the 
 window violentlv, then said : 
 
 "Behold!" 
 
 The two young men, behind whom Adrienne and 
 Diana grouped themselves, saw by the light of flame, a
 
 COUNT PAPPKNIIEIM'S NOBILITY 47 
 
 black curtain of soldiers, whence issued the flashes of 
 pikes and muskets. 
 
 "There are the Walloons ; beyond, the Bavarian com- 
 panies," continued the count. "Oh, John of Werth laid 
 all his plans well. Do you desire a battle in which all 
 four of you may perish?" 
 
 " Tis nothing to us, but to them !" said Armand-Louis. 
 
 "I would not have waited for your request," said the 
 count, closing the window, "if it had been possible for me 
 to grant it. But where Tilly commands, where John of 
 Werth sleeps, a tiger and a wolf, gentlemen, we must 
 hope in God. To-day is theirs ; to-morrow, perhaps, 
 mav be ours !"
 
 48 A MONK WITH AN APPETITE 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 A MONK WITH AN APPETITE. 
 
 While the preceding events were taking place in one 
 corner of Magdebourg a Capuchin monk was prowling 
 about a house which the quartermasters of the army had 
 marked as the headquarters of John of Werth. He was 
 as long as a ladder, as thin as the paw of a hare, dry as 
 a bit of twine and pale as a birch. His restless eyes lost 
 sight of nothing about him ; they were ever moving and 
 flashed darkly with a certain something both savage and 
 feline in their glance, that reminded one of the eyes of a 
 wild beast. At times the monk forgot to answer the sol- 
 diers who, charged with booty, asked his benediction in 
 passing ; at others he bestowed a careless sign of the cross 
 upon them with his right hand and a smile that bore more 
 of covetousness than of humility. He never went far 
 from the house, which was guarded by a Bavarian sen- 
 tinel pacing up and down monotonously. 
 
 Night fell and quiet reigned. Some of the houses 
 which were still blazing cast their red flames toward the 
 sombre sky. Then in a neighboring street the sound of 
 hurrying and heavy-booted feet was heard. Soon the 
 shadow of the Capuchin was outlined against the wall of 
 a building illuminated by flames. He was leaning for- 
 ward to see the better. 
 
 "It is he !" the monk murmured. "Play fast and an 
 hour may restore what chance lost to me." 
 
 At this moment John of Werth arrived in front of the 
 house. The Capuchin accosted him and crossing his 
 arms on his breast, bowed with a contrite air, saying : 
 
 "Will my lord John of Werth deign to lose five min- 
 utes of his precious time to listen to an humble servant of 
 the Church?" 
 
 "Now?" asked the Bavarian. 
 
 "Now, if it pleases your lordship ;" and he added in a
 
 A MONK WITH AN APPETITE 49 
 
 lower tone, "it concerns a person claimed by hell, whom 
 my lord John of Werth honors with a particular hatred. 
 I mean the Count of La Guerche." 
 
 John of Werth scrutinized the monk sharply and said : 
 
 "Father, would you be frightened by a venison patty, 
 ♦lanked with four bottles taken from the renegades of 
 Magdebourg?" 
 
 "Though my habit has cancelled all commerce with the 
 sensualities of this world, in the service of the cause 
 which we both defend, you by your sword, I by my word, 
 I will submit myself to the proof of the patty.' 
 
 "And the temptation of four bottles ?" 
 
 "Yes, my lord." 
 
 "Then follow me. We'll chat while supping." 
 
 The monk bowed to the ground and followed John of 
 Werth into a lower hall which the Croatians and the 
 flames had respected. A stout oak table bore without 
 bending the respectable burden of a patty modestly sur- 
 rounded by a complete assortment of saucepans, black 
 puddings and chitterlings, whence rose a steam of spices. 
 Four long, narrow-necked bottles decorated each corner 
 of the table. 
 
 "Ha, ha," said John of Werth, smiling, "Magdebourg 
 has good stuff." Then pointing out a chair to the Capu- 
 chin, "Be seated, eat and drink." 
 
 "Ah," exclaimed the monk emotionally, as he raised 
 his eyes toward heaven, "when one has labored all day in 
 the vineyard of the Lord, 'tis sweet at eventide to discover 
 that the modest efforts of an unworthy servant of the 
 Church have not been disagreeable t<> Providence." 
 
 I laving said this he rolled back the broad sleeves of his 
 -e robe and attacked the patty vigorously, not neglect- 
 ing the chitterlings, which he moistened with a brim- 
 ming bumper of Rhine wine. 
 
 "My lord," he recommenced with a sigh, "the words 
 
 of the Fathers of the Church are that we pardon sin ; but 
 
 when one has to do with a hardened and heretical sinner, 
 the Holy Inquisition, which T reverence, hands the wretch 
 who persists in error over t*> the si cular authorities." 
 "The Holy Inquisition never errs," replied John of
 
 50 A MONK WITH AN APPETITE 
 
 Werth, striking an enormous breach in the side of the 
 patty. 
 
 "Therefore it has seemed to me that neither pity nor 
 mercy should be allowed to the cursed heretic who is 
 known among his heretical brethren under the name of 
 the Count of La Guerche." 
 
 "Neither pity nor mercy, quite right; but, unhappily, 
 you must know, father, that the Count of La Guerche 
 has, by some infernal art, interested a powerful dignitary 
 in his lot, namely, the Grand-Marshal of the Empire, 
 Count Pappenheim." 
 
 "I know it, my lord, I know it. And I see the hand of 
 the Evil One in it, but the machinations of the Spirit of 
 Darkness shall not prevail against the spiritual arms 
 which it is my duty to employ, and if it please God we 
 will conquer the obstinacy of this Huguenot." 
 
 "Your goblet." 
 
 The monk refilled his pewter goblet to the brim and 
 swallowed the contents at a draught. 
 
 "The Count of La Guerche," he continued with a bea- 
 tific air, "will surely leave here in a few days. Doubtless 
 he will take the shortest road from Magdebourg to the 
 camp of this son of Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar, 
 whom the Swedes call Gustavus Adolphus. He will do 
 this with the malicious aim of there securing aid." 
 
 " 'Tis evident, father. You reason with a clearness of 
 vision that charms me." 
 
 "Now, by giving the spiritual arms, of which I have 
 just spoken to you, the assistance of the temporal, it 
 would be easy to place the Count of La Guerche and his 
 companion, the Marquis of Chaufontaine, beyond all 
 power of injuring the well-beloved sons of our Holy 
 Church." 
 
 "Beyond all power, you say?" 
 
 "The roads are full of ambushes. The wise man can 
 never answer for the morrow." 
 
 The monk emptied a bottle and threw it adroitly out 
 of the window. 
 
 "There's a monk with the hand of a reiter," thought 
 John of Werth. 
 
 "Follow my argument closely," pursued the monk,
 
 A MONK WITH AN ArTETITE 5' 
 
 whose brain found greater brilliance at the bottom of each 
 bottle he emptied. "These miscreants, whose names my 
 lips cannot utter without the sensation of a red-hot iron, 
 leave Magdebourg a fine morning, their souls full of black 
 schemes. They think over the perpetration of them 
 while on their way. But God, who does not permit the 
 wicked to triumph, causes them on a certain evening to 
 enter an inn whose proprietor is a holy man devoted to 
 the eternal interests of religion. One may excite his 
 piety by a gift and he will open the door of his house to 
 the secular arm." 
 
 "Without compromising the name or reputation of 
 anybody?" 
 
 "Does my lord take this venerable robe for the band 
 of an infant ? Xo, no ; this arm has often put in practice 
 the motto of a philosopher whose name escapes me, 
 which is, 'dispatch and discretion.' " 
 
 "It is a virtuous and prudent arm." 
 
 The Capuchin bowed and filled his plate of the patty, 
 which was fast disappearing. 
 
 "Moreover, I fancy," he went on, "that your lordship 
 has. like myself, a horror of useless violence and of the 
 spilling of blood. What we desire is not so much the 
 death of the sinner, but his conversion." 
 
 "To be sure." 
 
 "Then the thrust of a poniard, which sends life into 
 death, does not allow souls the time to repent and shrive 
 themselves by abundant alms-giving. The spectacle of 
 the miseries and sufferings to which they are to be con- 
 demned must move these souls to penance. Thus, if your 
 Huguenot dies, Mademoiselle de Souvigny perseveres in 
 her error. Where's your gain? The pleasure of tri- 
 umph is unquestionably something, but not everything. 
 The Count of La Guerche, on the contrary, is buried in 
 some deep hole and begs the obstinate person to respond 
 to the prayers of your lordship in order to obtain the de- 
 liverance of his miserable body, which suffers daily tor- 
 tures. That would be beautiful 1 And to attain this 
 end, our humble efforts must strive unceasingly." 
 
 John of Werth contemplated the monk with admira- 
 tion. It seemed to him that this man, whose name he
 
 52 A MONK WITH AN APPETITE 
 
 did not know, outstripped the unfortunate Frantz Kreuss 
 by a hundred yards. 
 
 "You know an inn then," he added, "which will extend 
 hospitality to you at the price of a pious offering?" 
 
 "I do." 
 
 "And your arm will surprise the Count of La Guerche 
 there and lead him to a spot where he will have leisure 
 for long meditation ?" 
 
 "With your permission both the Count of La Guerche 
 and the Marquis of Chaufontaine." 
 
 "You have my permission with pleasure." 
 
 "You are a good man," replied the monk. 
 
 Then in a soft voice John of Werth called a lackey and 
 ordered him to fetch four more bottles together with 
 some ham. 
 
 "I cannot admire enough the excellence of your stom- 
 ach and the vigor of your appetite," the baron commented 
 with a smile. 
 
 "They are the privileges of a pure conscience," an- 
 swered the Capuchin. 
 
 "Now, tell me, father, does your holiness undertake 
 this mission of confidence for the love of your neighbor 
 only?" 
 
 "Alas, no." 
 
 "Ah !" 
 
 "Times are so hard that I must solicit a recompense 
 less heavenly for my services." 
 
 "I understand, father; and I think we can unite our 
 efforts for the common good." 
 
 "That is my most ardent desire. I have not always 
 been a lowly servant of the Church, my lord. In other 
 days I wore a sword. If humility did not forbid it, I 
 should add, that I handled it not ill." 
 
 "I suspected it when you showed me your arm a while 
 ago. 
 
 "Unhappily the devil fanned my spirit to anger. One 
 night we were playing dice with the equerry of his Emi- 
 nence, the Duke of Friedland. I lost ; and I killed the 
 equerry with a stab of my dirk." 
 
 "Merely a move of passion, father." 
 
 "I asked pardon for it from saints and men. Now I
 
 A MONK WITH AN ArPETlTE 53 
 
 must obtain the forgiveness of his eminence the Duke of 
 Friedland." 
 
 "I'll see to that." 
 
 "Later, while traveling in the Palatinate, I met the 
 treasurer of His Eminence the Archbishop of Mayence. 
 We dined under an arbor together. On the morrow 
 neither the treasurer nor the treasure could be found. 
 Certain evil persons stirred the rumor that I had some- 
 thing to do with this singular event. Jt is to be desired 
 that His Eminence show his forgetfulncss of the injury 
 by ordering all investigation to be stopped and the pro- 
 ceedings to be closed." 
 
 "I will write to the Archbishop of Mayence." 
 
 "Later still in Bavaria in a castle where a marriage was 
 being celebrated, a band of students and gypsies abducted 
 the bride in her wedding dress and jewels. An unhappy 
 chance had brought me to this company of vagrants the 
 preceding day. They had been pleased to invest me 
 with the title of captain. The bride returned to the castle 
 eight days later and entered a convent. Alas, no trace of 
 the jewels was ever discovered." 
 
 "Such things are easily lost." 
 
 "Calumny dared accuse me. It would be opportune, 
 my lord, to engage the commander of the castle, a castle 
 of the Holy Empire, to think no more of this affair which 
 recalls to him such melancholy memories." 
 
 "I'll say a word to my master, the Elector Maximilian, 
 and I believe he will accede to my request." 
 
 "There are certain other trifling peccadilloes under 
 which my conscience has not slept. One among them 
 caused a sentence of death to be pronounced by the ec- 
 clesiastical tribunal of Treves. But thanks to the inter- 
 vention of my holy patron, I've killed so many Hugue- 
 nots since then, that I am sure the tribunal would consent 
 to remit my sentence did some charitable and powerful 
 soul plead my cause." 
 
 "I shall be that soul, if you wish." 
 
 "Now, my lord, I have to present to you a last humble 
 prayer. I should have none to address to heaven, if 
 some one of your name and credit attached me to his 
 person. The cloak befits my build better than the habit,
 
 54 A MONK WITH AN APPETITE 
 
 not that I disdain this pious dress, but each of us has his 
 instincts and mine incline me toward the military attire. 
 Yet I should always be able, when occasion required, to 
 bend my head under a cowl." 
 
 "Zounds ! Father, for the past hour I've been think- 
 ing that you alone could replace an honest servant whom 
 I've lost, good Frantz. He was a clever man and one 
 unequalled for enterprises of hazard. Avaricious, if you 
 will, but not scrupulous. I weep for him every day. 
 You are of his race and blood, with something more that 
 attracts me." 
 
 "You flatter me." 
 
 "Not in the least. I speak of things as they are. You 
 have, perhaps, a brain even more inventive, more fertile 
 of resource, more prompt and energetic." 
 
 "Then, you agree?" 
 
 "Without the slightest hesitation." 
 
 "And I am yours?" 
 
 "From this evening." 
 
 "My lord," cried the monk, as he sent the four empty 
 bottles flying through the window, "as true as this brittle 
 glass breaks as it falls, shall I pitch at your feet, bound 
 and gagged, these two cursed Frenchmen, called La 
 Guerche and Chaufontaine. One is yours, my lord, the 
 other is mine !" 
 
 "Ah, thou hatest them also?" 
 
 "Look at this scar on my breast. The poniard of one 
 of them caused it. Though it were effaced I should 
 never forget the man who struck the blow." 
 
 "Thy name, soldier?" 
 
 "Matheus Orlscopp." 
 
 "To work, then, Matheus, and if thou dost succeed, in 
 all Germany there will not be a richer or more fortunate 
 captain than thou !" 

 
 A MONK-RIDDEN INN 55 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A MONK-RIDDEN INN. 
 
 When both the conversation and dinner were finished a 
 vague inquietude filled the mind of John of Werth. He 
 feared that his new recruit would not be able to stand 
 up after the frightful quantity of food and drink he had 
 taken. What was his surprise when he saw the Capu- 
 chin leap to his feet with the agility of a cat after the 
 last slice of ham had followed the last glass of wine into 
 his stomach. Matheus Orlscopp looked no fatter than 
 if he had dined on a crust of dry bread and a drop of 
 water. Thin he was and thin he remained. 
 
 "Some money, now," he said in a sonorous voice. 
 
 "Take what you need," said John of Werth emptying 
 his belt on the table. 
 
 "I'll take all," answered Matheus, turning the gold 
 pieces into his pockets. "This will close the eyes and 
 open the ears of Master Innocent." 
 
 "Ah, his name is Innocent, eh, your innkeeper?" 
 
 "Yes, and never was a name better bestowed. He 
 never does anything save to render a service to his neigh- 
 bor." 
 
 Matheus was going out of the door when John of 
 Werth seized him by the arm, saying: 
 
 "What will answer for your good faith?" 
 
 "This," replied the Capuchin, placing his finger on the 
 scar of Renaud's poniard, "and the confession I made 
 you. Half of it would hang an honest man." 
 
 "Fly then!" cried the Bavarian. 
 
 An hour later a cavalier well mounted and followed by 
 two valets at a respectful distance, rode forth from Mag- 
 debourg. It was Matheus Orlscopp, traveling as a gen- 
 tleman. 
 
 Passing the house of Count Pappenheim, he noticed a
 
 56 A MONK-RIDDEN INN 
 
 brilliant light at the upper story and heard a pure and 
 melodious voice vibrating in the night air, chanting a 
 psalm of David. This was not the first time that he had 
 heard this glorious voice. It recalled to him the inn of 
 The Cross of Malta in the town of Burgheim. The 
 shadows of the two gallant cavaliers could be seen 
 against the window. 
 
 "Sing," murmured Matheus, "we'll see whether you 
 will always sing." 
 
 Then he was lost in the night. 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud could not tear themselves 
 away from their sweethearts. To the bitter regret of 
 leaving them was added the mortal anguish of leaving 
 them in the hands of one who had been a rival and was 
 still an enemy. Loyal as they judged him, they were still 
 captives and with what hope of ever being liberated? 
 Renaud tore at his mustache and angry exclamations 
 escaped his lips. Armand-Louis walked up and down or 
 stood still, mute and pale with despair, looking toward 
 heaven. 
 
 "Beaten !" Renaud was repeating incessantly. 
 
 "And both prisoners !" said Armand-Louis. 
 
 At times the wildest plans occurred to them, from 
 which they recoiled only because they feared to com- 
 promise their companions still more. Adrienne and 
 Diana were confident in hope. 
 
 "What do you fear?" asked Adrienne in a firm voice. 
 "You surely do not do me the injury of thinking that my 
 heart can change ? Has my life been free from perils thus 
 far? Do you think I am too weak to support the rigors of 
 this new trial ? Believe me, my heart shall withstand all 
 proof and remain worthy of the name I bear. We shall 
 be separated for some days or months. What are they 
 in comparison to the long years that we have been to- 
 gether? Raise your head high and expect all from the 
 future. The God who rescued me from the hands of 
 Madame Igomer, after having sent us together from 
 Antwerp, will have pity on us. I have more confidence 
 than you in His goodness. A day may come, perhaps, 
 when the memory of Magdebourg shall be for you and 
 me as the memory of those storms of which sailors speak
 
 A MONK-RIDDEN INN 57 
 
 with smiles. May it be not far away ! Give me your 
 hand, Armand, and place your hope in Him, who never 
 deceives." 
 
 Diana spoke in the same strain to Renaud, but with a 
 shade of irony, which denoted the difference between her 
 character and that of Adrienne. 
 
 "Are you no longer the man whom I knew?" she said, 
 "the cavalier amorous of danger and quick to rush into 
 adventures? Perch;. nee your devotion to St. Estocade 
 has declined. Do you believe that this blessed person- 
 age is no longer able to perform miracles? She has al- 
 lowed you to keep your dirk and sword and has not, to 
 my knowledge, caused the heroic Carquefou to disappear. 
 Have you decided to stop killing people, or do you think 
 that your character is not constant enough to support a 
 few weeks' absence? Speak, Sir, speak, if I must aban- 
 don hope, that I may have the time to accustom myself to 
 tears. To tell the truth, I did you the honor of judging 
 that you had a more robust temperament. Do you wish 
 to leave me, thinking that you are to be compared to a 
 willow, which trembles at the slightest zephyr, or are 
 you afraid of losing your memory while on your route as 
 a child loses its top? Do you take me for a will o' the 
 wisp, which morning causes to vanish, and have you no 
 strength left to cry: 'Chaufontaine to the rescue?' " 
 
 Renaud swore that ten million years' absence from 
 Diana could not shatter his constancy and that he still 
 remained the most faithful servant of St. Estocade. Ar- 
 mand-Louis, on his side, thanked Adrienne on his knees 
 for having restored his courage and hope. Thus, amid 
 these alternatives of dejection and resignation the mo- 
 ment of farewell approached. 
 
 The army of Count Tilly, fattened by orgies and booty, 
 about to leave this heap of ruins, which had been 
 Magdebourg. On the morrow it was to open the cam- 
 paign against the army of GustavtlS Adolphus. 
 
 Count Pappenheim himself made this news known to 
 them. The hour of separation was drawing near. Ar- 
 mand-Louis and Renaud were prepared f<>r it. but at his 
 fir^t words they thought their hearts must stop beating.
 
 58 A MONK-RIDDEN INN 
 
 "Say farewell ! Leave you ! Is it possible?" cried Ar- 
 mand-Louis. 
 
 "Ah, Diana!" said poor Renaud, and his voice failed 
 him. 
 
 Adrienne cut short this fatal hour by running into her 
 oratory, whither she was followed by Diana. 
 
 She stood by the window, behind a thick curtain and 
 looked down into the street. She had remained firm as 
 long as it was necessary for her to encourage Armand- 
 Louis. Then there was not a tear, but a steady tone, a 
 confident smile, a face all aflame with love and faith. 
 But when she saw them disappear behind a corner of the 
 wall, a deadly pallor overspread her features and tears 
 flooded her cheeks. 
 
 "Good God !" she cried, clasping her hands prayerfully, 
 "have pity on me !" 
 
 Behind her, prostrate, lay the laughing Diana, sobbing 
 her heart out. 
 
 Count Pappenheim wished to escort the two gentle- 
 men in person at the head of a body of cuirassiers. Count 
 Tilly had given his word, but he had more confidence in 
 the swords and shields of his soldiers. For a while they 
 galloped along the road in a northerly direction, the 
 grand-marshal in advance with the French gentlemen, 
 and behind them the squadron. At two hours' distance 
 from Magdebourg Count Pappenheim reined up his horse 
 and said : 
 
 "Farewell now. You are free and the country lies open 
 before you." 
 
 For some time Armand-Louis and Renaud rode in 
 silence. They held in their horses, as though counting 
 the paces that separated them from the prisoners. In the 
 distance huge clouds of dust veiled the route of the impe- 
 rial army. An opaque dome of smoke lay above Magde- 
 bourg. Everywhere they found trees uprooted or cal- 
 cined, huts in ashes, sacked hamlets and fields of grain 
 trampled under foot. But this mourning of nature did 
 not equal the mourning of their souls. 
 
 Renaud was the first to spur his horse. 
 
 "Let's gallop now," he cried, "the faster we go, the 
 sooner shall we return."
 
 A MONK-RIDDEN INN 59 
 
 Armand-Louis bent down over his horse's neck, and 
 followed by Magnus and Carquefou, the two friends 
 speeded toward that point of the horizon where they 
 hoped to find Gustavus Adolphus and the Swedes. 
 
 "Ah," said Armand-Louis, between his teeth, "if they 
 need a guide to lead them to Vienna I am he." 
 
 One evening after a long run, which had fatigued only 
 their horses, they came in sight of an inn, situated below 
 a field of starved buckwheat on the edge of the woods. 
 A few bundles of fresh-cut fodder embalmed the air. The 
 horses shook their heads and whinnied. 
 
 "Poor beasts, they smell their suppers," said Carque- 
 fou, who had great compassion for sufferings of the 
 stomach. 
 
 The horses stopped of their own accord before the inn. 
 It was a vast building, whose black walls still bore traces 
 of the fire which had devoured the castle of which it had 
 formerly been a part. Here and there bits of ruins could 
 be seen, and amid the remains grew fruit trees and veg- 
 etables. There was no sign on the door of the inn, but 
 some dried branches of pine. An arbor stretched out on 
 one side of the building, beneath which a monk was read- 
 ing his breviary, in company of two lay brothers, who 
 were mumbling prayers on their beads. The host ran 
 out and seized the bridle of Armand-Louis. 
 
 Ik- was a little man, with the face of a cat, his hair 
 brushed straight back and hands crook shaped, like the 
 claws of a vulture. 
 
 "Your horses are foundering," said he, casting a know- 
 ing glance upon them; "if your lordships have need of 
 fresh and sturdy steeds, they can be found here." 
 
 "Ah, you're a bit of a horsedealer, are you?" said Re- 
 naud, dismounting. 
 
 "I find many horses running wild," said the innkeeper ; 
 "it wounds my heart to see them. I gather them in for 
 the service of the honest people who frequent my house." 
 
 Carquefou, who had already paid a visit to the office 
 and the kitchen, appeared at the threshold, and said: 
 
 "I never saw an inn so full of monks. I counted three 
 round a pot which disseminat< S an amiable odor of bacon 
 and cabbage; two in the garden; two others in medita
 
 60 A MONK-RIDDEN INN 
 
 tion before the store-room, not to mention the four who 
 are now praying in the arbor." 
 
 "They are Capuchin fathers who are on a pilgrimage to 
 Cologne. They come from the interior of Pomerania," 
 said the innkeeper. ''Their stay will certainly bring the 
 blessings of our Lord down upon my poor house." 
 
 "Holla, Master Innocent !" cried he of the monks, who 
 appeared to be the superior, "get my supper ready. A 
 few lentils boiled in water and a handful of nuts." 
 
 "Humph," muttered Carquefou, "there's a specimen 
 to disgust one of life." 
 
 "I desire neither wine nor beer," added the monk ; "the 
 water which flows in the bottom of the garden will suffice 
 to quench my thirst." 
 
 Then the monk, whose cowl was drawn down over his 
 eyes, crossed his hands over his breast and passed into 
 the garden, followed by the two lay brothers. 
 
 Master Innocent hurried to the kitchen, and returned 
 thence a moment later with a plate of lentils smoking 
 sadly and a plate in the centre of which rolled a few nuts. 
 It took him a quarter of an hour to serve this meagre 
 repast, and as Carquefou, whose hunger sharpened his 
 temper, remarked the fact to him, he replied : 
 
 "Ah, sir, the saintly man is nourished with the bread of 
 the divine word." 
 
 Soon afterward the host showed Carquefou that he 
 had something besides lentils and nuts in his house. At 
 the sight of the good cheer which filled the place with 
 the most delicate aroma, the honest servant sighed : 
 
 "Ah, if we were not sad, what appetites we should 
 have !" 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud hastily swallowed a few 
 mouthfuls, without exchanging more than ten words, 
 and they related to the deliverance of their sweethearts. 
 This was their sole thought and care. 
 
 "Let the horses be ready at dawn to-morrow," ordered 
 Armand-Louis. 
 
 The host took a torch and conducted the young gentle- 
 men to their rooms. One faced the garden, the other 
 the road, at either extremity of a long corridor. 
 
 "I should have prepared to put you in the same part
 
 A MONK-RIDDEN INN 6l 
 
 of the house," said he, "but the holy Capuchin fathers 
 occupy all the rooms with two beds, as well as those 
 which separate you. But I have taken care that your 
 lordships shall want for nothing. You see the sheets 
 are spotless." 
 
 "That is well," said Renaud, "one night is short." 
 Then he bade his friend to rest and pleasant dreams. 
 
 The host shivered when he saw him place his naked 
 sword beside the bed within arm's reach, and then with- 
 drew slowly.
 
 62 THE HOSTELRY OF MASTER INNOCENT 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE HOSTELRY OF MASTER INNOCENT. 
 
 As Master Innocent passed along the corridor, a door 
 was suddenly opened ajar, revealing the cowl of a monk. 
 " The birds are caged," said Master Innocent in a low 
 voice. 
 
 The cowl vanished. 
 
 At the foot of the stairs Master Innocent met Magnus 
 and Carquefou. 
 
 "The rooms of your lordships are on the very top floor. 
 I am sorry to have to put you under the rafters " 
 
 "Never worry about that," interrupted Magnus. "Our 
 lordships will sleep beside their horses." 
 
 In truth this had been their practice since their de- 
 parture from Magdebourg. They had need to travel 
 rapidly, and their salvation, as well as that of the pris- 
 oners behind them, depended upon their steeds. Magnus 
 knew by experience that a horse neglected is often a 
 horse stolen. Consequently, neither he nor Carquefou 
 ever left the stable. They slept and watched by turns. 
 
 "What, sleep on bundles of straw when you may taste 
 repose in beds of down ! " exclaimed Master Innocent. 
 
 Then he endeavored to make Magnus understand 
 what an unhealthy place the stable was, full of draughts 
 and spiders, in fine a pesthole for aches and rheumatism. 
 
 " The windows are broken and the doors won't close," 
 he added finally. 
 
 "That's the very reason," returned Magnus. "I don't 
 wish my horses to take cold." 
 
 Master Innocent insisted no more. The face of Mag- 
 nus indicated to him that he was one of those stubborn 
 men, who stick to their ideas like an oak to its roots. 
 
 " The devil ! " murmured the innkeeper as he went off. 
 " 'Tis lucky their masters have not the same opinion in 
 regard to the horses."
 
 THE HOSTELRY OF MASTER INNOCENT 63 
 
 At about midnight the last candle in the kitchen was 
 extinguished. The universal silence was interrupted only 
 by the snorting of the horses or their chewing of the 
 fodder provided for them. 
 
 At this moment a door in the corridor was softly 
 opened and a monk issued from his room noiselessly. 
 His half-opened habit revealed a cloak of skin, bound by 
 a belt on which shone the iron hilt of a heavy sword. 
 Almost instantly Master Innocent appeared at the head 
 of the stairs, holding a dark lantern. 
 
 The monk proceeded toward the room of Armand- 
 Louis. the innkeeper toward that of Renaud. Each 
 leaned his ear to the keyhole. A deep, regular breathing 
 in each room informed them that the two cavaliers were 
 sleeping. 
 
 The monk flung back his cowl and dropped his habit, 
 disclosing the sinister form and features of Mattheus Orl- 
 scopp. 
 
 "Now to work," he whispered; then, preceded by 
 Master Innocent, who had rejoined him, he buried him- 
 self in a dark passage, whose door was cleverly secreted 
 in a corner of the hall. 
 
 Meanwhile the two Frenchmen slept, all dressed on top 
 of their beds. 
 
 A few moments afterward a panel of the woodwork 
 which surrounded the room of Armand-Louis, glided si- 
 lently into an invisible groove. It left only a slit in the 
 wall, through which it would have been difficult to thrust 
 a sword blade. Then the slit broadened wonderfully, and 
 in the deep, black opening the silhouette of two men ap- 
 peared. One was Mattheus Orlscopp, the other Master 
 Innocent. They held their breath. In their hands were 
 narrow but solid strips of leather. 
 
 They stepped upon the floor without more noise than 
 a cat makes crawling cautiously along the U<\) of a wall. 
 Behind them, like shadows, two monks followed them 
 into the room of tin- 1 [uguenot. 
 
 The hitter's spirit was HOW in the land of dreams, lie 
 fancied that the door of a palace had been opened, re- 
 vealing Adrienne \<> him in a garden all brilliantly light- 
 ed. She was extending her hands to him, which were
 
 64 THE HOSTELRY OF MASTER INNOCENT 
 
 laden with chains. He advanced a step toward her, but 
 a wall of crystal suddenly rose up between them. Hide- 
 ous dwarfs and horrible grinning giants seized Adrienne 
 and rushed off with her. Armand-Louis stretched forth 
 his arms to deliver her, but on all sides he met the wall 
 of crystal, harder than adamant. He struggled in mortal 
 anguish ; he tried to cry out, but his gagged throat let no 
 sound escape ; his limbs stiffened under the tension of his 
 muscles and he sat up by a violent effort. Of a sudden 
 he opened his eyes. Four horrible faces were looking 
 into his ; his feet were bound with leather thongs ; others 
 were rolled about his wrists, and before a single cry could 
 burst from his lips a violent hand was laid upon his 
 throat and throttled him. 
 
 All this had happened within two minutes after the 
 panel had been slid open. Armand-Louis lay like a 
 corpse about to be nailed in a coffin, before Mattheus 
 Orlscopp. 
 
 "Do you recognize me?" asked the false monk as two 
 of his accomplices laid the Huguenot across their robust 
 shoulders. "It's my turn now." 
 
 The two men and their living burden vanished through 
 the wall and Mattheus Orlscopp turned toward Master 
 Innocent, who was trembling. 
 
 "Let's to the other, now," he said. 
 
 Soon afterward the same scene took place in the room 
 of Renaud de Chaufontaine. A similar panel glided into 
 its groove, the same men with like thongs leaned over the 
 bed of Renaud. The same unpitying hand seized him by 
 the throat, while indestructible knots were being fastened 
 about his arms and legs ; and he was carried from his 
 room in the same manner as Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Above all let's make no noise," murmured Master In- 
 nocent, who shivered at the slightest sound. "There are 
 two rascals below who will stomach no jests. 'Tis true 
 there are ten of us, but they have a number of pistols in 
 their belts." 
 
 "I know one of them," Mattheus answered. "His whole 
 skin's not worth a florin. Nevertheless, let some one go 
 and see what he and his comrade are doing. 
 
 A monk stole down to the stable and soon returned.
 
 THE HOSTELRY OF MASTER INNOCENT 65 
 
 "One of the valets is snoring on the straw," he said. 
 "The other is on the watch, his pistol in his hand, his 
 sword on his knee. I did not dare let myself be seen." 
 
 "You did well," commented Master Innocent, "only 
 let's make haste," and he shuddered more violently than 
 before. 
 
 Traversing the passage, and descending the staircase, 
 the two accomplices reached a rear yard, in the midst of 
 which was a sedan hitched to two mules. They placed 
 the two prisoners side by side in the sedan after Mattheus 
 Orlscopp had tried the bonds to see that they were in- 
 tact. 
 
 "Make a stir," he said, before drawing the curtains, 
 "and at the first sign two balls will crack your skulls." 
 
 In a corner Master Innocent was counting the gold 
 pieces which Mattheus Orlscopp had poured into his 
 palm. 
 
 "They may be a little under weight," he said," but 
 friends do not quarrel over such trifles." 
 
 The sound of a trumpet in the night air startled him. 
 
 "Perhaps 'tis the Swedes," he exclaimed, turning pale. 
 
 "So much the worse for you, gentlemen," said Matthe- 
 us, frowning and taking his pistols. 
 
 He now enveloped himself in a serge habit and pulled 
 the cowl over his head. With a haughty gesture he 
 caused the gate of the yard to be opened, and, concealing 
 his hands in the capacious sleeves of his robe and tight- 
 ening his girdle, he went out. 
 
 Behind him followed a file of monks. The sedan was 
 driven ahead. Dawn was peeping above the horizon, but 
 a few stars still shone in the heavens. A troop of Saxon 
 cavaliers was taking a spur-drink at the door. Master 
 Innocent was passing from one to the other, bearing a 
 broad-bottomed jug. lie was trembling in spite of him- 
 self and dared not look toward tin- sedan or the stable. 
 
 Magnus was standing at the door of the latter build- 
 ing. Carquefou, seated on a stone, was spreading sau- 
 s systematically on a slice of bread. 
 
 "Confound that trumpet." h<- murmured, "I was sleep • 
 
 ing so well." 
 
 Magnus took a step toward the sedan.
 
 66 THE HOSTELRY OF MASTER INNOCENT 
 
 "One of our younger friars was seized with fever last 
 night," explained Mattheus. "Pray for him, brother." 
 
 A kind of groan issued from the sedan, which was 
 drowned in the sound of a psalm which the monks were 
 chanting. The procession moved away. 
 
 Magnus looked toward the horizon, where he saw a 
 narrow band of opalescent light. 
 
 "Ah," thought he, "in an hour we also will be off." 
 
 Then he returned to the stable, whither Carquefou fol- 
 lowed him, yawning, and the latter stretched himself out 
 on a bundle of straw. 
 
 "Confound that trumpet !" he repeated as he closed his 
 eyes. 
 
 While the Saxon cavaliers were distributing hay and 
 oats to their horses, Master Innocent quietly retired to a 
 cellar, whence he rode out on a vigorous nag, first slowly, 
 then at breakneck speed toward a fine wood about a half 
 mile distant from the inn. 
 
 Here he found the whole band of Mattheus shedding 
 their skins. Several of the monks had shouldered buff 
 cloaks and were astride stout steeds, which had been wait- 
 ing their arrival in the coppice. Others, among whom 
 was Master Innocent, wore the costune of honest mer- 
 chants, who go from fair to fair selling their wares. No 
 sign of a habit or cowl was now to be seen. The sedan 
 on the impulse of stalwart arms rolled to the bottom of a 
 ravine, and the two prisoners, bound and garrotted on 
 the crupper of horses, looked like two malefactors taken 
 by a band of soldiers in the very act of robbery or assas- 
 sination. 
 
 "Good luck !" cried Mattheus Orlscopp to Master In- 
 nocent, as he gave the signal for starting. 
 
 "God speed !" answered the tavern-keeper. 
 
 Then the two bands, separating, dashed forward each 
 in its own direction.
 
 A TERRIBLE AWAKENING 67 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A TERRIBLE AWAKENING. 
 
 Meanwhile day followed night; all about the country- 
 side could be heard the usual noises of morning. The 
 peasants drove their herds to pasture, looking about nerv- 
 ously, less an enemy should spring up from some corner 
 of the horizon. Wagons passed along the road. The 
 angelus sounded from a neighboring monastery. The 
 buzz of life was reawakened. Magnus had thrice exam- 
 ined the harness of the horses. The cloud of dust raised 
 by the departing troop of Saxons could no longer be 
 seen ; and a profound silence reigned in the inn. 
 
 "This is the first time my master has been late," ob- 
 served Magnus. 
 
 "Let him sleep," returned Carquefou. "Sleep is a 
 blessing of God." 
 
 But he himself was tormented by his breakfast appe- 
 tite, which he was not in the habit of resisting, and he 
 left his straw bed to go to the kitchen. 
 
 He reappeared an instant later with a melancholy face. 
 
 "It's very strange," he said, "there are no victuals of 
 any kind and no cook in there. I poked into every cor- 
 ner. Nothing and nobody. I think we've put up at an 
 enchanted inn." 
 
 "Nobody!" cried Magnus. 
 
 "It's rather gloomy to set out with no breakfast." 
 
 But Magnus did not wait to hear his plaint. He went 
 up the stairs of the inn four steps at a time, ran along the 
 corridor and knocked at the door of Armand- Louis. 
 There was no answer. 
 
 " Tis Magnus, open the door," he roared in a voice of 
 thunder. 
 
 Then he leaned his ear to the keyhole, but could hear 
 no sound.
 
 68 A TERRIBLE AWAKENING 
 
 Carquefou, who had followed him, saw him turn pale. 
 Magnus burst in the door and landed in the middle of the 
 room, which was lighted by the sunlight entering through 
 a half-opened shutter. The room was empty. But the 
 panel lay open in the woodwork over the bed and the 
 terrified glance of Magnus shot into the black pit. 
 
 "Through there !" he cried in a broken voice, and draw- 
 ing his sword he plunged into the dark passage. 
 
 But Carquefou, instead of following him, leaped out 
 of the room and across the corridor, dashing against the 
 door with a shock that burst it open. He ran across the 
 apartment to the alcove. 
 
 "My master also," he cried, "the wretches !" 
 
 Then as Magnus had done he dashed into the passage 
 behind the alcove. A few steps lay before him. He de- 
 scended them carefully and reached the end of the secret 
 passage, which abutted on a door concealed in the cor- 
 ner of a ruined building. It opened on the rear of the 
 inn, in a spot shaded by tall trees and planted with hedge 
 wood. The footprints of many men could be seen on the 
 moist ground. 
 
 Here Carquefou met Magnus, who was prowling like a 
 wolf among the ruins. He was frightfully pale and mut- 
 tered imprecations issued from his lips. Suddenly he per- 
 ceived a cowl at his feet. 
 
 "Ah, it was the monks, and we heard nothing," he 
 cried. "I am no longer Magnus." 
 
 For an instant his grief killed his indefatigable energy. 
 The old reiter sank upon a stone and buried his face in 
 his hands. "My poor master," he sobbed, "what have 
 they done with you?" 
 
 Suddenly he rose, and, stretching out his hand to Car- 
 quefou, who was weeping also, he said : 
 
 "Brother, Mademoiselle de Souvigny and Mademoiselle 
 de Pardaillan are in the hands of Count Pappenheim. 
 The Count of La Guerche and Renaud de Chaufontaine 
 have been stolen by John of Werth ; it can be none other 
 but him. We alone are left to save the four. But if thou 
 art prepared to dare everything, as I am, let them be on 
 their guard. They know not what two men can do."
 
 A TERRIBLE AWAKENING 69 
 
 "Count on me, Magnus. Command and I'll obey," 
 Carquefou answered simply. 
 
 "Wilt thou swear with me that, at the peril of my life, 
 and even if we must go to the end of the world, we'll save 
 our masters, and that if either of us fall, the other will 
 devote his bones and blood to this sacred enterprise?" 
 
 "I swear it!" 
 
 "Then let's to the hunt. We have wild beasts before us 
 and we must kill them." 
 
 Carquefou was in the saddle as quickly as Magnus. He 
 had neither hunger, thirst nor fear now. Their first pro- 
 ceeding, after having beaten about the neighborhood of 
 the inn, was to follow the direction the troop of monks 
 had taken. Thus they searched the pine wood and dis- 
 covered the overturned sedan at the bottom of the ra- 
 vine. 
 
 "They were in that, dost understand?" said Magnus, 
 pointing it out to Carquefou. 
 
 There was no sign of blood around the sedan, there- 
 fore no idea of murder occurred to them. Besides, if the 
 plan had been to kill their masters, it would not have been 
 necessary to carry them off from the inn. 
 
 "Let's search farther," said Carquefou. 
 
 At the end of the glade, where the abductors had made 
 a halt, the numerous hoofprints of the horses suddenlv 
 forked in two. Long traces stretched out before them in- 
 versely. 
 
 "Take the left," said Magnus, reining up his horse. 
 "I'll take the right. The one who first reaches the edge 
 of the forest will ride along beside till he meets the other. 
 Open your eyes and ears. If thou find the band, break a 
 branch and bend it in the direction you have taken. I 
 shan't be long in rejoining thee. I'll do likewise." 
 
 Magnus and Carquefou dove into the sombre vaults of 
 the forest. Two hours later they met on the edge of the 
 pines, one from the East, the other from the West. 
 
 "Nothing," said Carquefou. "If there is one hoof- 
 prim in the sand, there are a hundred on the road." 
 
 "Thou hast followed a false trail," answered Maernus. 
 I vp a good one. 
 
 "Thou didst see the monk?"
 
 70 A TERRIBLE AWAKENING 
 
 "The monk? Dost fancy he kept his habit? No, no. 
 But a poor woman, picking deadwood along the way, told 
 me that she saw two prisoners pass. They were bound to 
 horses, in the centre of a body of armed men, and were 
 riding rapidly." 
 
 "Though they ride faster than the wind, we will catch 
 them," cried Carquefou. 
 
 The road they followed now led them into a large town, 
 where twenty troops of cavalry had been seen riding 
 during the day. As for prisoners, they had been counted 
 by the dozen, both young and old. Some of these bands 
 had stopped, others had kept on their way. Magnus and 
 Carquefou ran from inn to inn untiringly, spying and 
 questioning. 
 
 As yet they had struck no clue, when a stable boy spoke 
 to them of a cavalier, who had been knocked down by his 
 horse as he was about to set his foot in the stirrup. The 
 man's leg was broken and he had been carried into a 
 house. 
 
 "What's more strange," added the stable boy, "the 
 poor devil, who swore like a pagan, wore an enormous 
 rosary about his throat. It looked like a monk's beads." 
 
 A light broke in upon Magnus. 
 
 "Take us to this man," said he, exchanging a glance 
 with Carquefou. "He's just the one we're looking for. 
 Sweet heaven, but he'll be glad to see us !" 
 
 Carquefou said nothing and followed Magnus, who was 
 led to the room of the wounded man by the stable boy. 
 
 "Holla, comrade," cried the latter, opening the door, 
 "here are some friends to see you." 
 
 At the sight of Magnus and Carquefou, whom he rec- 
 ognized at first view in the dim light of the candle, the 
 wounded man made a movement of terror, which cor- 
 roborated the first suspicions of Magnus. 
 
 "Don't cry out, or I'll kill thee," said the veteran, un- 
 sheathing his long dirk. 
 
 "Have your talk," said Carquefou, closing the door 
 carefully. "I'll protect you against interruption." 
 
 The wounded man, who was lying on a truckle bed, 
 followed every movement of the two friends with a hag- 
 gard eye.
 
 A TERRIBLE AWAKENING 71 
 
 "Wert thou not with the scoundrels who slept last night 
 at the inn of Master Innocent?" asked Carquefou. 
 
 The wounded man replied with a groan. 
 
 "'Twas you who carried off our masters?" added Mag- 
 nus. 
 
 "Our leader enrolled us for an expedition. An honest 
 soldier has only his word." 
 
 "What's your leader's name?" 
 
 "Mattheus Orlscopp." 
 
 "Mattheus!" cried Carquefou with a bound. "Thou 
 sayest Mattheus Orlscopp? God of heaven, if my hand 
 does not cut his heart out promptly the count and the 
 marquis are dead !"
 
 72 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST. 
 
 In the meantime Mattheus Orlscopp continued on his 
 way. He was not better mounted than Magnus and Car- 
 quefou, but he had plenty of gold to barter for new horses 
 when the old ones foundered. The band stopped only to 
 take a meal in morsels, and then set out again. Two or 
 three times they changed their course and their gar- 
 ments, the better to evade those who might be on their 
 track. Ordinarily Armand-Louis and Renaud traveled 
 on horse ; they were described as state criminals, whom 
 Count Tilly was sending to Munich. At times they made 
 them sit in carriages, whose curtains were heremetically 
 sealed. Then it was said that they were noble lords, who 
 were ill and feared the open air. Mattheus never lost 
 sight of Armand-Louis, but he addressed Renaud more 
 readily. 
 
 "Life is all happiness and unhappiness," he said to 
 him. "Brandenbourg and Saxony are not like the Neth- 
 erlands. There 'twas Malines, here 'tis Magdebourg. 
 One day you threw Mattheus Orlscopp to the ground, 
 an ugly way of thanking him for the good supper he gave 
 you. Another day 'tis Mattheus who is the stronger. But 
 look whether I am not better than you. Instead of mak- 
 ing you swallow a poniard, I provide you with horses, 
 food and escort. Later I will give you the resting place 
 to which you have a right." 
 
 When they were separated from the inn of Master In- 
 nocent by some dozens of miles and in a country where 
 only detached bands of the imperial troops were to be 
 seen, Mattheus, fully assured, caused the gags to be re- 
 moved from his prisoners. 
 
 "Now let us chat," he said to Renaud. The latter, who 
 had had time to chew his anger and felt in no mood
 
 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 73 
 
 to converse with this scoundrel, glared at him from head 
 to foot, and with a shrug said : 
 
 "My good fellow, you are very ugly. Have some pol- 
 ish given to your face to begin with, and then we'll see." 
 
 Some of the men of the escort burst out in laughter. 
 Mattheus Orlscopp turned purple. 
 
 "Ah, you joke, do you ?" he said. "We'll see what kind 
 of a face yours will be in the place to which I am taking 
 you." 
 
 "God grant it be not like yours," returned Renaud 
 coldly. 
 
 From this moment this was Renaud's weapon. He 
 executed infinite variations on the theme of the ugliness 
 of Mattheus Orlscopp. He did not know whether Mat- 
 theus was uglier at night than in the morning; on foot 
 or on horse; fasting or after supper; by the light of a 
 candle, or in the glare of the sun. One thing only was 
 possible, namely, that he might have an uglier shape than 
 a face. This was a problem Renaud had not yet solved, 
 and on its uncertainties his wit did not go dry. 
 
 "To be sure, your lordship has the nose of a hyena," 
 said he, "the eves of an owl and the snout of a goat; but 
 in revenge your lordship has the body of an ape, the legs 
 of a heron and the feet of a frog. 'Tis hard to say which 
 is ugliest." 
 
 Mattheus was stupid enough to show that these pleas- 
 antries tortured him, and, seeing this, Renaud did not 
 spare him. At times, even, he referred to Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Docs it not surprise thee," he asked, "that a man with 
 so long a nose should have so broad a mouth ? He might 
 have selected one or the other. Such little eyes and such 
 enormous ears are too much for one visage. Tell me 
 thy opinion of it : the magnificent lord who accompanies 
 us desires to know it." 
 
 "And what cast of visage wouldst thou expect in a man 
 who has a soul more grovelling than a worm, flatter than 
 a leaf, and blacker than coal ? 'Tis not a face, 'tis a sign- 
 board " 
 
 "I'rvther," replied Kenaud, "we'll hang this signboard 
 to the branch of ;.n oak." 
 
 The raillery of tin <m<-, the am igance <>f the other grew
 
 74 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 
 
 to make a singular impression on the minds of the rascals 
 in Orlscopp's train. They rejoiced over these qualities 
 of boldness and good humor, which please even the most 
 perverted natures. A kind of sympathy softened their 
 stone hearts, which showed itself on several occasions. 
 A stout lansquenet, whose life had been spent in wars and 
 who had slept on all the highroads, did not fear to mani- 
 fest his inward sentiments. The moment arrived when 
 Mattheus understood, that if an effort should be made to 
 deliver his captives, he could no longer rely on the aid 
 of his companions. He reached a decision at once, and 
 on a certain morning summoned the lansquenet. 
 
 "Friend Rudiger," he said to him, "I give you thirty 
 rix-dollars. It is the salary I agreed to pay you. Count 
 them and go to the devil !" 
 
 "Ah, 'tis a farewell !" 
 
 "And I fancy that we will have no further business to- 
 gether." 
 
 "You promised me a bounty, it seems to me." 
 
 "Have a care that I do not lay it on your back with a 
 rope, and be thankful. Thy heart is much too tender 
 not to be under a thin skin. This said, be off as fast as 
 possible. Besides, console thyself; thou art not the only 
 one whom I've brusquely bidden to leave me. My escort 
 it shedding its skin." 
 
 Rudiger looked out the window and saw twenty new 
 cavaliers in the midst of the men who were making their 
 preparations to depart. The newcomers were part of a 
 troop disbanded, after an unfortunate engagement with 
 the Swedes. 
 
 "I enlisted them last night," said Mattheus. "There 
 are Croatians and Bulgarians among them, who would 
 hang a man as easily as they quaff a glass of wine." 
 
 The struggle was unequal. 
 
 "Till we meet again, Lord Mattheus," said Rudiger, 
 taking the rix-dollars and biting his lips. 
 
 After the departure of Rudiger and the others he had 
 sent away, Mattheus changed his course suddenly, de- 
 spatched a messenger with the command to stop neither 
 night nor clay, made his cavaliers do double stages, and 
 at the end of the week reached a castle, whose every door
 
 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 75 
 
 was opened to him as soon as he had whispered a few 
 words to the seneschal. He and his men entered. He 
 visited its every nook and corner, then announced that it 
 seemed to him to be a good place to camp. 
 
 Ravennest Castle was situated on the precipitous slope 
 of a mountain, and it overlooked a gorge, through which 
 a torrent rushed. Great pine woods buried it from sight. 
 Its walls were solid, it had four towers, a moat and a 
 drawbridge. It was a haunt whence a garrison could not 
 be easily routed. 
 
 Renaud was placed in the Crow's tower; Armand- 
 Louis in the Serpent's tower. The two were distin- 
 guished by their form. The one was round, the other 
 square. ( Otherwise they had the same solidity, the same 
 walls, the same furnishings, which consisted of a wretched 
 truckle bed, two stools, an iron candlestick, a table of 
 worm-eaten wood. Two dormer windows, adorned with 
 thick bars, allowed daylight to pour in ; the rain and the 
 north wind entered as well. 
 
 "There's the room," said Mattheus ; " 'tis furnished." 
 
 "It is almost as pretty as you," answered Renaud. 
 
 "Rely on me that your food be all that can be desired," 
 added Mattheus. 
 
 "Then it won't be like you, my amiable lord." 
 
 Mattheus tried to smile, flashed a sinister glance upon 
 Renaud, and closed the door violently. 
 
 Nothing tmublcd the silence of the castle during the 
 night. The wind blew in between the iron bars. The 
 monotonous tread of the sentries, pacing around the 
 towers, could be heard. Renaud sang to let his friend 
 know the part of the building in which he was placed. 
 Armand-Louis made a panther's leap and hung by his 
 hands to the bars of the dormer. Before him, but sepa- 
 rated by a curtain, was the tower whence proceeded the 
 
 ice. An ocean <>f sombre verdure stretched itself out 
 
 in the distance as far as the eye could reach. 
 A heavy sigh rose from the breast of Armand-Louis 
 
 and he let himself fall back upon the floor. 
 
 iviour," he prayed, with his hands and eyes towards 
 
 heaven, "my !>o<ly and soul arc yours."
 
 76 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 
 
 The next morning the door was opened and John of 
 Werth entered his cell. 
 
 "I suspected as much," said Armand-Louis. "From all 
 I can see you dabble in many trades." 
 
 "Count," answered the Bavarian coldly, "one has not 
 King Gustavus Adolphus always under his hand. We 
 are not at Carlscrona now." 
 
 "I see that from the faces about me. But let's have 
 done. What do you wish ?" 
 
 " 'Tis very simple. You are my prisoner, and the laws 
 of war give me a right to exact a ransom. Give me your 
 weight in gold coins and you are free." 
 
 "My weight? Where do you think I can find such a 
 sum?" 
 
 "If I knew, I should certainly have been the first to 
 seek it. Now there is another means of reaching an un- 
 derstanding, and an easier one." 
 
 "Ah !" 
 
 "Renounce, by a signed declaration, the hand of Mad- 
 emoiselle de Souvigny ; give her back her troth, and on 
 the instant the doors of the castle will be opened to you." 
 
 "You dare to call that an easier means? This hand 
 shall sooner be cold in death than sign such a declara- 
 tion !" 
 
 "Nevertheless, reflect. King Gustavus Adolphus does 
 not know where you are. His armies are far from here 
 and nobody will come to aid you." 
 
 "If that is all you have to say to me, why this visit? 
 You might have saved yourself the trouble, and me the 
 disgust of it." 
 
 John of Werth arose and called. His features remained 
 impassive. When a servant had placed the objects he 
 desired on a table, he added : 
 
 "Here are pen, ink and paper. A few written words 
 will set you free. Perhaps you may not always be as ob- 
 stinate as you are now. The walls of this castle are good 
 stone and will last longer than you. Farewell, Count." 
 
 Armand-Louis did not stir, and soon the sound of the 
 baron's tread was lost in the stairway of the tower. 
 
 From the Serpent's tower the Bavarian went to the
 
 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 77 
 
 Crow's tower. Here he found Renaud carving the profile 
 of Mattheus on the wall with the teeth of a fork. 
 
 ".Marquis," said John of Werth, entering, "I am sorry 
 to disturb you, but continue if that amuses you." 
 
 Renaud turned halfway and without the least surprise, 
 answered : 
 
 "Oh, there's no hurry. You know I have my model 
 always before my eyes. Tis a remarkably ugly face and 
 such a one as only your lordship could have chosen — " 
 
 "Lord Mattheus has my entire confidence." 
 
 "He deserves it." 
 
 "The fortunes of war have placed you in his hands." 
 
 "In his claws, Baron." 
 
 "He has the right to dispose of you." 
 
 "I fancy his lordship is using this right." 
 
 "Nevertheless, if you renounce the hand of Mademoi- 
 selle de Pardaillau, I might make use of my rights to get 
 you out of here." 
 
 "God's day," cried Renaud, with a leap. "I thought 
 you were minded of Mademoiselle de Souvigny!" 
 
 "Oh, I am always minded of her; but if I request this 
 written and signed declaration from you, it is in view of a 
 project to assure the happiness of Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillau." 
 
 "Baron, you are too good. I am so unhappy as to be 
 possessed of such an extremely nervous disposition that 
 I am moved to break something, a table, a stool or any- 
 thing handy upon the back of whomsoever mentions the 
 name of Mademoiselle de Pardaillan. You can see that 
 such inclinations might be destructive to the rich furnish- 
 ings of my apartment. Allow me to hope, therefore, that 
 our interview is ended." 
 
 John of Werth rose, and pointing to the implements of 
 writing, which a servant had just placed on the table, he 
 said : 
 
 "Everything is here. Two lines upon the paper, and, 
 in consideration of my friendship with him, Lord Mat- 
 theus will furnish yon with a horse to leave the castle." 
 
 John of Werth descended the stairs; soon afterward 
 could Ix- heard the rattle of the chains letting fall the 
 drawbridge. John of Werth was going away.
 
 78 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 
 
 Another night fell, silent and black as the preceding. 
 Armand-Louis hung by the bars of his window and saw 
 a light burning in the tower occupied by Renaud. The 
 light came and went ; his companion was tracing a gro- 
 tesque image of Mattheus on the wall of his cell with the 
 smoke of the candle. This done, Renaud began to sing. 
 He did not think that his day had been lost. 
 
 Armand-Louis' character did not afford him the same 
 subjects for distraction. His thoughts had but one ob- 
 ject, Mademoiselle de Souvigny, ever and always. Where 
 was she now? Did Count Pappenheim forget the prom- 
 ises he had made in the midst of the flames and massacre 
 of Magdebourg? Should he ever see Adrienne again, 
 and would she still be loving and faithful? And brave 
 Magnus, what had become of him? Had he not been 
 killed? If living, would he struggle to save his master, 
 as he had done before? 
 
 "Ah," thought the Huguenot, "when one has such 
 hearts as those in keeping, hope is always with one." 
 
 Meanwhile days followed days. The same silence con- 
 tinued, interrupted by squalls of wind in the pines and 
 the songs of Renaud. When Armand-Louis hung from 
 the bars of his window, no rider could be seen in the 
 black shade of the forest. The hours grew longer and 
 more heavy. Each day at noon precisely, Mattheus Orl- 
 scopp entered his cell, looked at the table, and seeing 
 nothing, withdrew without a word. 
 
 Soon Armand-Louis began to notice that the meagre 
 pittance which was served him for breakfast and dinner 
 diminished insensibly. The crust of bread grew smaller, 
 the plate contained less meat. 
 
 It was the regimen of a convalescent applied to a 
 healthy man, the nourishment of a child given to a sol- 
 dier. 
 
 He remarked this to Mattheus. 
 
 "Sometimes fever is caused in the garrison," replied the 
 latter, smiling, "by too good cheer." 
 
 Thenceforward Armand-Louis disdained to make any 
 complaints. On the morrow he had the dinner of an 
 anchorite. 
 
 Several times when he awoke at dawn he had noticed
 
 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 79 
 
 birds entering his cell through the two windows to seize 
 the crumbs of bread on the floor. An idea crossed his 
 brain, just when hunger began to gnaw at his entrails. 
 By the aid of a cloth, which he adroitly threw over the 
 little thieves, he succeeded each morning in capturing 
 two or three of them. Then he hung from their throats 
 or on their wings a piece of paper fastened by a thread. 
 On the paper he wrote the words, "Ravennest Castle ; 
 Armand-Louis of La Guerche." This done he liberated 
 his tiny captives, who flew away with a thousand cries. 
 
 "Who knows," thought Armand-Louis; "perhaps one 
 of these scraps of paper will fall into the hands of a 
 friend." 
 
 Each day the birds bore these uncertain messages to 
 the four points of the horizon. 
 
 The observation which Armand-Louis had made upon 
 the fare which was being served to him, Renaud had also 
 made. It was the appearance of a breakfast, followed by 
 the light shadow of a dinner. Renaud, whose appetite 
 was superb, almost broke the back of the servant who 
 laid the ironic meal on a corner of the table. On the 
 following day his dinner was passed into him through a 
 peep-hole, and was more slender still. 
 
 "And yet it is hard to imagine how it could be so," 
 murmured Renaud, as he went to revenge himself by 
 drawing a skeleton of Mattheus. For some time he re- 
 sisted this slow torture, inflicted with the patience of a 
 cat which torments a mouse. Then he felt his forces fail- 
 ing him. Horrible pains in his stomach, a ringing in his 
 ears. He awaited the hour of his repast with a ferocious 
 impatience, and he flung himself upon the wretched food 
 which was served to him like a beast of prey upon the 
 unclean flesh it discovers on the highway. This mad- 
 dened him, but In- yielded to the cry of hunger. He re- 
 covered a little of his good humor only when lie saw Mat- 
 theus. A flood (.f sarcasm would then issue from his lips, 
 which were pallid with suffering. 
 
 By a refinement of cruelty, Mattheus, who until now 
 had allowed Renaud to remain in his tower, had him 
 transferred to a room in the centre of the building, 
 
 whence he could see the garrison at table. The clatter
 
 80 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 
 
 of the dishes, the tipping of glasses, reached the prison- 
 er's ears like the refrain of a joyous song. The vapors 
 of the meats mounted to his nostrils and redoubled the 
 anguish of his stomach. 
 
 "Let's see," sneered Mattheus ; "a prayer, sir, and I'll 
 throw you a bone." 
 
 " 'Tis wonderful, gracious lord," retorted Renaud, 
 drawing himself up, "how ill good eating befits you. You 
 are always more ugly, even when eating." 
 
 In this terrible struggle, the advantage was not always 
 with Mattheus. He was laughed at. More than one sol- 
 dier glanced from a corner of his eye, and the phenome- 
 non which had occurred on the way to Ravennest was 
 again taking place. Some of the less hardened guards 
 made secret vows to deliver a prisoner who supported his 
 miserable fortune so gallantly. Mattheus perceived these 
 feelings, and his fury consequently increased. 
 
 Each evening a doctor entered Renaud's room and felt 
 his pulse. Then wagging his head, he would say : 
 
 "Humph, the pulse is violent, hard, impetuous. The 
 regimen is too succulent. A little dieting will do you 
 great good." 
 
 Renaud had an infernal desire to bite this doctor. He 
 contented himself with asking him quite seriously wheth- 
 er he was the son of Mattheus, his father, his grand- 
 nephew, or his grandfather. He told him that their noses 
 were cousins-german. 
 
 One morning Mattheus appeared in the room of Re- 
 naud. The floor was covered with scraps of paper of all 
 sizes on each of which was drawn the hideous portrait 
 of the master of Ravennest. 
 
 "Be prudent, sweet lord," cried Renaud ; "if you walk 
 on those dear pictures you would be putting the hoof of 
 a goat on the snout of a wolf. What a pity !" 
 
 "Marquis," said Mattheus, bowing, "Baron John of 
 Werth is getting tired of sheltering you so sumptuously. 
 The place and table of a prince. It is too much. If it 
 does not please you to sign this renunciation of good will, 
 he will be constrained to use means to make you, which 
 are repugnant to my gentleness." 
 
 "Have a care. If your tenderness overcomes you,
 
 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 81 
 
 you'll make a worse than ordinary grimace. That would 
 be frightful." 
 
 Mattheus made a sign. Two valets seized Renaud by 
 the arms, sat him upon a stool and passed a rope around 
 his wrists. The rope was held fast by a stick. 
 
 "Will you sign?" asked Mattheus. 
 
 "Ha, ha." cried Renaud, "I believe, God forgive me 
 for so thinking, but I believe that the left side of your 
 prettv face is more abortive than the right. 'Tis a ques- 
 tion." 
 
 "Turn !" cried Mattheus. 
 
 The two servantsnurned the stick about which the rope 
 was tied. Renaud paled. The rope was straining. 
 
 "Will you sign?" repeated Mattheus. 
 
 "Well," added Renaud. "I believe the front of his face 
 is uglier than either side of it. See if it is not, fellows." 
 
 The servants smiled. 
 
 "Turn again," roared Mattheus, pale with rage. The 
 stick was turned, and the rope entered into the flesh of 
 Renaud. He let forth a cry and shut his eyes. His face 
 was like death. The doctor, who had glided into the 
 room, bathed the sweaty brow of the sufferer with a 
 cloth soaked in vinegar. Renaud opened his eyes. 
 
 "Heavens !" he said. "Two masks!" 
 
 "Turn, turn," yelled Mattheus. 
 
 The stick traced a semi-circle. The bones cracked. 
 Renaud's head fell upon his breast. The physician placed 
 his fingers upon an artery. 
 
 "Another turn." he said, "and our prisoner will suf- 
 fer no more. This is not what you desire. I think " 
 
 "Certainly not," answered Mattheus. Even before they 
 had received the signal the two servants had unknotted 
 the bloody rope. Renaud breathed feebly. The physi- 
 cian pressed the cloth of vinegar upon his temples and 
 upon his nose. Renaud reopened his eyes. 
 
 "Well, what have you to say?" asked Mattheus. 
 
 "More and mure ugly, always more ugly," murmured 
 Renaud, and then -•■•■< toned. 
 
 Mattl • ized a poniard which he wore at his belt, 
 
 and arose. The physician seized his arm, saving: 
 
 "Do not kill him J you will regret it."
 
 82 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVENNEST 
 
 "You are right," returned Mattheus, shoving back the 
 weapon in its sheath. " 'Twere madness to yield to the 
 first impulse. Take the prisoner to the green room. 
 We'll see to-morrow whether he is in condition to see me 
 again." 
 
 The green room was a dungeon, built under the 
 foundations of the castle, out of a rock, which oozed a 
 humid moss of green scum and slime. It was reached by 
 a low door of massive iron. In one corner were a few 
 wisps of straw, on which they laid Renaud, who was al- 
 most lifeless. They would have thought him dead were 
 it not for the irregular beating of his pulse. The physi- 
 cian hung a lantern on the wall, and under it laid a jug 
 of water and a bit of black bread. 
 
 "Let us be human," he said. 
 
 On the day Renaud underwent this terrible cruelty, all 
 Armand-Louis found on his table was a crust of bread, 
 harder than a shell, and a pot half filled of brackish water. 
 It was one of the principles of Mattheus to entertain no 
 unjust preferences. With the nourishment of his two 
 boarders rendered alike, for so he sometimes called the 
 Frenchmen, Mattheus believed it honest to also establish 
 an equilibrium in their lodgings. Therefore Armand- 
 Louis was conducted to the Red Room. This was a hol- 
 low cavern in Ravennest Castle, built under the Crow's 
 tower out of a piece of red granite. It had likewise a 
 wisp of straw in one corner and along the walls were cer- 
 tain hooks of sinister aspect. A lantern hung from one 
 of the hooks, and under it lay a jug of water and a quar- 
 tern of black bread. 
 
 One of the servants who accompanied Mattheus onthis 
 subterranean visit threw a coil of rope and some iron balls 
 armed with a ring into a corner. 
 
 "Count," said the Governor of the castle, "we shall 
 talk to-morrow." 
 
 In all Germany there was not a happier man than 
 Mattheus Orlscopp at this moment. He had everything 
 in profusion, good table and rich cellars, a warm bed and 
 fresh beer, a tribe of willing servants, fat game in the 
 neighboring forest, gold in his pockets, gibbets on his
 
 THE DUNGEONS OF RAVBNNBST 83 
 
 towers, and the protection of a mighty lord who had need 
 of him. 
 
 To crown this fortunate existence, he had the delicious 
 pleasure of tormenting slowly and voluptuously two 
 brave gentlemen, whom he hated from the depths of his 
 black soul.. 
 
 Assuredly he would not exchange the joys of this life 
 for any other, no matter how brilliant. He compared 
 them with the pleasures of the cheery sojourn he had 
 spent in the vicinity of Malines, when, in company with 
 the worthy Don Gaspard d'Albacete y Buitrago, he 
 gusted the most delicate wines of Spain from so generous 
 a hand. Now what a change ! Then he acted on an- 
 other's account, and under the orders of a leader, while 
 at present his sole guide and counsellor was his caprice !
 
 84 THE KINDNESS OF FATE 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE KINDNESS OF FATE. 
 
 Such was not the state of mind of Magnus and Carque- 
 fou, whom we saw last on the highway after their meet- 
 ing with the soldier whose leg had been broken. 
 
 At the gates of the next city, where they arrived at 
 night after a forced march, they learned that neither a 
 cavalry troop nor carriages, nor prisoners had been seen. 
 
 "It is now four days," replied a citizen to their enquiry, 
 "since anybody passed here. There is a Swedish regi- 
 ment two leagues distant toward the north, a Croatian 
 regiment at half a league toward the south, and, therefore, 
 no one dares to venture on the roads." 
 
 "Did the rascal deceive us?" said Carquefou, minded 
 of the wounded man. 
 
 "No ; he was too frightened," returned Magnus. "The 
 scoundrel whom we are hunting had changed his course." 
 
 They returned sorrowfully on their tracks. All traces 
 were disappearing. They rode at hazard in an unknown 
 country, and by hostile ways, where a thousand dangers 
 might arise at any moment. What a number of maraud- 
 ers did they not meet? How many leaders in search of 
 good arms and horses? But no consideration could pre- 
 vent Magnus and Carquefou from persevering in their 
 design, and if at times they thought of the perils with 
 which their enterprise was rife, it was only in the fear lest 
 an accident should unfit them to devote all their life and 
 effort to accomplishing it. 
 
 They explored each town, each village, each hamlet. 
 There was no more trace of the passage of Mattheus 
 than of the flight of an eel through the reeds of a pond. 
 This new discomfiture, far from weakening the resolution 
 of Magnus, only exasperated him. He could not pro- 
 nounce the name of Mattheus Orlscopp without paling. 
 Never had such a fierce hate gnawed at his heart.
 
 THE KINDNESS OF FATE 85 
 
 One evening when they were hastily eating a bit of 
 bread and some cold meat at the door of a tavern, Mag- 
 nus remarked a soldier who was studying him attentively. 
 The veteran reiter, who did but seek occasion to question 
 people, went up to the soldier, who arose and said : 
 
 "By the way, were you not at the inn of a rascal called 
 Master Innocent, and did you not sup there with two 
 gentlemen last month?" 
 
 "I was, 'tis true," cried Magnus. "Do you know them, 
 or where they are ?" 
 
 "I know them to be brave soldiers, and they interest 
 me, who helped to garrot them, more than I can say." 
 
 "Ah, you were with Mattheus Orlscopp," said Mag- 
 nus, whose hand instinctively sought the hilt of Baliverne. 
 
 "Yes, but let us not quarrel. I tell you these brave 
 young men won me by their valiant humor. As for Mat- 
 theus, he's a bandit to whom I would not regret doing a 
 dirty turn. There were ten counterfeits in the dollars he 
 gave me." 
 
 "God's day ! If you put me on his track, had I a thou- 
 sand ducats they would be yours." 
 
 "Then, comrades, ride no more toward the west. Lord 
 Mattheus has given up his first project of going to 
 Munich. I think you'll find him by Holberg way, and if 
 you will take me as your guide, I have an idea that we'll 
 catch him. Rudiger has a good foot and a good eye. ' 
 
 'Tis a bargain," said Magnus, "thou art ours and I 
 am thine." 
 
 "And to both of us who make the pair," added Carque- 
 fou, giving a vigorous handshake to their auxiliary. 
 
 Rudiger, it will be recalled, was one of the cavaliers 
 whom Mattheus expelled when he found that their svm- 
 pathy for his prisoners was assuming too great propor- 
 tions. 
 
 lb- took a cross-road, rode four or five leagues 
 through a forest, forded a river and rediscovered the 
 es of Mattheus. 
 
 "Oh, if [ had a thousand ducats!" exclaimed Magnus, 
 almosl ( nil-racing him in gratitude. 
 
 "Bah," returned Rudiger with a laugh, "it seems
 
 86 THE KINDNESS OF FATE 
 
 original and amusing for me to do something for nothing. 
 'Tis a change." 
 
 They forged ahead. Confidence was restored in the 
 hearts of the three companions. Even the horses rode 
 with more elastic step, as though they knew what was 
 passing in the minds of their masters. For six more 
 leagues they continued on the right track. Then all trace 
 of Mattheus and his company suddenly ceased. They 
 seemed to have vanished like a procession of phantoms. 
 
 Magnus, Carquefou and Rudiger beat about the coun- 
 try separately on all sides. They examined every hut and 
 inn, they allowed no traveller to pass unquestioned. 
 Rudiger was of that race of hunters who rage on a trail. 
 He returned at night to their rendevous all fagged and 
 discouraged. 
 
 "The damned fox," he said, "he has broken his trail." 
 
 A profound sadness overwhelmed Magnus. For the 
 first time he felt his courage fail ; nor was Carquefou more 
 hopeful. 
 
 "Goodness of heaven," he murmured, "if Magnus 
 weeps all is lost." 
 
 They were now in the common room of a sorry inn, 
 where carters, hunters and travellers of all sorts were 
 drinking. A band of gypsies stopped at the door and 
 Rudiger went out with Carquefou to mingle with them 
 and question them. 
 
 Magnus remained in a corner, his head resting in his 
 hands, Baliverne laid across his knees. He fancied a 
 black gulf was yawning before him. 
 
 A boy of about fifteen years came in, holding a bird 
 in his hands. 
 
 "Isn't this wonderful ?" he said to the hostess, who was 
 spreading the cloth for the travellers. "Here's a bird with 
 a bit of paper tied by a string about its throat. 'Tis the 
 third I've caught in fifteen days. See, there are some 
 words written on the paper!" 
 
 The child drew near the candle and endeavored to read 
 them. 
 
 "It's impossible," he said. "The rain has washed out 
 the ink. There's only one word I can make out, and it 
 is always the same one."
 
 THE KINDNESS OF FATE 87 
 
 He placed the paper on the stove to dry it. Some one 
 opened the door and a gust of wind sent the paper flying 
 to the feet of Magnus. lie took it up mechanically and 
 turned it about in his hands. 
 
 "See," added the child, "would you not say that there, 
 quite at the bottom, are three words. It seems as if it 
 were the name of a man. Tis easy to read the first one, 
 which is 'Armand.' The others vanish." 
 
 Magnus leaped to his feet. He devoured the paper 
 with his eyes and recognized the writing of his master. 
 
 "Armand — Armand-Louis of La Guerche, that's it," 
 he said, weeping. Then he kissed the child, who looked 
 at the tearful veteran in speechless astonishment. 
 
 When Rudigcr and Carqucfou re-entered they found 
 Magnus on his knees, bareheaded and with hands joined. 
 His features glowed. 
 
 "Oh, God, you are good," he prayed. "My God, I be- 
 lieve." 
 
 "What is this?" asked Rudiger. 
 
 "Now I've got him," cried Magnus, leaping towards 
 Carqucfou. 
 
 "Got whom?" 
 
 "Why. Mattheus, to be sure." 
 
 "Thou hast seen him ?" 
 
 "No, but look. Pshaw. I tell you I have him." 
 
 Carqucfou feared for the reason of Magnus. Suddenly 
 the veteran stretched forth a crimpled dirty piece of 
 paper, saying: 
 
 "The child could not read it, but I have better eyes. 
 Letter by letter I spelled it out. I knew well I would find 
 him." 
 
 Carqucfou distinguished vaguely the name of Armand- 
 Louis ; hope, an indefinable hope, sprang up within him. 
 Magnus turned to their companion, who could under- 
 stand nothing of this scene. 
 
 "Do you know Ravennest Castle in this part of the 
 country?" Magnus asked. 
 
 "To be sun-, 'tis a great devil of a stronghold in the 
 depth of a wood." 
 
 "And on a mountain?" 
 
 "With three big towers."
 
 88 THE KINDNESS OF FATE 
 
 "Which are called the Serpent's Tower, the Crow's 
 Tower and the Great Tower?" 
 
 "Exactly." 
 
 Magnus embraced him brusquely and cried : 
 
 "Now, comrade, if thou hast really a heart in thy 
 bosom, thou'lt be of great aid to us. I know the castle. 
 In what fortress or citadel of Germany have I not placed 
 my heel? This one is not the least formidable. I visited 
 it in my youth. It is full of cells and dungeons, buried 
 in the belly of the rock. The walls are high and stout, the 
 moat deep; but M. de la Guerche and M. de Chaufon- 
 taine are there and we are three. Therefore, we'll save 
 them." 
 
 Carquefou ran to the mistress of the house, took her 
 about the waist and kissed her on both cheeks. Then he 
 danced down the hall singing in a deafening voice : 
 
 "To the branch of an oak, 
 We'll hang the rogue ; 
 If it does not hurt him, 
 It will do us some good." 
 
 He had improvised this couplet in honor of Mattheus 
 and he sang it in a burst of gaiety. 
 
 That very evening Magnus, Carquefou and Rudiger 
 slept in a cottage, situated in the vicinity of the moun- 
 tain on which Ravennest Castle could be seen. The 
 heart of Magnus tightened at the sight of these black 
 walls, behind which Armand-Louis breathed ; but Car- 
 quefou, who had regained his appetite, ordered the most 
 juicy supper he had eaten since the fatal one taken at 
 the hostelry of Master Innocent. 
 
 "There's nothing like a full stomach to open up one's 
 ideas," he said. 
 
 Magnus disclosed his plans of campaign to his asso- 
 ciates. 
 
 "Rudiger, who has been in the service of Mattheus," 
 he said, "should procure information about the place. He 
 must at any price get the countersign." 
 
 "I'll get it." 
 
 "I know a subterranean passage, thanks to which one 
 may enter the castle, despite the bandits who guard it.
 
 THE KINDNESS OF FATE 89 
 
 This passage opens into a valley. How many times have 
 I not profited thereby to borrow from the lord of the 
 castle, bottles of his best wine and quarters of venison, 
 which I never returned." 
 
 "That's in the rules," interposed Rudiger. 
 
 "I will soon rediscover this entrance. What we need 
 to know is, in what corner Mattheus has hidden the two 
 gentlemen. Is it on high tinder the tiles or below in the 
 cellars? This is what we must learn so as not to run in 
 with the garrison." 
 
 "I'll find out." replied Rudiger. 
 
 "Thou speakest curt, friend, but thou speakest well." 
 
 "And what shall I be doing meanwhile?" asked Car- 
 quefi >n. 
 
 "Thoul't prowl about everywhere, like a fox seeking a 
 hen. Thou'lt contrive to open acquaintance with one oi 
 the inhabitants of the castle and thou'lt gain his confi- 
 dence. Two sources of information are better than one. 
 Above all, never lose sight of our horses. They will 
 shortly have to bear double burden, I hope." 
 
 "Then tiny must have double rations now." 
 
 While Carquefou went to the stable, Rudiger resolute- 
 ly took the road to the castle, and Magnus busied himself 
 in the brushwood that covered the bosom of the valley. 
 
 After an hour's search he reached an enormous rock, 
 whose base was lost in an inextricable thicket of briar, 
 ■rcat juniper was growing in a split in the rock. 
 
 "It should be here," thought Magnus. 
 
 lie held back the bush which covered the ground and 
 under a hollow, which one could never have dreamt of, if 
 one did not know, he found a low opening veiled with 
 long grass. 
 
 He stooped and disappeared herein. Thence he found 
 himself in a narrow hall, which descended as it crept 
 along the interior of the mountain. Magnus lighted a 
 lantern with which he had provided himself and ad- 
 vanced slowly. After some hundred steps, he reached 
 what seemed to be an impenetrable wall. He examined 
 it carefully, shedding the Hgh1 on the dank sides of the 
 
 rock and at last found a nail, the head of which was stick- 
 ing out of the wall. lie tool; hold of it firmly and a
 
 9Q THE KINDNESS OF FATE 
 
 layer of the wall, shaking lightly, turned outward. A 
 wave of air struck his face and in the glare of his lan- 
 tern, which he held above his head, he beheld an immense 
 dark cave, in which were buried the foundations of one 
 of the towers. Tuns and small barrels were ranged along 
 the wall. The first contained wine or beer, the others 
 powder. 
 
 "This is the right place," murmured Magnus. 
 
 He retreated from the cave, shoved back the large 
 stone into its socket, groped along the gloomy corridor 
 and regained the secret entrance, where the blaze of the 
 sun's light blinded him. 
 
 "If I had not been a marauder," he thought, "I should 
 never have discovered that place." 
 
 Then he returned to the cottage, where Carquefou was 
 lavishing fodder on the horses. He found Rudiger rub- 
 bing his hands joyously. 
 
 "Lord Mattheus has the charming gift of offending 
 those who serve him," he said. "He maltreats and pays 
 his people ill. That's too much. As a consequence one 
 of the men gave me the countersign." 
 
 "Which is—" 
 
 "Agnus Dei and Wallenstein." 
 
 "The scoundrel ! He mixes religion and politics. But 
 patience, perhaps he will not indulge these fancies much 
 longer." 
 
 "Furthermore, some of my former good comrades 
 whom I met up there, received me well. I may come 
 and go as I please." 
 
 " 'Tis well at times to frequent bad company," Carque- 
 fou observed philosophically. 
 
 "But where are the prisoners kept?" asked Magnus. 
 
 "One of them was taken to-day to the dungeon of the 
 Serpent's Tower, which is called the Red Room. He is 
 tall, slender and fair." 
 
 " 'Tis the Count of La Guerche." 
 
 "Maybe. The other, a dark complexioned man, has 
 been transferred to a part of the castle which no one 
 could tell me." 
 
 ' 'Sdeath," cried Carquefou, "here's a poniard which
 
 THE KINDNESS OE FATE 91 
 
 will make Mattheus speak, though he were mute as a 
 tomb and deaf as the wind." 
 
 "Thus, thou are not willing to wait?" said Magnus, 
 touching Carquefou on the shoulder. 
 
 "Wait! They are living! Who knows whether an 
 hour's respite may not allow this wretch time to conceive 
 wicked thoughts. No, no ; our masters are up there. To 
 work, then !" 
 
 "To work, then !" echoed Magnus.
 
 92 MATTHEUS DRINKS HIS OWN MEDICINE 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MATTHEUS DRINKS HIS OWN MEDIICNE. 
 
 It was the same day on which Mattheus had questioned 
 Renaud. The prisoners had been put into their new 
 quarters, the one in the Green Room, the other in the 
 Red Room. A stairway, carved in the rock, allowed 
 communication between the former and the apartments 
 occupied by Mattheus himself. 
 
 Mattheus had just supped delicately in the company of 
 the physician attached to the castle. Enlivened by the 
 conversation of this learned man and also by abundant 
 libations he resolved to visit his victim. 
 
 "I am responsible for him,"- he said sweetly, "and I 
 would not have his health endangered." 
 
 The physician staggered after Mattheus. The two 
 found Renaud lying on the ground, munching his crust 
 of bread. 
 
 At the sight of Mattheus Renaud winked and said : 
 
 "Ha, ha ! There, a ray of light is making your nose 
 enormously long. The polecats will be envious of you." 
 
 Meanwhile the doctor out of habit felt the prisoner's 
 pulse. 
 
 "Don't you think that the dampness of the ground," 
 said Mattheus, "may have an unhealthy effect on the 
 nerves of the marquis?" 
 
 "To be sure," replied the doctor. 
 
 Mattheus made a sign. Two servants passed a rope 
 under the armpits of Renaud, tied his hands behind his 
 back and hoisted him a few feet from the ground. 
 
 "See whether the ring is solid," added Mattheus. "We 
 must not expose the marquis to a fall that could injure 
 him." 
 
 This was a new torture in addition to those Renaud 
 had already undergone. The ropes were fastened in a 
 knot.
 
 MATTHEUS DRINKS HIS OWN MEDICINE 93 
 
 "Good night, marquis," said Mattheus, saluting him 
 ironically. "Till to-morrow." 
 
 "Till to-morrow," Renaud cried after him, "and see, 
 my pretty lord, that you do not bite your ears while 
 sleeping. Your mouth has a spite against them." 
 
 At the same hour and while Mattheus was returning to 
 his apartment. Magnus was leading Carquefou and Rudi- 
 ger to the great rock under which opened the subterra- 
 nean passage. 
 
 He had brought with him cowls, ropes and gags. They 
 all wore buff cloaks, adorned with steel blades, which 
 rendered all arms hurtless. Carquefou and Magnus, 
 muffled in false beards, were unrecognizable ; each bore 
 in addition to his sword, a dirk and a poniard, the one 
 with a long blade, the other thin and short, and a pair of 
 pistols well charged and primed. 
 
 At the end of the vaulted passage Magnus pressed the 
 nail which stuck out of the wall. The stone turned and 
 th.y entered the subway, in the centre of which stood 
 the foot of the Serpent's Tower, a heavy, round mass. 
 
 "He is there," said Rudiger. 
 
 Magnus, without replying, walked around the founda- 
 tion of the tower, examined the stones with his hand and 
 his eyes and noticed one of a peculiar shape. He thrust 
 his poniard in the interstice between this one and the 
 next, thus making an invisible spring work. Carquefou 
 and Rudiger, holding their breath, were watching his 
 every movement with anxiety. A low door opened slow- 
 ly and noiselessly before them. It was made of one block 
 and was hung on iron hinges. Magnus passed through 
 first and projected the flame of his lamp into the dun- 
 geon. 
 
 A livid shadow stirred in the obscure depths of the 
 cavern. 
 
 "Oh God ! My master!" cried Magnus, who had recog- 
 nized Armand-Louis almost before seeing him. 
 
 With a trembling hand he cut the cords which bound 
 him in his bed of straw. 
 
 "Mattheus did this," he said, his face scarlet with rage, 
 "and he did it knowing that I lived."
 
 94 MATTHEUS DRINKS HIS OWN MEDICINE 
 
 "Ah, I had given up hope," said Armand-Louis, when 
 he stood up free. 
 
 Magnus kissed his hand and wept to see him so pale 
 and thin. 
 
 "Without doubt," said Carquefou, wiping his eyes, 
 the robber has not treated Renaud de Chaufontaine any 
 better." 
 
 "Is he also free?" asked Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Not yet." 
 
 "Let us seek him, then. I'll not leave this hole till 
 we find him." 
 
 The Count of La Guerche hastily swallowed two or 
 three gulps of a cordial which Carquefou had had the 
 foresight to bring with him in a gourd. Then he left the 
 tower. 
 
 "But you are staggering." cried Magnus. 
 
 "Ah, the thoughts of delivering my brother at arms 
 will restore my strength," said Armand-Louis. 
 
 They covered him with a cowl, armed him with a poni- 
 ard and a pair of pistols. Then all four ascended the 
 stairs like snails, which led to the ground floor of the 
 castle. They soon found themselves in a gallery dimly 
 lighted by a lantern suspended from the ceiling. A man 
 was on guard in one corner. 
 
 At the sight of the little troop he took a step forward. 
 
 Rudiger ran up to him and placing his finger on his 
 lips he said : 
 
 "Agnus Dei !" 
 
 "And Wallenstein !" replied the sentinel. 
 
 Magnus nudged him and leaning to his ear added : 
 
 "Officers of the Imperial army sent by Count Tilly, 
 Sir! I received them and I am taking them to Lord 
 Mattheus. Something great is impending." 
 
 The sentinel smiled with a satisfied air and the troop 
 passed on. 
 
 Another soldier stood at the very door of the apart- 
 ment occupied by Mattheus. 
 
 "Agnus Dei !" he said, advancing toward Rudiger, his 
 hand upon his pistol. 
 
 "And Wallenstein !" replied Rudiger ; then lowering 
 his voice : "Silence ! John of Werth is here. He conies
 
 MATTHUES DRINKS HIS OWN MEDICINE 95 
 
 from the camp. Whether Lord Mattheus be asleep or 
 not he wishes to see him." 
 
 The man with the pistol opened the door. 
 
 In an instant Armand-Louis and his companions were 
 in an immense room, one of whose corners was occupied 
 by a great canopied bed. A two-branched candlebra 
 burned on the table. 
 
 Magnus tore wide the curtains of the bed. 
 
 Mattheus Orlscopp opened his eyes and beheld the 
 mouths of four pistols gaping at his breast. Over the 
 eyes of the four men cowls were drawn. 
 
 "Not a word," said one of them. "A cry or a sigh and 
 thou art dead !" 
 
 Mattheus remained still. The thought of a mutiny 
 crossed his mind. 
 
 "Do you want gold? Speak!" he said. 
 
 "What hast thou done with Renaud?" asked Armand- 
 Louis, throwing back his cowl. 
 
 An icy sweat overspread the visage of Mattheus ; yet 
 the cautious air of his foes convinced him that the castle 
 was still his. If he could but gain some time perhaps he 
 might have the last word in this argument. 
 
 "You demand the marquis?" he said. "Let them who 
 liberated you find where he is." 
 
 He had raised his voice and made a movement to leap 
 from the bed. The point of a sword touched his naked 
 breast. 
 
 "Have a care," said Magnus. "We have small patience 
 and thou art in our power." 
 
 Mattheus crossed his arms and hatred surmounting his 
 courage, he said : 
 
 "Strike, then! If I die, the Marquis of Chaufontaine 
 dies also." 
 
 The four companions consulted one another with a 
 glance. Each minute dragged by like a century. They 
 could hear the heavy and cadenced tread of the patrol 
 passing in the gallery. 
 
 "Ah, my maskers," said Mattheus. smiling, "you think 
 you can enter a lion's lair and go out of it alive." 
 
 "If he has any heart, we are lost," murmured Magnus.
 
 96 MATTHEUS DRINKS HIS OWN MEDICINE 
 
 "Then thou refusest?" asked Carquefou, shaking the 
 governor of the castle in his bed. 
 
 "I do. One can die only once." 
 
 With one hand Carquefou seized the sword which Mat- 
 theus had laid on a chair beside his bed before going to 
 sleep, with the other he began calmly to indent its blade 
 with that of his poniard. 
 
 "To die is nothing," he said. "To suffer is every- 
 thing. A ball or a sword-thrust in the heart — bah — 'tis 
 too gentle for thee. I'll make a saw and with my saw 
 I'll cut thy wretched body in two." 
 
 Mattheus turned livid. 
 
 "Magnus, gag the man," said Carquefou, who after 
 indenting the sword, tried its teeth on the table. 
 
 Armand-Louis approached Mattheus, who was pinned 
 to the bed by the stout arm of Magnus. 
 
 "Listen," he said, "if thou wilt lead us to Renaud of 
 Chaufontaine, thou'lt have life and liberty. I give thee 
 my word." 
 
 "And if thou refuse," added Carquefou, "I swear by 
 the thousand horns of the devil that the teeth of this 
 sword will drink in the last drop of blood in thy veins." 
 
 "Now, thou hast a minute to decide," said Magnus. 
 
 Meanwhile Rudiger, pistol in hand, kept guard at the 
 door. 
 
 Mattheus regarded in turn each of the actors in this 
 scene. Each was merciless. Carquefou rested the 
 notched sword blade on the damp thighs of Mattheus, 
 whose every fibre quivered. Carquefou made a move- 
 ment and the sharp teeth of the saw tore the skin. 
 
 "Oh," moaned Mattheus, his eyes starting from his 
 sockets, "I yield. The passage is there; I'll guide you," 
 and his teeth chattered as he spoke. 
 
 Carquefou raised the saw. 
 
 Mattheus, held at each arm by Magnus and Rudiger, 
 went into a room and descended a stairway, at the foot 
 of which they saw an iron door. 
 
 "He is in there," said Mattheus. 
 
 "Ah, bandit, under thy hand !" murmured Carquefou. 
 "Give us the key !" 
 
 When the door was opened they saw Renaud. He was
 
 MATTHEUS DRINKS HIS OWN MEDICINE 97 
 
 hanging from a hook, fully three feet from the floor. His 
 head had fallen on his chest and he seemed to be dead. 
 
 "Oh, tlnm miscreant!" cried Carquefou. who with a 
 bound, caught the body of his master, cut the ropes, laid 
 him on the ground and untied his bonds. 
 
 Renaud sighed. Carquefou forced the neck of his 
 gourd between his master's lips. The prisoner drank 
 deeply ; then opened his eyes. At the sight of Armand- 
 Louis he stood up and pointing to Mattheus, without 
 waiting to understand the situation, he said : 
 
 "See, there's the ugliest man I know. Tis beyond all 
 credence." 
 
 But Carquefou had already seized Mattheus, and be- 
 fore any of them could oppose him he had suspended him 
 in the same place from which he had just taken his 
 master. 
 
 'Tis thy turn for the ring." he said, "and thank God 
 that the Count of La Guerche has pledged his word to 
 thee, or I swear my sword should have put thee into 
 eternal sleep on that pack of straw." 
 
 "Listen," continued Renaud, "I know the ways of the 
 house. To-morrow at noon they fetch thee a handful of 
 lentils, swimming in a little water. The doctor, thy 
 friend, will prove to thee that thou hast not slept ill and 
 you can breakfast together. Now forget not this one 
 thing, my dear lord. I have the sweet hope of meeting 
 thee again. But on that day thou shalt be hanged so well 
 and tastefully, not by the armpits but by the neck, that 
 thy last grimace shall frighten the world." 
 
 Mattheus was hanging bound and gagged. Magnus 
 closed the door and the men retired to the room they 
 had just left. On their way, Carquefou, who had an eye 
 for 1 \.r\ thing, rammed into his pockets a long, fat purse 
 which he found on the table. 
 
 " 'Tis an orphan," said he, "let's offer it an asylum." 
 
 Renaud cast a glance of question upon him. 
 
 "Marquis," he continued, "one tnusl lave no muni- 
 tions of war to the enemy. The rules of the commonest 
 prudence command thi 
 
 While he was speaking he enveloped his master in a 
 garment that Mattheus had worn.
 
 98 MATTHEUS DRINKS HIS OWN MEDICINE 
 
 "What a cruel fate," he commented, "to hide one's self 
 in the skin of a wolf." 
 
 Renaud turned suddenly pale and staggered. At this 
 instant a patrol passed in the gallery and some one 
 knocked at the door. 
 
 "What is it?" asked Magnus in a muffled voice. 
 
 "The doctor wishes to ask your lordship whether it be 
 not opportune to pay a visit to the prisoner," answered 
 the man who had knocked. "He may die in the night 
 and that would be a pity." 
 
 "The prisoner has a tough life," returned Carquefou. 
 who was supporting Renaud. "I know him. To-mor- 
 row he'll be fresh and lively as an eel." 
 
 While these words were passing the five companions 
 made ready their arms in utter silence. 
 
 The step of the patrol moved away in the distance and 
 the voice was hushed. 
 
 "I thought the hour to conquer or die here had come," 
 murmured Magnus, breathing again. 
 
 "Be of good heart now, marquis," said Carquefou, "if 
 we do not wish to be caught in this hall like gudgeons 
 in a net let's make haste to get out." 
 
 "I've suffered so much," said Renaud, making a des- 
 perate effort. "But, be assured, when the soul com- 
 mands, the body must obey." 
 
 Then with a slow but firm tread he walked toward the 
 door. 
 
 Magnus opened it resolutely ; the sentinel who had not 
 moved, stared at them. 
 
 "Not a word !" Magnus whispered in his ear. 
 
 Rudiger, who followed, half uncovered himself. 
 
 "John of Werth is here with Lord Mattheus," he 
 added. " Tis business of the state. Say nothing to thy 
 comrades of what thou hast seen." 
 
 The sentinel drew up respectfully against the wall and 
 gave the military salute. 
 
 The troop attained the end of the gallery, descended 
 
 the staircase and soon found itself in the subway of the 
 
 castle. A draught of fresh air caressed their cheeks. The 
 
 secret door in the foundation of the tower yawned before 
 
 them. They passed through one after the other, Car-
 
 MATTHEUS DRINKS HIS OWN MEDICINE 99 
 
 fou first. Magnus last. The stone block fell hack in 
 its mute frame and within a few moments the fugitives 
 reached the entry of the long passage, which they had 
 traversed two hours before. When they had brushed 
 aside the shrubs and reeds which masked the narrow 
 vault, they saw a myriad of stars shining in the heavens. 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud fell upon their knees. 
 
 "Free!" they murmured in one voice. 
 
 Behind them. Magnus, Rudiger and Carquefou were 
 embracing each other.
 
 ioo THE BATTLE 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE BATTLE. 
 
 Yet the merest accident might arouse the garrison. 
 They had no time to lose if they would put a broad space 
 between them and Ravennest Castle. The horses, tied 
 in a lonely corner of the gorge, were ready for them. 
 Rudiger charged himself to reconnoitre the road ; Mag- 
 nus and Carquefou took Armand-Louis and Renaud on 
 their horses and set out on a gallop. 
 
 At the first halt, Carquefou rode into a neighboring 
 village and returned with two fresh horses for his mas- 
 ters. On the saddle bows of each were pistols and a 
 sword. 
 
 "I think there must have been a fight in the neighbor- 
 hood," he said, "I got the beasts and the arms for twenty 
 pistoles." 
 
 A few hours' sleep after some cold mutton and good 
 old wine restored to Armand-Louis and Renaud a part 
 of the forces they had lost. The latter unsheathed his 
 sword and tried its mettle. 
 
 "Sharp, supple and easy to handle," he commented. "I 
 fancy St. Estocade will soon afford me an opportunity to 
 prove its temper." 
 
 One thing bothered Carquefou. He could not refrain 
 from confiding it to Magnus. 
 
 "There were black passages in that hole," he said, "in 
 which the devil himself never set fot : moving stones and 
 secret doors no sorcerer could discover. By what chance 
 didst thou learn of them?" 
 
 "Friend Carquefou, Magnus was young once, though 
 a long time ago," answered the veteran. "At that time I 
 was equerry to a baron who hunted on the domain of the 
 castillon of Ravennest. When the latter was on the hunt 
 or traveling, the baron paid visits to the castle. The
 
 THK BATTLE 101 
 
 Lady of Ravennest had a fresh and pretty maid. Poor 
 Catinka! What has become of her? Whither the baron 
 went, thither went the equerry in his turn. Dost under- 
 stand now?" 
 
 "I do." 
 
 They ran until evening- without unbridling. 
 
 The action and fresh air invigorated from hour to hour 
 the muscles of the gentlemen with the force and elasticity 
 to which they had been so long accustomed. 
 
 When night began to fall they were at least fifteen 
 leagues from Mattheus. The direction they followed led 
 them near the provinces where the weight of 
 Swedish arms was felt. They had now very little to fear 
 from the master of Ravennest. 
 
 "Perhaps 'twere as well," suggested Armand-Louis, 
 "to find out what has become of King Gustavus Adol- 
 phus." 
 
 On their way they had passed cottages in ruins, ham- 
 lets in ashes. Here and there harvests were trodden 
 down by the march of cavalry, trees hewn to the ground, 
 orchards destroyed, bits of land freshly turned, in ditches 
 lay the half decomposed bodies of horses. It was clear 
 that many troops of warriors had fought in this territory. 
 They must take care not to fall into the hands of the 
 Imperialists. The Croatian squadrons had at times a very 
 expedite method of ridding themselves of their prisoners. 
 
 The peasants and innkeepers whom Carquefou and 
 Magnus questioned told them that indeed many battles 
 had been fought in the vicinity. Everywhere the Swedes 
 had conquered, but real war had scarcely commenced. 
 Since the sacking of Magdebourg the two belligerent 
 armies had been manoeuvring to meet. Count Tilly was 
 no less urgent to offer battle to the King of Sweden than 
 Gustavus Adolphus was desirous to accept. Yet as their 
 desires were the same, so was their prudence. Neither of 
 generals wished to leave anything t<> chance. The 
 one had an old reputation to sustain and did not wish to 
 expose an army, which till now had known naught but 
 victories, to the shame of a defeat. The other, heralded 
 by a fame already glorious, surrounded himself with pre- 
 cautions before measuring himself with the most experi-
 
 102 THE BATTLE 
 
 enced commander in Europe. They both felt that perhaps 
 on their first battle hinged the issue of the war and by a 
 counter-stroke the fate of Germany. Meanwhile their 
 flags approached each other day by day. The circle in 
 which they moved grew narrower. Skirmishes became 
 more frequent. Everything presaged an impending 
 shock in some corner of the province. 
 
 "Let's not miss the ball !" said Renaud euthusiastically. 
 
 Thanks to the information they secured from the sol- 
 diers and deserters they met continually ; they learned 
 almost precisely toward what point they must ride to 
 avoid the Imperialists and meet the Swedes. It was not 
 an easy matter, in the midst of bands of Hungarians and 
 Croatians who were ravaging the land, and whose ca- 
 prices, or the thought of a richer booty here or there, 
 drove them like a blast of wind drives a cloud of locusts. 
 
 They heard no more of Mattheus Orlscopp, and Car- 
 quefou, enlivened by travel, repeated his famous song : 
 
 "To the limb of an oak, 
 We'll hang the rogue." 
 
 One morning the light breeze, which follows the birth 
 of day, bore to their ears the echo of a formidable noise 
 booming in the distance. 
 
 "Cannon !" said Renaud. 
 
 They all stopped. It was really cannon and they heani 
 its incessant thundering from afar. 
 
 Carquefou pointed out great clouds of white smok* 
 which veiled one side of the horizon. 
 
 "Over there," he said. 
 
 Magnus pressed his ear to the ground, which trem- 
 bled. 
 
 "That's no skirmish," he said, "nor yet a combat. 'Tis 
 a battle." 
 
 A gleam of joy flashed in the eyes of Armand-Louis 
 and of Renaud. The latter was already fondling his 
 sword, which he drew from its scabbard little by little. 
 
 "The road is free," said Magnus turning to Rudiger, 
 "thou hast been brave and loyal. If thou come with us 
 this hand which has clasped thine will never forsake thee. 
 If thou goest elsewhere, good luck ! But thou went with
 
 THE BATTLE 103 
 
 the Imperialists and I warn thee that we cry, 'Long live 
 Gustavus Adolphus !' " 
 
 "I am a Pole. Whore there's fighting, I fight. For- 
 ward, I am yours," replied the reiter, who with a feverish 
 hand gathered the reins of his horse. 
 
 The roar of the cannon continued. 
 
 "To the cannon !" cried Renaud. 
 
 The five cavaliers shot forward like a thunderbolt. 
 
 As they were turning the brow of a hill, over which 
 they were galloping, such a magnificent spectacle struck 
 their sight that of one accord they reined up their horses. 
 
 "By St. Estocade, my patroness," exclaimed Renaud, 
 "but that is beautiful !" 
 
 In the plain at the foot of the hill the two armies were 
 met. The regiments were clashing together. The artil- 
 leries were thundering. From the colors of the stand- 
 ards the spectators discovered that the Imperialists oc- 
 cupied the (lank of the eminence and that the Swedes 
 had taken the offensive. A man, wearing a doublet of 
 green satin under a cuirass of steel, and bearing a scarlet 
 plume on his brow, which was lashed by the wind, sat on 
 his horse on the summit of a hillock. Groups of officers 
 surrounded him. 
 
 "Count Tilly," said Magnus. 
 
 From time to time Count Tilly made a sign of his hand 
 and an aide-de-camp would set out at breakneck speed. 
 Then the commander would observe anew the waves of 
 battle. 
 
 The Imperialists had the advantage of position ; the 
 Swedes and their Saxon allies the superiority of attack. 
 The fire of the artillery, stationed at one side, did not 
 balk them, and such was the fury of their onslaught that 
 at each offensive return new regiments were obliged to 
 descend the hill to meet them. 
 
 Yet one of their wings had just wavered. The con- 
 fusion of the ranks was visible; the ground was heaped 
 with corpses. Fugitives without number ran in rout, and 
 in the distance a squadron was pillaging an encampment. 
 Gnat joyous cri< :s arose from the Imperialists. 
 
 "The Saxons arc routed," said Magnus. 
 
 But in the thick of the battle a picked body had now
 
 104 THE BATTLE 
 
 launched forward with such intrepidity, that overturning 
 all in its path, it succeeded in climbing the first rows of 
 the escarpment. The Imperial army retreated in dis- 
 order. 
 
 "The blue regiment ! The yellow regiment ! 'Tis the 
 king!" roared Magnus. 
 
 Count Tilly made a sign. An officer set out on a gallop 
 and flung himself ahead, straining every nerve of his 
 horse. At the same moment a body of cavalry, which 
 had been concealed behind a slope, came in view and de- 
 scended to meet the Swedes. The sun shone on their 
 shields, a clatter of steel accompanied their charge ; men 
 and horses passed like a torrent of fire. 
 
 "The cuirassiers of Pappenheim !" said Magnus. 
 
 A moment later Imperialists and Swedes were lost in 
 clouds of smoke. 
 
 Not far from the stirless spectators of this bloody 
 drama, the Austrian artillery rained a hail of shot on the 
 decimated regiments of the king. Yet around this artil- 
 lery neither reiters, lansquenets, cuirassiers, dragoons nor 
 musketeers were now to be seen. 
 
 "Forward!" cried Armand-Louis, whose visage had 
 suddenly become illuminated. 
 
 This cry awoke Renaud from his silence and his ad- 
 miration. 
 
 "Yes, forward !" he repeated as he spurred his horse 
 in pursuit of Armand-Louis, who was riding down the 
 hill. 
 
 In their wake Magnus, Rudiger and Carquefou fol- 
 lowed across the circle of fire where the cuirassiers of 
 Pappenheim and the regiment of the king had just struck. 
 
 In the thickest of the strife they saw Gustavus Adol- 
 phus. A more terrible dash bore them close to him. 
 Balls and bullets dug holes in the battalions. The con- 
 fusion of men and horses was horrible. The cuirassiers 
 of Pappenheim, like a wall of iron, barred the way of the 
 Swedes, who were broken by their successive charges. 
 
 Before the reserves, called for by Gustavus Adolphus, 
 could even arrive on the field of carnage, they were cut 
 down by the torrent of projectiles which the Imperial 
 batteries vomited forth incessantly.
 
 THE BATTLE 105 
 
 The king, who redoubled his efforts and bore himself 
 into the most perilous passes, felt that victory was escap- 
 ing from him. Corpses heaped up about him. When 
 he charged, the ranks opened as a wall falls before the bat- 
 tering ram. Once he had passed the ranks closed and 
 the struggle remained violent and uncertain. 
 
 "Oh, the cursed cannon," cried the king. "If they do 
 not stop they'll cost me honor and life." 
 
 Then he spurred his horse in the direction of the bat- 
 teries. Suddenly Armand-Louis, covered with blood, ap- 
 peared at his side. 
 
 "Sire," he said, "give me five hundred cavaliers and 
 the cannons are ours." 
 
 The Duke of Lauenbourg, who was near Gustavus 
 Adolphus, trembled. 
 
 "What madness!" he cried, "while we have still the 
 chance, let us retreat. It's impossible to climb up there." 
 
 "Sire, five hundred men and I will answer for all," re- 
 
 ated Armand-Louis. "But the seconds are counted. 
 Make haste." 
 
 Gustavus Adolphus called Arnold of Brahe, who had 
 just plunged his sword into the throat of a cuirassier. 
 
 "Let the orders of the Count of La Guerche be obeyed 
 as my own. Go !" said the king. 
 
 "Sire, I thank you. Hold the place only a quarter of 
 an hour and you will have news of me," cried the Count 
 of La Guerche, spurring his horse out of the confusion. 
 
 "Hold it !" said the king ; "I'll die here before I retreat." 
 
 The Count of La Guerche had soon collected some 
 hundreds of cavaliers, when one captain hesitated to fol- 
 low him. 
 
 "By order of the king!" said Arnold and they ranged 
 themselves behind him. The Huguenot squadron was 
 battling terrifically not far from here. 
 
 "Zounds !" said Renaud, "there are our compatriots. 
 I'll fetch them to thee!" 
 
 He shot out like an arrow and gained the Huguenotg 
 by rough riding over all in his course. The clamor 
 which arose as they caught sight of him showed that the 
 soldiers of La Rochdle recognized him.
 
 106 THE BATTLE 
 
 "Here are our friends," said Renaud, reappearing at 
 the head of the Huguenots. 
 
 When they saw Armand-Louis the dragoons let forth 
 a thousand huzzas. 
 
 "To battle, gentlemen," said Armand-Louis, placing 
 them in the first ranks. 
 
 He had now almost the number of men he desired. 
 He skirted the lines of the Swedish army, then turned 
 them and discovering a free issue, he pointed with his 
 sword towards the Imperial artillery crowned with fire. 
 
 "Now to the batteries !" he thundered. 
 
 "To the batteries !" repeated Renaud and Magnus. 
 
 "If we ever return, 'twill be a miracle," murmured Car- 
 quefou, lowering his head and plunging forward. 
 
 The Huguenots and the Swedes came down upon the 
 cannons with the velocity of an avalanche. Some in- 
 fantry mixed up with artillerymen endeavored to oppose 
 them, but they were sabred across the guns and every 
 battery fell in an instant into the power of the assailants. 
 Then a body of cavaliers, imitating the example of Ar- 
 mand-Louis and Arnold, alighted and turned the cannon 
 on the Imperial army. In an instant Magnus, Carque- 
 fou, Rudiger and twenty others charged the pieces. 
 
 "Fire !" commanded Armand-Louis. 
 
 A roar of thunder answered him and forty balls bore 
 death into the ranks of the Austrians. Some of the men 
 fell lifeless around Count Tilly. He turned in amaze- 
 ment and looked behind him. At the sight of the Swed- 
 ish uniform he paled and said : 
 
 "Ah, we are conquered !" 
 
 The king also had just recognized the colors of the La 
 Guerche Dragoons planted on the batteries. Before him 
 whole lines of cuirassiers fell like ripe corn before the 
 scythe. His band, gathered at the sign of his sword, fol- 
 lowed him for a supreme onslaught. The cavalry of Pap- 
 penheim wavered. 
 
 But they had to do with two men who did not yield 
 easily. They redoubled their efforts, and rallying the 
 ruins of their scattered regiments, they strove to re-estab- 
 lish the battle. All that courage can dare, all that the 
 most consummate experience can advise, they endeav-
 
 THE BATTLE 107 
 
 ored to accomplish with an equal ardor and tenacity. But 
 the breath of triumph influenced the Swedish army and 
 urged it onward. A few squadrons gathered about Count 
 Pappenheim, some regiments chained by discipline alone 
 resisted them and still obeyed the voice of Count Tilly. 
 
 "Look at him !*' exclaimed Renaud to Armand-Louis, 
 pointing out the Grand Marshal of the Empire, who 
 stood in his stirrups and felled to earth every soldier who 
 approached him. 
 
 Neither Armand-Louis nor Renaud could help admir- 
 ing this valiant warrior. He showed himself superior to 
 ill fortune and knew at once how to command and how to 
 strike. 
 
 "Ah, that he may not fall here, he whom they have so 
 properly surnamed 'the Soldier,' " said Renaud. "And 
 oh, that I might one day meet him face to face. See, 
 he's a lion. None can down him, none can stop him." 
 
 "Well, then," cried Armand-Louis," since Count Pap- 
 penheim cannot reach us, let us go to him." 
 
 "Let us fly!" yelled the Huguenots. 
 
 A flood of assailants had separated him from Count 
 Tilly and, like a boar harassed by a pack of hounds, the 
 Grand Marshal galloped into the neighboring wood, 
 whither all that remained of his magnificent cavalry had 
 disappeared before Renaud could come up with him. 
 
 The army of Count Tilly, this army which was called 
 invincible, was at last overthrown, annihilated. He alone 
 still stood his ground, hoping that some chance would 
 render him victory which had so long been faithful to his 
 colors. But the hour came at last when he was obliged 
 to yield to the officers grouped about him. They had 
 remained beside him despite the horror of the rout. 
 
 When the old commander decided to quit the field of 
 battle, on which his military fortune had been shattered, 
 night was falling and still it was not easy for him to es- 
 cape from his conquerors. 
 
 Hunted unremittingly, wounded four times, weakened 
 by loss of blood, it seemed as though Count Tilly could 
 no longer evade the Swedes who were mad to capture 
 him. rlifl escort, diminished each minute by fir<' and 
 sword, was reduced to a few men. Two leagues from the
 
 io8 THE BATTLE 
 
 field the pursuit still rolled on. An officer of the Finnish 
 Guard, his sword aloft, approached the conquered com- 
 mander and raised his hand to seize him by the belt. 
 
 Captain Jacobus, terrible and livid, his hands red with 
 blood, his hat and cloak in tatters, more furious than 
 frightened, was marching in the rear of the escort. With 
 a blow of his pistol he broke the Finlander's skull and 
 then helped the aged commander to mount the steed of 
 the dead man. 
 
 "If Count Tilly fell, who would fight Gustavus Adol- 
 phus?" he said. 
 
 "I thank you," replied the man of Magdebourg. 
 
 Then digging the spurs into the Swedish horse, he 
 gained the forest where Count Pappenheim was rallying 
 the remains of his regiments. 
 
 For an instant Captain Jacobus paused to give his 
 horse a chance to breathe. He glanced back toward the 
 heights now crowned by the Swedish army. 
 
 "Thou dost triumph to-day, Gustavus Adolphus," he 
 cried, "but patience. The war is not ended. We shall 
 meet again." 
 
 A great shout struck upon his ears. It was the voice 
 of Armand-Louis, who had caught sight of him and was 
 now charging upon him, followed by Magnus. 
 
 It will be remembered that Armand-Louis and Renaud 
 had rushed upon Count Pappenheim ; but in the con- 
 fusion they became separated and each thrust his sword 
 at hazard in the conflict, the one striving to reach Count 
 Pappenheim, the other Count Tilly. 
 
 Armand-Louis had ridden across the plain in a lost 
 quest, when he perceived Captain Jacobus. In a minute 
 he was brandishing his sword and dashing toward him. 
 But Captain Jacobus turned his horse and did not tarry. 
 He had no intention of exposing his life while the King 
 of Sweden lived. Provided with a fleeter mount he soon 
 attained the edge of the wood and was lost therein. 
 
 Magnus seized the bridle of his master's horse, say- 
 ing: 
 
 "Halt ! The wood is full of ambushes." 
 
 "Ah," returned Armand-Louis, shuddering with rage,
 
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 THE BATTLE 109 
 
 "that scoundrel will not always be so lucky as to have a 
 forest before him." 
 
 As he rode back leisurely he heard cries of distress. 
 He traced the sound and in the thick of a band of cav- 
 aliers, near a burning cottage, he saw a woman lying on 
 the ground and a young girl who was struggling with 
 her assailants. 
 
 ' 'Sdeath!" roared Armand-Louis, "there are wretches 
 who will pay for Captain Jacobus." 
 
 1 [e spurred his horse into a gallop. 
 Tis imprudent," cried Magnus, who followed him. 
 'They are twelve, we are two, and now is the time that 
 the best soldiers often become plunderers." 
 
 Magnus glanced over the plain and saw naught but 
 horses running wild, corpses here and there and in the 
 distance a veil of smoke. 
 
 "This is a nasty adventure," he said to himself as he 
 galloped onward. 
 
 One of the cavaliers had seized the young girl by the 
 arm. She clung to the body of the woman lying on the 
 ground, whose head was cloven in twain with a sabre 
 blow. The man tore her up and lifted her to his horse, 
 oundrel !" yelled Armand-Louis, leaping forward 
 and hitting the ravisher's hand with the flat of his sword, 
 "be Off!" 
 
 "Oh, save me," sobbed the girl running to the Hugue- 
 not. "They have killed my mother." 
 
 Her dishevelled hair fell down over her face. Blood 
 flowed on her cheeks. Armand-Louis leaped before her 
 and cried : 
 
 "Death to him who touches her!" 
 
 But the cavaliers had reckoned their number and one 
   them jeered : 
 
 "Kill a soldier for a gypsy! Death to the officer!" 
 
 The sound of his voice still vibrated in the air as Bal- 
 iverne sank into his throat. 
 
 "Be still, chatterer!" growled Magnus. 
 
 Then in a lower voice he added: 
 
 "A Btupid business! They have still the advantage of 
 number.' 
 
 Bui the boldness of the two rt scuers, the fiery altitude,
 
 no THE, BATTLE 
 
 the swiftness of their blows, all had disconcerted the rav- 
 ishers. They hesitated and consulted among themselves. 
 
 "Yet we can't leave here without some booty," said 
 one of them. 
 
 "Here," pursued another, "give us the girl and go on 
 your way." 
 
 "Come and take her!" roared Armand-Louis, and 
 charging upon the soldier who had addressed him, he 
 sent him in a heap to the earth with a sword thrust 
 through his heart. 
 
 The freebooters let forth a cry of rage, and serrying 
 their rank, they raised their sabres. 
 
 "This is going to be a mess," thought Magnus, "and 
 all for a gypsy." 
 
 At this juncture Renaud and Carquefou, followed by 
 five dragoons, appeared. They had lost the trail of Count 
 Pappenheim. 
 
 Renaud, whose disappointment vexed him to utter low 
 imprecations, caught sight of Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Ha, ha !" he said, "they are having a chat below 
 there." 
 
 His horse leaped forward ; but the marauders, who had 
 perceived him, suddenly changed their tactics. Their at- 
 tack was transformed into a rout. They vanished like a 
 flight of pigeons before a hawk. 
 
 The gypsy had thrown herself across the body of her 
 mother, weeping violently. 
 
 "Ah, Sir," she said at last, raising her head, "my mother 
 breathes." 
 
 Touched with pity Armand-Louis had the poor woman 
 laid upon a horse. A little life still remained in her, but 
 the blood flowed in waves from her wound. 
 
 "We will do all we can for her," he said. 
 The young gypsy pressed her lips to the hand of the 
 Huguenot, then uplifting her black eyes, she said : 
 
 "Tell me your name. I shall never forget it. I am 
 called Yerta." 
 
 On their way Yerta told them that she belonged to a 
 tribe of gypsies which followed Count Tilly's army and 
 bought and sold horses. At the moment when the battle 
 ended the poor girl and her mother found themselves
 
 THE BATTLE in 
 
 with two men of their tribe on the edge of a field. Sud- 
 denly a troop of cavaliers surrounded them. The two 
 men ran off. The mother, seeing her seized by one of 
 the marauders, threw herself in front of the girl to save 
 her. A sabre blow stretched her on the turf. 
 
 "A Christian came and saved poor Yerta," she added 
 in a sweet voice. "Henceforward my life is yours." 
 
 They laid the dying gypsy in a tent near the one oc- 
 cupied by Armand-Louis. Magnus was commanded to 
 see that she wanted for nothing. Then Armand-Louis 
 went forth to seek the king. 
 
 Torrents of light illuminated the bivouac of the vic- 
 torious army. Torches and flames blazed everywhere. 
 King Gustavus Adolphus, preceded, followed, accom- 
 panied by the huzzas of twenty thousand soldiers, had 
 just visited the field of battle, where under his care all 
 the wounded had been borne. He met the Count of La 
 Guerche riding at the head of his dragoons. The gar- 
 ments of every warrior bore witness to the fight they had 
 waged. 
 
 Gustavus Adolphus rode swiftly to the Huguenot's 
 side and embraced him, saying: 
 
 "Colonel, next to God, I owe this victory to you." 
 
 An immense shout of joy greeted the king and the 
 young colonel who rode with him. 
 
 "Ah," murmured Armand-Louis, "why is Adrienne not 
 here!" 
 
 When he returned to his quarters he found Yerta 
 weeping over the body of her mother. She arose and 
 kissed his hands anew. 
 
 "She is dead," the gypsy whispered. "I am alone in 
 the world." 
 
 All night long she remained seated in the tent beside 
 her dead mother. She sang in a low chanting tone and 
 wept. Her voice was so plaintive, her songs sad^ that 
 the heart of the veteran Magnus ached for her. 
 
 At daybreak two men of Yerta's tribe glided noise- 
 
 &ly into the tent. They wrapped the gypsy's body in 
 a cloak and buried it 5n a remote and unmarked spot. 
 Then they vanished furtively like birds of the night. 
 
 Twice or thrice during the day Yerta was seen haunt-
 
 H2 THE BATTLE 
 
 ing the tent of Armand-Louis. When he passed she fol- 
 lowed him with her eyes. He stopped in front of her. 
 Yerta began suddenly to tremble and tears bathed her 
 face. When he was unmindful of her, she took the hem 
 of his cloak and bore it to her lips. 
 
 Once, feeling herself quite alone, she stole into the 
 Huguenot's tent. She watched an instant, glanced all 
 about her and seeing one of his gloves lying in a corner 
 she quickly seized it. Then she saw a medallion hung 
 between two swords on the pole which supported the 
 tent. She took hold of it with a kind of feline quickness, 
 touched the spring of its gold lid and saw within the por- 
 trait of a woman. Yerta turned pale and sat down upon 
 a chest. She studied the picture a long while in a kind 
 of trance, then replaced it between the two swords, threw 
 back the glove and glided out of the tent. 
 
 When evening came she had vanished. When Ar- 
 mand-Louis asked Magnus what had become of Yerta, 
 Magnus pointed to a bird which was hopping from limb 
 to limb on a tree nearby. 
 
 "Whither goes that bird?" he asked.
 
 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 113 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE. 
 
 Let us for a short while leave the Count of La Gucrche 
 and the Marquis of Chaufontaine at the court of King 
 Gustavus Adolphus, where war will scarcely allow them 
 long leisure, and let us return to Madame d'Igomer, of 
 whom we have lost sight since the audacity of Magnus 
 took Mademoiselle de Souvigny and Mademoiselle de 
 Pardaillan from ' er clutches at the triumphant moment 
 when she was leading them to St. Rupert's Convent. 
 
 It will be remembered that John of Werth, in obedi- 
 ence to the desire of the baroness, had promised to es- 
 cort her in person to Prague, in which city Field Marshal 
 Wallenstein had fixed his residence. The check she had 
 received in the pavilion, in which she had passed the 
 night, did not alter her resolution, and on the morrow 
 she set out for Bohemia. Escorted, however, by the 
 people of the baron, she left the General of the Bavarian 
 troops before Magdebourg. She was sure of him and 
 she wished only to have an accomplice not less ardent 
 and obstinate in hate to keep guard over the city in which 
 the two cousins had sought such a fatal refuge. 
 
 For the designs which ripened in her agitated brain 
 the Baroness d Igomer needed an all-powerful support. 
 She needed this support if she were never to enter the 
 palace toward which she directed her steps with feverish 
 impatience, revenged at last and pride-blown with her 
 triumph ; and if, on the contrary, she appeared there con- 
 quered and shattered by her defeat, she nourished the 
 
 hop'- <if extra' ting the bett< r part of this misfortune. 
 
 She was pursuing a double aim. therefore; first, to 
 lose her rival: then, deprived of the sole love that had 
 ever made her heart throb, to show to Renaud, by the 
 glory of the almightiness toward which her ambition
 
 H4 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 
 
 aspired, what she was and what she had been willing to 
 sacrifice to him. 
 
 "Then he will know me," she mused, "and perhaps he 
 will regret me. I do not know whether I will be happy, 
 but at least he will not be more so." 
 
 As she rode along she arranged her argument and 
 prepared herself for the part of the victim, which she pro- 
 posed to play. 
 
 The man whom Ferdinand the Emperor had created 
 the Duke of Friedland, in recognition of the services he 
 had rendered to the throne of Hapsburg, at this time 
 held a position at Prague, whose brilliance was not less 
 than the grandeur of his sovereign master. His military 
 reputation equalled Count Tilly's and his pomp and 
 wealth surpassed all that had been hitherto known. Now 
 for some time in disgrace, he possessed, in the retreat he 
 had chosen in the centre of his domains, a court which 
 a mighty king might have envied. Around him 
 swarmed a very people of officers devoted to his for- 
 tunes, and which his prodigal hand entertained magnifi- 
 cently. He had sixty pages and fifty guards attached to 
 his house. 
 
 The most noble lords considered it a happiness to be 
 admitted to this fairy palace, which was reached by six 
 vast porticos. Gentlemen of the best houses aspired to 
 the honor of serving him. His treasures sufficed for all; 
 and in this royal solitude, on which were cast the eyes of 
 Germany, his ungovernable ambition meditated new 
 glories. 
 
 Not in the whole empire, from the shores of the Elbe 
 to the Rhine, from the Baltic Sea to the mountains of 
 Tyrol, was there a soldier who did not know him, not a 
 commander who did not respect or fear him. His name 
 was a standard. At his call not a man who could handle 
 a sword or a musket, who was not glad to undertake a 
 new campaign under his command. From that moment 
 they felt certain of victory. He possessed the great art 
 of rewarding liberally whoever served him. He had 
 been seen by some magic to improvise armies, and sud- 
 denly to arise at the head of numerous regiments in a
 
 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 115 
 
 devastated province, where on the preceding day there 
 had been naught hut fugitives. 
 
 He had his chamberlains and his majordomos, his great 
 officers and his ambassadors even as the Emperor. He 
 was treated with as a crowned head. Disgraced by his 
 master, because he was feared, he was not discouraged ; 
 a reverse to the imperial armies could restore to him his 
 sovereign military power. Then, the Baroness d'Igomer 
 had witnessed too much in a small number of years not 
 to understand that war has its caprices. She did not 
 know whence should come the thunderbolt that would 
 replace Wallenstein on his pinnacle, but she was con- 
 vinced that it would strike. She must, therefore, make 
 sure of him before he became master. 
 
 The baroness had not forgotten a certain evening in 
 Vienna, the occasion of a ball, when the first lieutenant 
 of the Emperor had considered her with glances which 
 his familiars had never seen him bestow on anyone. He 
 had spoken to her and that stern voice at which the 
 whole world trembled had softened ; that austere and 
 sallow visage had flushed. Something had throbbed in 
 the breast of the savage general which was strange to 
 him. At this time Madame d'Igomer, married only a 
 few days, was in the bloom of her springtime ; but she 
 was in wit already a woman and no detail of that night 
 had escaped her. What more glorious triumph for her 
 youthful vanity! But now in the memory of this day, 
 what an indignation she felt toward herself for having 
 yielded to the love inspired by a poor gentleman, almost 
 an adventurer, when at a nod of her head she could have 
 had the master of G< rmany at her feet! Despairing and 
 still inwardly bleeding from the wounds of her heart, 
 which wondered why it had given itself up. Madame 
 d'Igomer wished to learn whether her sun-like beauty 
 could yd work upon Wallenstein the charm and seduc- 
 tion which were to serve her new designs. 
 
 Tier first care on arriving at Prague was to pay a visit 
 to him. With what art did she not approach him! How 
 ed over the mighty hand which the duke prof- 
 fered t<> herl With what sweet and suppliant inflection 
 of the voice did she I II him that she was a widow, alone
 
 n6 THR WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 
 
 and almost without protection. In the midst of the 
 abandon which surrounded her, desolate as a fledgling 
 whose nest has been swept away in a storm, she had 
 recollected the illustrious and all-powerful Wallenstein, 
 the pride of Germany. The terrible and magnanimous 
 warrior had spoken to her kindly in the past, she re- 
 membered, and her first impulse urged her toward him. 
 Cruel enmities pursued her. She had left much rancor 
 at the court of Sweden, where melancholy days had en- 
 chained her. But if her presence might stir any danger 
 against the man whom the whole empire admired, she 
 was ready to flee and to drag out the last years of her life 
 within the icy shadow of a convent. 
 
 Two tears fell from her eyes and rolled like pearls 
 down her rose-tinted cheeks. Wallenstein raised her up, 
 saying: 
 
 "Enter, Madam. This palace is yours." 
 
 This was a first success. She counted on gaining 
 others. Soon she contrived to interest the Duke of 
 Friedland in imaginary woes which permitted her to shed 
 tears that accentuated her beauty. Pity mingled with 
 the spontaneous sentiment of seduction to whose empire 
 her host yielded. It was not long before chamberlains, 
 majordomos, equerries and pages, in fine, a whole people 
 of gentlemen and captains, learned to reckon with the 
 new star which shone above Prague. 
 
 Among all those who surrounded Wallenstein, one 
 alone was really to be mistrusted. This was an Italian, 
 Seni, who consulted the stars to the profit of the Field 
 Marshal. But Thecla pierced this man with her first 
 glance. One evening she asked the astrologer to come 
 to her apartment. She showed him a jewel of priceless 
 value, suspended from a chain of gold, in a casket. 
 
 "This is a tribute which my sex pays your science," 
 she said. "I dare to hope that it will not prove unfavor- 
 able, and that the planets under your laws will accord 
 me a part of the friendship I ask." 
 
 The astrologer could not misunderstand the smile and 
 the glance which accompanied her words. 
 
 "What have you to fear from the planets which con-
 
 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 117 
 
 fide their secrets to me," Seni replied. "You shine as 
 brilliantly as Venus and the stars arc your sisters." 
 
 "That's what you must sometimes say to His High- 
 ness, the Duke of Priedland : and I shall not fail to swear 
 to him that you are never mistaken." 
 
 That very evening the conjunction of Mars and Jupiter 
 demonstrated to Wallenstein that the arrival of Madame 
 dTgomer at Prague was a good auspice. The stars re- 
 joiced. 
 
 The correspondence which Madame d'Igomer had 
 kept with the army of Tilly enabled her to know before 
 everybody the taking of Magdebourg. This was noth- 
 ing to her. But what did interest her, was that Made- 
 moiselle de Pardaillan, who, she was aware, was in the 
 beleaguered city, had not succeeded in escaping from it. 
 Of this she was assured by a courier sent on the same 
 evening the catastrophe had occurred. Now they must 
 endeavor to get the captive out of Count Pappenheim's 
 hands, send her to Prague, where the baroness would 
 have every liberty to dispose of her according to her 
 caprice. But to attain such a result it was first of all 
 necessary to secure the co-operation of Count Pappen- 
 heim. The plan of the baroness was promptly con- 
 ceived. One morning she presented herself before the 
 Duke of Friedland, her face bathed in tears. 
 
 "What horrible news I have learned," she said, falling 
 to her knees. "I'll not leave this spot till you grant me 
 the favors I ask." 
 
 "What is it? Do you not command here?" said Wal- 
 lenstein, seating her beside him. 
 
 "Magdebourg is taken !" 
 
 "Well, was it not a rebel city? The arms of the Em- 
 peror have punished it." 
 
 "Ah. but you do not know. Two persons of quality. 
 1 young k'if'^. who are kinswomen, have fallen into 
 the power of Count Pappenheim. Count Tilly, who 
 knows their name and fortune, claims them. To what 
 citadel will they be driven!-' To what shameful treat- 
 ment will they !<<• exposed? Despite all I have suffered 
 in Sweden, I cannot forget that I slept under their roof." 
 
 "Generous Thecla, always good and devoted!"
 
 n8 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 
 
 "Obtain from Count Tilly that Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan and Mademoiselle de Souvigny be delivered to 
 you, that your palace be their prison. If he asks for 
 gold, gold has never cost your liberal hand anything. 
 Here I shall watch over them. More, I will secure their 
 eternal salvation. If God wills it, I'll free their souls 
 from the night of heresy. Thus shall acquit my heart's 
 debt." 
 
 "What do you wish me to do, Thecla? Must I send 
 one of my officers to Count Tilly? He knows me I'll 
 answer for his consent." 
 
 "And who would refuse the wish of the Prince of Wal- 
 lenstein? But, do more. Allow me to go myself. I 
 shall go to meet Count Pappenheim, and when the two 
 captives see me they will believe themselves saved. Ah, 
 if I could but restore these strayed souls to the bosom of 
 our Holy Mother Church !" 
 
 "But," returned Wallenstein, "this journey which you 
 would undertake will separate you from me for a long 
 time. You are going to see a man laden with the laurels 
 of victory ; and what am I, except a soldier who is for- 
 gotten?" 
 
 "You are the Duke of Friedland ; he who has con- 
 quered ever, he whom the stars protect. Wallenstein 
 has deigned to lower his glance to me ; and Wallenstein 
 thinks that I can be dazzled by any but him ! Ah, why 
 is he not poor, forsaken, miserable, betrayed by men as 
 he is by the Emperor, that he might learn the extent of 
 my devotion !" 
 
 The Duke pressed the head of Thecla to his heart. 
 
 "Ah," she thought, "formerly it was the arms of Ren- 
 aud which held me thus." 
 
 Madame d'Igomer set out. She bore a letter signed 
 with the mighty name of Wallenstein, and an escort of 
 honor. 
 
 The letter, which was for Count Tilly, advised the 
 conqueror of Magdebourg that the Duke of Friedland 
 desired the presence of Mademoiselle de Pardaillan and 
 Mademoiselle de Souvigny at Prague. He was also no- 
 tified that they were kinswomen of the Baroness
 
 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 119 
 
 (I'lgomcr. the grand-mistress of his palace. Great pres- 
 ents went with the letter, which Madame d'Tgomer did 
 not deliver without saying a word about the ransom, the 
 greater part of which should revert to him who had the 
 largest right to booty. Count Tilly yielded and there 
 remained only to rejoin Count Pappenheim, who had 
 taken time by the forelock. 
 
 "He insisted on escorting the prisoners in person," 
 said the old general. "Therefore, do not lose a minute, 
 for on learning of the capture of Magdebourg, the Em- 
 peror appointed Count Pappenheim to the command of 
 a body of troops which is to fight in Saxe. 
 
 Madame d'lgomer. provided with this knowledge, 
 conferred with John of Werth. 
 
 "I know him. whom they call The Soldier," the baron 
 explained. "He's a man mulish in mad resolutions. I 
 should like you to tell me where he got the reputation for 
 chivalry. The two captives are lost to us if you do not 
 find the weak point in his cuirass." 
 
 "No cuirass is without flaw. Trust me to discover the 
 one in his. Grant only that Mademoiselle de Souvigny 
 come to Prague, where I reign, and I give you my word 
 she shall be yours." 
 
 "My sole fear is that Count Pappenheim will refuse to 
 leave either her or her cousin." 
 
 "On your conscience, do you believe that he still loves 
 Adrienne?" 
 
 "No. Time and separation have dissipated this dream 
 of a day. But he knows that I love her and he has 
 promised the Count of La Guerche to be her guardian." 
 
 " Tis a <|uestion of honor, then. I dread it less than a 
 
 question of love. Let me kindle a desire in this passion- 
 
 OUl and I'll direct the ilame whithersoever I please." 
 
 "You have the gift of miracles," said John of Werth, 
 smilingly. 
 
 "No; but I have the gift of hate. Now arrange mat- 
 ters so that I may meet Count Pappenheim as soon as 
 possib! 
 
 Thanks to an exceeding assiduity, John of Werth and 
 Madame d'lgomer caught up with Counl Pappenheim
 
 120 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 
 
 toward the close of the second day thereafter. An hour 
 later Thecla was announced to the general. 
 
 "Ah, a command!" he said, reading the dispatches 
 which the baroness had given to him. 
 
 "The Emperor relies on your devotion." 
 
 "He has the right to rely on it, since the King of 
 Sweden is in Germany. But perhaps you are not aware 
 of my position here ?" 
 
 "I know all. Read !" and with a hardy hand she held 
 out the letters of Wallenstein and Tilly. 
 
 "Surrender Mademoiselle de Pardaillan and Made- 
 moiselle de Souvigny to you?" he continued, after glanc- 
 ing at both letters. "And my word of honor?" 
 
 "And your interest?" 
 
 The general and the baroness looked each other 
 steadily in the eyes. 
 
 "Let's have no big words," pursued Thecla. "Let us 
 call things by their names. There are two young girls. 
 One of them you loved for a day " 
 
 "Ah, you know it ?" 
 
 "I am a bit of a diplomat. A diplomat should know 
 everything. That she loves the Count of La Guerche 
 and that John of Werth loves her is a matter to be ar- 
 ranged between those gentlemen. You have no sword 
 to draw for the one or the other. But besides Made- 
 moiselle de Souvigny there is Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan, and here's an affair to which you have not, per- 
 haps, paid sufficient attention." 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "I mean that Mademoiselle de Pardaillan, Countess of 
 Mummelsberg, through her mother, is in consequence 
 almost a German, and that her title is from the crown of 
 Austria, one of whose heroic servants is yourself. Being 
 the sole daughter and heir of the Marquis of Paidaillan, 
 a man for whom the Pactolus flows in Sweden, she is 
 gifted to flatter the pride and win the love of the greatest 
 lords in Germany. It is known that eyes see her only to 
 admire and see only her when the two cousins are to- 
 gether." 
 
 "She is truly charming," murmured Count Pappen- 
 heim.
 
 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EVE 121 
 
 "Do you believe," continued Thecla, drawing nearer 
 to him, "that prisoner of Emperor Ferdinand as she is, 
 the master of the Empire would hesitate to give her to 
 him who has so valiantly served him? What domains 
 would then be added to the estate of Pappenheim ! It 
 is true that the Marquis of Chaufontaine adores her, and 
 I have been told that Count Pappenheim met the mar- 
 quis at Le Grande Fortelle." 
 
 Count Pappenheim bit his lips. 
 
 "And that would forge bonds which nothing can de- 
 stroy. Did he not brave you? Did he not make you 
 undergo the first check, which he who was afterwards 
 called The Soldier endured? That is what one may call a 
 title. When you were still thinking of Mademoiselle de 
 Souvigny, have I not heard it related that in a town near 
 Malines, Renaud of Chaufontaine boldly killed one of 
 your men. and a fine blade at that! Ha, ha! the Mar- 
 quis of Chaufontaine has a right to Count Pappenheim's 
 respect. He struck you ; bow !" 
 
 "Madam," he said, "you have uttered words that no 
 man should have spoken with impunity. You are a 
 woman. I forget them." 
 
 "No. Don't forget them !" retorted the baroness. 
 
 "But what would you have me do?" 
 
 "What I would do if I had the honor to be called God- 
 frey-Henry of Pappenheim." 
 
 "Then speak, woman, speak!'* 
 
 "A man has insulted you, a foreigner, an enemy of 
 your country and your Emperor! This man loves a 
 woman, whom the chances of war have cast into your 
 hands, and you ask me what you are to do? A truce to 
 vain words. Are you one of those schoolboys who are 
 governed by childish scruples? Do you desire to re- 
 serve for this Frenchman, who mocks at you and thai 
 only because he is conquered, one of the most beautiful 
 spots that Germany has to offer her glorious sons? 
 Mademoiselle de 1'ardaillan is there and you hesitate! 
 You speak of your word given to the Count of La 
 Guercne. The order of Count Tilly frees you from it, 
 and besides, what do you owe to the Marquis of Chau- 
 tain< ? [s it gratitude for the story I've heard him
 
 122 THE WILES OF A DAUGHTER OE EVE 
 
 tell twenty times of the singular figure you made at La 
 Grande Fortelle, when fifty carbines threatened you 
 from all sides?" 
 
 "Chaufontaine told me that " but Count Pappen- 
 
 heim could say no more. His blood rose in his throat 
 and suffocated him. 
 
 "Why do you not be page to Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan to conduct her to this happy rival? Does the 
 noble blood of Pappenheim stir at last? Fortune has 
 placed a daughter of birth in your hands, like a dove in 
 the claws of a kite. Don't surrender her. Besides, you 
 will be doing a good work, a pious deed. Remembei 
 the Countess of Mummelsberg, who gave life to Made 
 moiselle de Pardaillan was a Catholic. You restore to 
 the foot of the altar the victim of heresy who desecrates 
 it. A fortune for yourself, a soul for heaven." 
 
 "I yield," cried Count Pappenheim, trembling. 
 
 "Then Mademoiselle de Souvigny and Mademoiselle 
 de Pardaillan follow me to Prague?" 
 
 "To Prague or Vienna, whither you will." 
 
 "You know what race of man is the Duke of Fried- 
 land. None more faithful to his friends. I shall tell 
 him that his desire was your law, and perhaps the day is 
 nigh when you will see him again at the front of the Im- 
 perial armies. Count, behold in me the ambassadress of 
 the Field-Marshal Wallenstein. 
 
 "To-night I take the road to Saxony, while you fol- 
 low the one to Bohemia. Is your presence to be an- 
 nounced to the two cousins ?" 
 
 " 'Tis unnecessary. Tell them simply that you are no 
 longer charged to accompany them. I will arrange all 
 else." 
 
 "And I may rely on your good offices with her who 
 may be called the Countess of Mummelsberg?" 
 
 "If she be not yours, she will be no other's. Yet there 
 is Renaud of Chaufontaine " 
 
 "God will grant us a meeting, and I will answer for 
 it." 
 
 "Till we meet again, then, Count." 
 
 "Till we meet again, baroness."
 
 TII1C WILES OF A DAUGHTER OF EYE 123 
 
 A moment later Madame d'Igomer was with John of 
 W< rth. She informed him of the result of her interview 
 with Count Pappcnheim. 
 
 "Did I not tell you?" she cried. "I found the flaw in 
 
 his cuirass."
 
 124 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 PRISONERS IN A PALACE. 
 
 In taking leave of Mademoiselle de Souvigny and of 
 Mademoiselle de Pardaillan, Count Pappenheim had 
 good heed not to tell them all he knew. His conscience 
 murmured a little, but hatred and ruffled pride stifled its 
 plaints. He gave as reason for his departure an impera- 
 tive order from the Emperor and did not risk any lengthy 
 farewells. He was leaving the two cousins, he said, in 
 the hands of a trustworthy person. When he had gone 
 Madame d'Igomer hastened toward Prague, using all 
 caution to keep her presence a secret, and it was not till 
 they reached the princely residence of Wallenstein that 
 the two captives learned into what hands implacable for- 
 tune had cast them anew. 
 
 As soon as they alighted Thecla ran toward them with 
 open arms, joy in her eyes and the fresh smile of a child 
 on her lips. A chill froze the blood of Adrienne in her 
 veins. 
 
 "Why these outstretched arms? Why these kisses?" 
 she said to her. "We are your prisoners. Let us have 
 no comedy !" 
 
 "Is there a St. Rupert's Convent here, too?" added 
 Diana. 
 
 "Ah, it is my destiny, then, not to be loved by those I 
 love," returned the baroness, her eyes filling with tears. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer had the gift of tears and she used 
 it on all favorable occasions. Tears became her features, 
 to which they lent a new seductiveness and gave her, be- 
 sides, a semblance of feeling of which she profited well. 
 
 It was not without purpose or for the sole pleasure of 
 playing her part of hypocrite till the end that she had
 
 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 125 
 
 such a dulcet tongue for the two cousins. She had an 
 ulterior aim. She wished to parade her tender and pa- 
 tient affection for the two prisoners before the eyes of 
 the Duke of Friedland, and to pose as the victim of black 
 calumnies. 
 
 Thus she hoped to gain a double end, to inspire her 
 protector with an inalterable horror for the creatures who 
 repelled the most striking testimonies of an amiable re- 
 gard and to bedeck herself with a veil of unhappiness and 
 virtue. 
 
 As soon as the two cousins had been settled in a pa- 
 vilion, where without any sign of it, they were subject to 
 the most active surveillance, Madame d'Igomer allowed 
 herself to be caught in tears by Wallenstein twice or 
 thrice. To the pressing inquiries of the Field Marshal 
 to whom these tears were glorious and priceless as pearls, 
 Thecla first offered a plaintiff resistance; then, as if sud- 
 denly yielding under the weight of her woe, she cried : 
 
 "Oh. I do not know any punishment more intolerable 
 to a tender soul than to be misunderstood." 
 
 Her tears redoubled and Wallenstein at last tore from 
 her the secret of her dolors. 
 
 "You know," she said, "how much I love Made- 
 moiselle de Pardaillan and Mademoiselle de Souvigny, 
 above all, the former. You remember in what terms I 
 mentioned them to you. Ah, what would I not have 
 done to secure their happiness! My desire to make them 
 happy would have inspired me even to entreat you to 
 send them back to the Court of Sweden, if it were not 
 against the laws of war. They an' hostages, and one 
 may hope that their presence here will detach from the 
 party of Gustavus Adolphus a lord whose experience 
 lid admit him with honor into the counsels of the Em- 
 peror."' 
 
 "Madam, you talk like a politician," said the duke, 
 kissing her hand. "Your lips possess all wisdom as they 
 hold all charm." 
 
 "I am inspired in your interest." answered Thecla. "I 
 have then conquered myself by respect for this imperious 
 duty; but 1 wished in any case to render their sojourn 
 here agreeable. I lavished all upon them. I do not
 
 126 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 
 
 speak of my tenderness, it was already theirs ; nothing 
 could change it. But, alas ! nothing has been able to 
 melt the ice between us. Choice robes which might have 
 pleased them, and of which I deprived myself, caresses, 
 distractions, invented for them alone, courtesies, suppli- 
 cations, all they have repelled." 
 
 Madame d'Igomer bore her dainty hands to her eyes. 
 The duke gently drew them away, saying : 
 
 "And still you weep and do not abandon these un- 
 worthy creatures?" 
 
 "I love them. Then another thought sustains me. Do 
 you understand me, my dear duke, when I tell you that 
 the welfare of their souls is as dear to me as that of their 
 bodies. I know that they are attached to two French 
 gentlemen of poor birth, who are seeking their fortune 
 in a foreign land, not being able to earn a copper in their 
 own land. I met both of them at the time fate kept me 
 in Sweden. I observed their manners and mind. They 
 are rather soldiers of fortune than gentlemen. They are 
 said to be brave, but what soldier in the armies you have 
 led to a hundred vie pries is not? Beyond this, they 
 have nothing in their favor. By what witchcraft have 
 they seduced the hearts of these young girls I know 
 not. Ah, I have often believed that some sorcery " 
 
 "Be sure of it," interposed Wallenstein, whom the as- 
 trologer Seni kept respectful of all superstition. 
 
 "I did not dare to tell you," pursued Thecla, shiver- 
 ing, "but there is something in their way of thinking and 
 talking, which astonishes, afflicts me. Despite myself, I 
 see in this the influence of some mysterious power. I, 
 who saw them enter into life, do not recognize them. 
 Surprised, alas, even indignant, I wished to rescue their 
 wandering brains. Irony and perverse obstination an- 
 swered me. Would you believe that one of them, Mad- 
 emoiselle de Souvigny, has returned the kindnesses of her 
 uncle, the Marquis of Pardaillan, by the most bitter dis- 
 dain? Whether well or ill advised by the sectarians, who 
 abound at the Court of Stockholm, he had the happy 
 thought to destine her for the hand of one of the most 
 celebrated captains of the empire— " 
 
 "Celebrated captains, did you say?"
 
 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 127 
 
 "You know, my lord, that when the sun does not shine 
 in the heavens, the stars shed rays." 
 
 "The name of this star?" 
 
 "Baron John of Werth." 
 
 'And she refuses him ?" 
 
 "That is not all. Another famous captain, who profits 
 by the eclipse of the sun to climb to the stars, is en- 
 amored of Maidemoiselle de Pardaillan and asks her 
 hand." 
 
 "The name of this amorous star?" 
 
 "Count Pappenheim." 
 
 "One of my best lieutenants." 
 
 "That's a commendation, which Count Pappenheim, I 
 am sure, would not exchange for an elector's crown." 
 
 "Then he loves Mademoiselle de Pardaillan?" con- 
 tinued YVallenstein, kissing Thecla's hand anew. 
 
 "He adores her. But as her cousin acts with John of 
 Werth, so does Mademoiselle de Pardaillan with Count 
 Pappenheim. She declines the honor of so grand an 
 alliance." 
 
 "You are right. This inexplainable obstinacy must be 
 the effect of witchcraft." 
 
 "Ah, my lord, the two unfortunates were reared in the 
 heresy of the Reformation.'' 
 
 Wallenstein crossed himself devoutly. 
 
 "One might abandon Mademoiselle de Souvigny to 
 her blindness by weariness of her obstinacy," pursued 
 the baroness; "but another interest commands firm, 
 unctuous action with Mademoiselle de Pardaillan. Let 
 us not forget her origin, that she is a subject of the em- 
 pire, to which she owes faith and allegiance. Let us not 
 allow the- Countess of Mummelsberg to fall into the 
 hands of a Gallic adventurer. My conscience would 
 n<-ver absolve me of such a weakness. But if I have the 
 rourage to desire the good of the one, why should I not 
 have the same charity for the other. The same perils 
 threaten inch." 
 
 "Ah, your devotion knows no limit !" 
 
 "Lost here in this world by their obstinacy, must they 
 be forever lost in the next? You cannot understand
 
 128 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 
 
 how this sorrowful dread haunts me ! I have not a 
 minute's peace. I would do anything to save them." 
 
 "You have every grace, every charm. God has in- 
 spired your immortal soul in a cell which reminds one of 
 heaven." 
 
 Thecla forgot that her hand rested in that of Wallen- 
 stein and fell into a profound reverie. The Duke of 
 Friedland contemplated her in admiration. 
 
 "Ah," she said suddenly, raising her head languidly. 
 "I often thought that if the light of our holy religion il- 
 lumined the souls of Mademoiselle de Pardaillan and 
 Mademoiselle de Souvigny, they would listen to me." 
 
 "You have a holy thought. The austere silence of a 
 convent will teach submission to these souls troubled and 
 inspired to revolt by the detestable doctrines of the Ref- 
 ormation." 
 
 "You would approve me, then, my dear duke, if, with 
 the aim of restoring them to the faith, I should place 
 each of them under the direction of a holy man who would 
 remove them from the theatre of the world?" 
 
 "I would advise you to such action. When gentle- 
 ness is powerless, when softness is exhausted, chastise- 
 ment must be applied, as one uses iron and fire to root 
 out the brambles and brushwood of a field to make way 
 for the plough." 
 
 "Shall I tell you all my fears? I feared for an instant 
 that you wished to ravish them from my anxious affec- 
 tion. Will you authorize me to do all to bring them 
 back to a sense of their duty? Will you allow me to di- 
 rect them, according to my will, along the paths which 
 shall seem to me the safest towards the goal I labor to 
 attain ?" 
 
 "As you will. The young ladies are yours." 
 
 "At least may their happiness repay me for the pain 
 they have cost me !" sighed the baroness unctuously. 
 
 This conversation summed up the lot which she had 
 reserved for the two prisoners. But before having re- 
 course to the rigors of a monastery, Madame d'Igomer 
 must learn whether she might not conquer and seduce 
 these proud souls by the fascinations of luxury, the en- 
 ticements of pleasure. What a triumph of voluptuous-
 
 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 129 
 
 ness of this hate-corroded heart if her rival should suc- 
 cumb to temptation, if. entwined in the embrace of Count 
 Pappenheim in the whirl of a dazzling- ball, Made- 
 moiselle de Pardaillan should betray at once her love and 
 her faith! Such would be the best and sweetest ven- 
 geance. She must first corrupt her, then strike. The 
 baroness marveled within herself that she had not 
 thought of this sooner. 
 
 Thenceforward she took care to conduct the two 
 cousins to all the entertainments by which Wallenstein 
 beguiled his inaction and displayed the magnificence of 
 his court. The gowns they had brought with them were 
 replaced by much richer apparel. All that could dazzle 
 their eyes and fascinate their young hearts was lavished 
 upon them. They breathed an atmosphere of pleasure. 
 Music, the dance, the hunt, feasts followed one another 
 unceasingly and a group of gallant gentlemen, gathered 
 around them, kept a concert of flattery. 
 
 Each evening Adrienne and Diana returned wearied 
 and, as it were, stupid with excitement, to their apart- 
 ments. But their brave souls remained untainted. Their 
 simple honesty ran foul of every trap. After an even- 
 ing in the tumultous, brilliant palace, they knelt down 
 humbly and prayed. Then all stain of the day departed 
 from them. The schemes of Madame d'Igomer were 
 baffled. 
 
 Thanks to the connivance of his accomplice, Count 
 Pappenheim, though conquered at Leipzig, could com- 
 municate at liberty with Diana. The hour for hesitation 
 had passed. The Grand-Marshal returned from the bat- 
 tle-field, his soul ulcerated with defeat. He had seen his 
 own cuirassiers fall under the blows of the very dragoons 
 to whom he had surrendered their leaders, lie had seen 
 the Marquis of C'hanfontaine in the thick of the fight. lie 
 had been able to judge the weight of his sword-arm. He 
 been forced t<> retreat in the mad disarray of his own 
 troops. Should he, therefore, abandon the heiress, who 
 was now offered to him, t" this hated enemy? 
 
 "Never!" cried Count Pappenheim. "lie defeated 
 me. 'Tis my turn to defeat him and have mv revenge!" 
 
 Rooted in this new resolve he balked no longer at any
 
 130 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 
 
 dial reception. The innate loyalty of Adrienne repugned 
 any thought of treachery. She had been confided to the 
 count by Armand-Louis and she believed the German 
 worthy such a trust. His bearing toward her reaffirmed 
 her in full ; but what was her amazement when Diana, all 
 terrified, informed her one day of a conversation she had 
 held with their rescuer. 
 
 "Ah," she murmured, "I know not which is worse ; the 
 brutal arrogance of John of Werth, or the gallant insid- 
 iousness of Count Pappenheim." 
 
 "Tell me, what is wrong?" asked Adrienne, anx- 
 iously. 
 
 "He came to me just now. I gave him my hand. 
 Suddenly he threw himself at my feet. I was so as- 
 tonished I could not think. He declared he loved me; 
 that nothing should ever kill his love and that to possess 
 me there was nothing he would not do. Ah, now I 
 know that it is no longer you he threatens, but myself. 
 I saw all clearly in the ardor of his speech. 'Tis Mad- 
 ame d'Igomer who has knotted this plot. She has sold 
 us to John of Werth and to Count Pappenheim. It is not 
 an abduction as at Erandebourg; it is imprisonment in 
 a palace. God save us !" 
 
 Several things helped Adrienne to understand that 
 Diana was not in error. She saw that in this immense 
 edifice, apparently all devoted to pleasure, the most dire 
 slavery awaited them. For them it was the world's 
 limits. No sound, no word, no memory of anything that 
 happened beyond the six porticos where the guards of 
 Wallenstein kept watch was for them. Robed in lace- 
 laden silk, bedizened with gold and silver, strolling under 
 glittering chandeliers, they were still slaves. They did 
 not know whether in the whole world anyone remem- 
 bered that they had lived in it. 
 
 At a ball one evening, Madame d'Igomer approached 
 Diana, whom for some time she had affected to address 
 as the Countess of Mummelsberg. It was the night of 
 a great celebration. Seated sadly at the side of Adrienne, 
 Diana gazed at, without seeing, the crowd of courtiers 
 who moved to and fro in the brilliant halls. 
 
 "What !" exclaimed the baroness, taking Diana's hand,
 
 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 131 
 
 "not a jewel on this pretty arm, clear Countess of Mum- 
 melsberg? 'Tis a treason to beauty!" 
 
 Then she unlocked a jewel of rare price from her own 
 arm. 
 
 "'There," continued the baroness, ''is a bracelet which 
 Count Pappenheim presented to me. He will thank me 
 for having perceived that upon your wrist, paler than 
 marble, it will shine with all brilliance." 
 
 Quick as lightning - Diana tore off the jewel and flung 
 it far from her. 
 
 "I'll have naught from you or from him," she said. 
 
 "Good!" whispered Adrienne, pressing her cousin's 
 hand. 
 
 Despite her natural self-control, Madame dTgomer 
 paled. She forgot to weep and straightening up, re- 
 torted : 
 
 "Though you will accept nothing from me, I am re- 
 signed, no matter at what cost to my feelings. But that 
 you should refuse it from him passes my understanding. 
 Count Pappenheim will return to Prague in a few days 
 and we will then see whether the Countess of Mummcls- 
 berg will dare to refuse the marriage ring which he will 
 offer her at the foot of the altar. 
 
 It was as if a bolt from heaven had fallen upon Diana. 
 
 "A marriage ring? Count Pappenheim?" she gasped, 
 brokenly. 
 
 "At present we await a courier who will bring the con- 
 sent of the Emperor," answered Thecla. "Be ready, 
 therefore, for this ceremony." 
 
 At this juncture the Papal Delegate, who had been 
 sent into Germany to combat heresies and strengthen the 
 Catholic faith in faint hearts, appeared in the gallery. 
 He was a Prince of the Church, famed for a devout and 
 noble character. Breaking of a sudden through the 
 group that surrounded her, Diana of Pardaillan threw 
 herself at his feet, crying: 
 
 "My lord, you are the refuge of the weak and the de- 
 fender of the down-trodden. I come to you. Have pity 
 on me !" 
 
 "Daughter, stand up," said the prelate, 
 
 "Not until yon have heard me. Ybu who represent
 
 l 3 2 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 
 
 Christ on earth, will you permit a minister of the Gospel 
 to bless a marriage into which they wish to force me and 
 which I hate. Tell me, my Lord, will you allow Catholic 
 altars to be desecrated by such a sacrilege? I was 
 brought up in the reformed faith. If it be wrong, let 
 the apostles of truth convert me, but without violence or 
 subterfuge. By my mother's descent I am Countess of 
 Mummelsberg. I own ten villages and twenty castles. 
 They may sequester them. I do not complain ; but they 
 cannot erase from my 'scutcheon the arms of my ances- 
 tors. In heart and desire I am promised in mariage to 
 a French Catholic gentleman, who is fighting for Swe- 
 den, the ally of his country. I claim the privileges of my 
 birth and my rank, the right to dispose of my hand ac- 
 cording to my will. I entreat your pity, my lord. Look 
 you that I never see the day when I awaken as Countess 
 of Pappenheim because it has pleased an impious ser- 
 vant of the God of Mercy to unite me, in despite of my 
 tears and of my cries, to a man I do not love !" 
 
 "In the name of him who has power to bind and un- 
 bind," said the Papal Delegate, extending his hand to 
 Diana, "and who has invested me with a part of his au- 
 thority, I condemn and curse the unworthy priest who 
 would do violence to this woman. Stand up, my child, 
 and fear not. I am but passing through the city, but my 
 brother, Archbishop of Prague, will watch over you. 
 Let all who hear me now, remember; the Countess of 
 Mummelsberg is under the protection of the Church !" 
 
 The Cardinal went on his way slowly, blessing the peo- 
 ple with his right hand as they knelt before him. Mad- 
 ame d'Igomer said nothing; she had recovered her com- 
 posure. As soon as her glance met Diana's, she mut- 
 tered : 
 
 "Yours, the victory now. But all things pass away 
 with time, even delegates !" 
 
 Then noticing that everybody was scanning her, she 
 smiled quickly and offered her arm to Diana, with : 
 
 "You are a bit feverish, my child. You had best re- 
 tire." 
 
 The two cousins went to their apartments, not soon to 
 quit them. Hours, days, weeks glided by. No one
 
 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 133 
 
 visited them ; no one addressed them. The silence of the 
 cloister followed upon the noisy merry-makings in the 
 palace. One might fancy that the service was done by 
 shadows. But the tortured souls of the prisoners found 
 a balm almost in the solitude. Xo odious visage of- 
 fended their sight ; no hypocritical smiles seared their 
 hearts, no hateful words wearied their ears. 
 
 "How unhappy Armand-Louis and Renaud must be," 
 they thought frequently. "They are seeking us without 
 hope." 
 
 Sitting at the window they watched the flight of the 
 birds and the clouds. Some of them went north. Why 
 had they not the wings of birds ! Why might they not 
 sail away on the clouds ! 
 
 But while they were buried far from the world in the 
 palace of Prague, various grave developments of war, 
 confirming the prophecy of Madame dTgomer, were 
 about to summon Field-Marshal Wallenstein back to 
 theatre of battles. After Count Tilly's disaster on the 
 plains of Leipzig, on September 7th, 163 1, a second de- 
 feat cost him his lite at the passage of the Lechs, which 
 he had defended in vain. The star of Gustavus Adolphu' 
 was in the ascendant and the humbled arms of the House 
 of Austria recalled at last the devotion and the reputa- 
 tion of the exiled general. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer had been from the first informed of 
 the secret negotiations between Ferdinand, terrified by 
 the enemy at every outpost, and the Duke of Friedland, 
 who was entreated to take in hand the cause of Ger- 
 many and to leave the retreat of his Titanic pride. 
 
 When she was consulted by him, Madame dTgomer 
 easily divined the counsel he expected from her. 
 
 "Ah," she said, mingling a trick of sadness and en- 
 thusiasm in her tones, "I will forget myself and remem- 
 ber only youl An empire hangs on the brink of ruin, 
 an implacable enemy stands over it, threatening with a 
 final exterminating stroke. Should you, in a just, 
 though excessive resentment, refuse it your stoul sword 
 and thus precipitate it into the abyss? You alone are 
 left to fight againsl Gustavus Adolphus. You are the 
 stronghold of mpire, the defender of the Catholic
 
 134 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 
 
 world. Think not of my anguish, but arise. Shall not 
 all the conditions it may please you to dictate, be ac- 
 cepted? Lo, soldiers, captains, generals call upon you 
 and have no hope save in you ! They cry in acclaim 
 upon you and stretch their swords to you, impatient to 
 avenge the insult done the German flag. Princes, elec- 
 tors, kings intrust to you their people and their crowns. 
 No, on the day you leave this palace I shall weep alone. 
 All Germany will shout for joy. They will behold vic- 
 tory in you and an immense escort of courtiers and gen- 
 tlemen will attend you to the frontiers insulted by the 
 Swedes. Hesitate no longer. Be gone, my lord, rejoin 
 the few troops with which Pappenheim still holds his 
 ground. To-morrow 'twill be an army and let astounded 
 Europe see that if he is the Soldier, you are the Gen- 
 eral !" 
 
 "Ah, Thecla !" cried Wallenstein, "you alone love me." 
 
 Then he gave orders that all preparations for his de- 
 parture be set forward with dispatch. 
 
 On the evening of the day that saw him re-enter the 
 lists, Madame d'Igomer asked permission to restore to 
 the two prisoners some of their liberty . 
 
 "They braved you, almost insulted you," he said 
 frowning. 
 
 "It is true," she replied, "but some slight tokens make 
 me believe that their hearts are opening to better feel- 
 ings. You know I am obstinate in my affections. To 
 remain at Prague has become odious to me since I know 
 you must depart. The hours I cannot consecrate to you 
 (alas, the heart of a hero belongs to his army, rather than 
 to her who loves him), I shall endure far from the noise 
 of courts. But into this retreat where I shall live with 
 your memory, suffer that I take with me the Countess of 
 Mummelsberg and Mademoiselle de Souvigny. I have 
 a hope that the hour of repentance will soon strike for 
 them." 
 
 Wallenstein could not resist the tones of his enchant- 
 ress and on the day that the conqueror of Tilly learned 
 that he was to combat a man who had never met de- 
 feat, a page entered the apartment of the two cousins and 
 announced to them that a carriage awaited them in the
 
 PRISONERS IN A PALACE 135 
 
 courtyard of the palace. They followed him unresist- 
 ingly. A few minutes later their carriage passed out of 
 Prague. 
 
 Looking out at the sides of the curtains they discov- 
 ered a dozen cavaliers riding at arms with them. They 
 advanced swiftly. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer, who had not seen them at their 
 leaving, did not appear during their journey. 
 
 Two days after their exit from YVallenstein's palace, 
 which they did not at ail regret, the two cousins, having 
 seen many hills and forests disappear behind their car- 
 riage, halted at twilight in the yard of a great castle, 
 which towered upon the knob of a mountain. 
 
 "I wonder where we may be," said Adrienne, meas- 
 uring with a glance the high walls which surrounded 
 them. 
 
 "You are at Drachenfeld Castle, my home," replied 
 Madame d'Igomer. appearing upon the threshold, "and 
 you behold me all happiness to receive you." 
 
 "Then, madame," replied Diana, "the happiness is all 
 your own."
 
 136 DRACHENFELD CASTLE 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 DRACHENFELD CASTLE. 
 
 Drachenfeld Castle, where new dangers lay in wait for 
 Adrienne and Diana, had at once the aspect of a citadel 
 and of a convent. There were galleries and ball rooms 
 as in a palace; a donjon fit for a stronghold; a chapei 
 with cloister and cells as in a monastery. That all might 
 be in harmony in this singular habitation, one might 
 meet at random in its chambers men armed with 
 sword and musket, pages robed in satin and velvet, 
 beautiful women plying fans or playing the lute, almoners 
 absorbed in pious meditation. 
 
 Within a month's time the two cousins had become 
 acquainted with life as it was at Drachenfeld. The evening 
 was given up to the dance and to various entertainments, 
 in the devising of which Madame d'Igomer showed re- 
 markable invention. The morning was devoted to exer- 
 cises of prayer. If the afternoon were clear they went 
 boating on beautiful lakes or walked along broad ave- 
 nues through the forest. There was the hunt also. But 
 if it rained they went to some chapel to behold a good 
 monk surrender himself to the fervor of a religious ex- 
 hortation. At times, and when Madame d'Igomer had 
 slept ill, the sermon was replaced by music. 
 
 It did not seem as though the inconsolable Thecla re- 
 gretted Wallenstein very much. She did not lose much 
 of her time in repining. Perhaps her sojourn in the 
 country was accountable for this. 
 
 To a Franciscan father was entrusted the charge of 
 extirpating the abominable roots of heresy from the souls 
 of the two cousins. He persecuted them most 
 religiously. 
 
 The management of the castle devolved upon a thin, 
 lemon-hued, ghastly gallows-dog of a fellow. Diana 
 shivered the first time she saw him. She kept the im-
 
 DRACHENFELD CASTLE 137 
 
 pression of this sinister profile stored in a corner of her 
 memory. 
 
 When she heard the name of Matthcns Orlscopp pro- 
 nounced, she was frozen with tenor. 
 
 " Tis the terrible man from Bergheim," she cried. 
 
 In truth it was Mattheus Orlscopp, who, after his de- 
 feat at Ravennest Castle, had come to Drachcnfeld for 
 his revenge. The men had escaped him, but the women 
 were left. He had really a double offense to avenge, 
 and Madame d'lgomer might well count on his devotion. 
 
 It will be remembered that, thanks to the precautions 
 of Carqucfou, Mattheus Orlscopp had hung for some 
 time on the hook that had been Renaud's torture in the 
 green room at Ravennest. Mattheus had been released 
 only a few hours after the departure of the fugitives. The 
 guard whose duty it was to bear the starveling nourish- 
 ment to the captive, found the master of Ravennest, 
 pallid, frozen, mad with rage and pain. Once cut down 
 he did not lose time in attempting to catch up with the 
 cavaliers, who had a full day's advance upon him. He 
 hurried away to tell all to John of Werth. 
 
 The explosion of his hatred and fury was such that 
 John of Werth understood at once that he had some 
 mettle in him. Far from reprehending him, he con- 
 gratulated him on his escape and sent him to his ac- 
 complice, Madame d'Jgomer, with a letter, which con- 
 tained only these words : 
 
 "Here's a scoundrel I can recommend to you." 
 
 Xo more was necessary to induce the baroness to en- 
 gage Mattheus Orlscopp. When he found it to his in- 
 terest, Mattheus could exhibit a terrible candor. He con- 
 cealed none of the circumstances from Madame dTgomer 
 of the events which had brought him into Renaud's life 
 at Bergheim and at Ravennest. What he had just done, 
 far from revolting the baroness, gave her an idea of what 
 she might expect from such a man on occasion. 
 
 Their hates wen- friends from the first bound. As soon 
 as Wallenstein's departure to join the imperial army was 
 decided, she determined to leave Prague f"r Drachenfeld 
 and 1m confide the command of tip' castle to Mattheus 
 
 -COpp.
 
 138 DRACHENFELD CASTLE 
 
 Mistress now of Diana and Adrienne, at Drachenfeld, 
 she was like the hunter who keeps a pretty decoy bird in 
 a cage waiting for the partridges to come and be killed. 
 In this instance the partridges were Armand-Louis and 
 Renaud. She was sure that none could keep a better 
 guard over this cage than Mattheus Orlscopp. 
 
 A hideous smile rendered the face of Mattheus still 
 more frightful when he took the keys of the castle. 
 
 "The idiots !" he murmured ; "they had me in their 
 hands and they allowed me to live!" He suddenly 
 stamped his foot with force. "But I made the same mis- 
 take. The next time I'll profit by experience." 
 
 In the first days of his installation at Drachenfeld, Mat- 
 theus called Madame d'Igomer to one side. 
 
 "My duty is to speak plainly to you," he said. "Per- 
 mit me, my lady, to sound the depth of things. It is quite 
 true that you do not love the Countess of Mummels- 
 berg?" 
 
 "Oh, no," murmured Thecla. 
 
 "But there is some one else towards whom your feel- 
 lings are even stronger. I mean Renaud de Chaufon- 
 taine. Am I correct?" 
 
 "You are." 
 
 "Why do you persist, then, in keeping Mademoiselle 
 de Pardaillan hidden like a light in a bushel? Why do 
 you not proclaim, by trumpet call, if need be, that she 
 is at Drachenfeld and that she is your prisoner?" 
 
 "He would fly hither." 
 
 "That is not the only thing. If he comes, he will not 
 come alone. And at one swoop the Baroness d'Igomer, 
 John of Werth and Mattheus Orlscopp, their unworthy 
 servitor, will be avenged. To accomplish this miracle it 
 will be enough that Armand de la Guerche and Renaud 
 de Chaufontaine show themselves within musket range of 
 the castle." 
 
 The look which Mattheus threw at Madame d'Igomer 
 made her shudder. 
 
 "Ah," she said, "you are a terrible man." 
 
 "No, madame, I am a logical man ; and I strive above 
 all to merit the good opinion which my lord, John of 
 Werth, entertains of my humble self."
 
 DRACHENFELD CASTLE 139 
 
 "Do as you will," said Thecla. "You have my full per- 
 mission." 
 
 "Then I will answer for everything," 
 
 At times Madame d'Igomer was absent for several 
 days. On these occasions she went to the imperial camp 
 in great mystery. No one knew of this save Mattheus, 
 who remained absolute master of the castle. He had 
 spies throughout the country for ten leagues around, 
 beating up all the roads and returning to him with re- 
 ports of what they had learned. They had orders to 
 spread the names of the two prisoners broadcast, so that 
 it might soon be a secret to no one. Something in this 
 way should reach the ears of Armand-Louis and Renaud, 
 and attract them' to the shadow of the towers of Drachen- 
 feld. This was what Mattheus hoped for. 
 
 The departure of the baroness discontinued all amuse- 
 ments ; no more dancing, almost no music, but sermons 
 in abundance, pious prayers and conferences, during 
 which the Franciscan endeavored to convert his flock. 
 After long days of controversy, if he had gained nothing, 
 the worthy monk would cross his arms on his big paunch, 
 saying : 
 
 "The devil still holds ; but I shall do so much that in 
 the end I shall have exorcised him." 
 
 Then still rolling on his short legs, still smiling and 
 casting benedictions, he proceeded with his preachments. 
 
 As yet there was no news of Armand-Louis or Renaud. 
 
 In the absence of Madame d'Igomer, there was. a kind 
 of domestic guardian within the castle, in the person of a 
 ceremonious and formal dame, who had the figure of a 
 musketeer, yellow hair, sickly eyes, a square head and the 
 legs of an ostrich. Her aim in life was to embarrass the 
 existence of others with a thousand little difficulties. 
 With her each hour had its destined purpose, which no 
 human power or event could influence her to change. 
 Madame de Tj'ffenbach had but one dogma, the rule; and 
 one faith, etiquette. She always spoke in a voice low 
 and soft as a sighing wind. Hut this apparent sweetness 
 Concealed the stubbornness of a mule. Nothing escaped 
 her. Her long legs took her everywhere, and In r eyes, 
 a blurred blue in color, shot glances of a lynx.
 
 140 DRACHENFEED CASTEE 
 
 Adrienne and Diana were placed under her special 
 care. Madame de Lirrenbach did not allow them a min- 
 ute's peace. Only at night could they converse freely; 
 and even then not easily, for their rooms were separated 
 by a gallery. As long as day lasted the old woman, robed 
 in an old-fashioned gown, instructed them in the degrees 
 of respect to be shown to different persons of the court, 
 according to the rank they occupied. She varied the 
 subject by little discourses on the etiquette in vogue in 
 the Capital of the Electorate of Bavaria, and exhortations 
 on perfections of grace and the merits of penance. By 
 crafty turnings, she took text from these conferences to 
 insinuate that Baron John of Werth and Count Pappen- 
 heim would make their happiness in this world, and as- 
 sure their salvation in the next. 
 
 "Always the same tune," murmured Diana, who was 
 not listening. 
 
 "And the same words," added Adrienne. 
 
 One of the pretensions of Madame de Liffenbach was 
 to make Diana and Adrienne believe that they were in 
 no sense prisoners. Captives? By no means. Who 
 could have noised so calumnious a report obroad? Had 
 they not full liberty to walk in the castle gardens? To 
 pluck fruits there and eat them? Were they not seen 
 in the state halls on concert days, and in ball attire on 
 evenings when there was dancing? If it was required of 
 them to be attended by grave and silent persons, was it 
 proper for young ladies of quality to promenade alone? 
 If they were not allowed to leave the grounds of Drachen- 
 feld, the reason was that all sorts of disreputable folks 
 were abroad in the country. All that was done was 
 prompted by the single purpose to secure their care and 
 comfort in this asylum of virtue. 
 
 When Madame d'Igomer returned to Drachenfeld 
 things took another turn. The young gentlemen saw 
 the great doors of the castle open to them, and more 
 than one leaned gallantly on the chair of the charming 
 Thecla, while the viol, the theorbo and the lute filled the 
 apartment with melody. Meanwhile Adrienne and Diana 
 lost neither the Franciscan's sermons nor Madame de 
 Liffenbach's visits.
 
 DRACHENFKLD CASTTE 141 
 
 As time flowed the color of health gradually vanished 
 from the fair faces of the two cousins. Days followed 
 days, weeks followed weeks. Spring had passed. Sum- 
 mer was at the height. The prisoners were no longer 
 heard to laugh or sing. When they conversed they dared 
 not confide to each other their dread ; and when in the 
 morning they kissed each other, after a long tearful night, 
 they spoke of the reposeful sleep they had enjoyed. 
 
 They could not banish the thought that Armand-Louis 
 and Renaud were still trying to liberate them. Diana 
 had learned from Adrienne the nature of Matthcus, and 
 fearing that the permission they had to write to the 
 Marquis of Tardaillan was a snare, they never told all. 
 
 In the interim, a truce, as is often met with in the 
 history of old wars, had stopped hostilities between the 
 belligerent arms for some days. There had been no 
 cessation of fighting since Leipzig. How many brave 
 officers would never again respond to the clarion call ! 
 How many soldiers lay hurriedly buried under a hand- 
 ful of earth. Nobody knew how or when this war, be- 
 gim so many years ago, would terminate. Religious 
 fanaticism commingled with political interests had kept 
 it alive. Armand-Louis and Renaud had had their share 
 of the common glory and danger ; but they considered all 
 days lost which did not engage them in the rescue of their 
 loves. L ntil now all their attempts had been fruitless, or, 
 what amounted to it, interrupted by the imperious neces- 
 sities of war. The intervals between sieges and struggles 
 were too brief to permit them to undertake an expedition 
 into the heart of the provinces occupied by the enemy. 
 
 Yet they neglected nothing; but they had learned 
 nothing. None of the dangerous sorties they had made 
 right and left from day to day had afforded them tin- in- 
 formation as to which city or fortress held within its walls 
 the fair wmun for whom they were ready to shed every 
 drop of their blood. 
 
 At the first rumor in camp of the armistice concluded 
 with the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial troops, 
 hope was reborn in the hearts «>f the two brothers at 
 arms. They pr< sented themselves to Gustavus Adolphus
 
 I4 2 DRACHENFELD CASTLE 
 
 at once and asked him as a favor to send them to Wallen- 
 stein to negotiate the exchange of prisoners. 
 
 "We have known for some little time," said Armand- 
 Louis, "by a letter addressed to an old companion in 
 arms, the Marquis of Pardaillan, that the two captives 
 have been taken to Prague, at the palace of the Duke of 
 Friedland. It is perhaps our only chance to see Made- 
 moiselle de Souvigny and her cousin. Perhaps we may 
 learn at what cost we can regain them." 
 
 Without replying, the king wrote and signed a dis- 
 patch, in which he endowed Armand-Louis with the 
 power of plenipotentiary. 
 
 "Depart," he said, embracing him, "and that with all 
 speed. My conscience would reproach me for every min- 
 ute I caused you to lose." 
 
 Nevertheless neither Armand-Louis nor Renaud 
 wished to set out without having seen the Marquis of 
 Pardaillan. 
 
 "You have permitted us to devote our lives to the wel- 
 fare of your two daughters," said Armand-Louis. "God 
 gave them to us ; He has retaken them. We shall have 
 neither truce nor rest until we have recovered them." 
 
 "Ah, if it were not for you," said the old nobleman, 
 taking them in his arms, "how far hope should be from 
 my heart." 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud communicated their pur- 
 pose to him. 
 
 "The Duke of Friedland is at Nuremberg," said Ar- 
 mand-Louis, "we shall go to Nuremberg." 
 
 "And if my daughters, if Adrienne, be not there? If 
 he refuses to give them up to you?" 
 
 "When diplomacy dies," exclaimed Renaud, "we cry 
 'Long live the sword!' " 
 
 "Ah," murmured the old marquis as the tears streamed 
 down his cheeks, "the sword has proved treacherous to 
 me and to you !" 
 
 "God above sees and judges us," replied Renaud. "Be 
 of good hope. I promise you that as long as a heart 
 beats in my bosom, as long as my hand can bear a sword, 
 this heart and sword are consecrated to the liberation of 
 Mademoiselle de Pardaillan."
 
 DRACHRXFELD CASTLE 143 
 
 "Bring back my daughter," said the venerable old man, 
 touched by Rcnaud's ardor, "and you will be received by 
 a father." 
 
 These words flooded Rcnaud's heart with an immense 
 joy. He felt as though the glorious fire which had ani- 
 mated the souls of his ancient heroes, the Rolands, Ga- 
 laors, Cids and Tancreds, was enkindled in his veins. 
 Nothing seemed impossible to him now. Pie kissed the 
 hand of the Marquis of Pardaillan and said: 
 
 "If your daughter be not restored to you," he cried, "it 
 is because I am dead." *
 
 144 PROPOSITIONS AND PROVOCATIONS 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 PROPOSITIONS AND PROVOCATIONS. 
 
 An hour after this short interview, Armand-Louis 
 and Renaud, followed by Magnus, Carquefou and Rudi- 
 ger, were on the road to Nuremberg. They were not 
 long in reaching the Imperial camp, where a trumpet an- 
 nounced their arrival. 
 
 The Duke of Friedland had taken residence in the most 
 vast castle in the vicinity of Nuremberg. The same lux- 
 ury which astonished Germany in his palace at Prague, 
 surrounded him in this stopping place whence the can- 
 non's roar could not be long in summoning him. In the 
 antechambers and court yards the same gilded crowd of 
 pages, equerries and chamberlains was to be seen ; guards, 
 dressed in the colors of the house, were stationed at the 
 doors. A very people of lackeys ran hither and thither. 
 He kept open house. Hundreds of officers, from all parts 
 of Germany, were enrolled under his standard, attracted 
 at once by the splendor of his name and his magnificent 
 bounties. His army increased like a ball rolled in the 
 snow. Tents stretched away in the plain. Every soldier 
 who had survived the disasters of Torquato Conti and 
 Count Tilly rejoined him. Provinces lately impoverished 
 furnished him with men and money. 
 
 There were neither entertainments nor pleasures now. 
 He had kept naught of his former habits but the pag- 
 eantry which astounded and that superb pride which made 
 him the equal of princes. Discipline had returned and 
 with it confidence. He hurried naught and left naught to 
 chance. The best generals had rallied about him. Among 
 them was Count Pappenheim, who, covered with blood 
 like a lion fresh from his prey, reorganized in Wallen- 
 stein's camp what was left of his Walloon bands and his 
 unconquerable cavalry. 
 
 While awaiting the hour for fight he had long consul-
 
 PROPOSITIONS AND PROVOCATIONS 145 
 
 tations with the chief of the army. John of Werth on his 
 side enlisted in regiments the flood of adventurers which 
 the bait of new battles and the hope of plunder urged 
 toward Nuremberg. They came from Spain, Hungary, 
 Poland and Italy. They all felt that the time was preg- 
 nant with great events. The heart of Catholic Germany 
 was beating at Nuremberg. 
 
 Europe's attentive eye watched anxiously the manoeu- 
 vres of the two famous adversaries, who, before measur- 
 ing their strength, prepared themselves with an excess of 
 precaution. Each had a wonderful prestige to maintain. 
 Each had to meet like chances in the uncertainty of the 
 strife. 
 
 When Armand-Louis entered the Imperial camp a 
 man was in conference with the general and was marking 
 different points on a chart with his finger. It was suf- 
 ficient to have but barely seen him either in the thick of 
 the battle or the brilliance of a ball to recognize Francis- 
 Albert, Duke of Lauenburg. 
 
 "Then," said the Duke of Friedland, "you are certain 
 that eight thousand men, led by the queen, are on the 
 march to the camp of Gustavus Adolphus?" 
 
 "I was leaving the king's tent when the courier of the 
 queen arrived with the news," replied Francis-Albert. 
 
 "These men may be still on the shores of the Baltic 
 
 Sea: j ; 
 
 "No, my lord ; scarcely a few days separate them from 
 your camp. They are Finlanders, Upsalanders, in a 
 word, Swedes, the bravest troops you ever met on the 
 field of battle. What is more, the corps commanded by 
 General Banner and Duke Bernard of Saxe-Weimar have 
 left their cantonments. Make haste before these impor- 
 tant reinforcements have given your adversary the ad- 
 vantage in numbers." 
 
 "But am I not waiting the Lorraines of Duke Charles, 
 the Spaniards garrisoned on the Rhine, the Bavarian reg- 
 iments of the Elector Maximilian, the Cossacks of King 
 Sigismund? Why should I make haste? Strong as the 
 king may be, I shall be his match, and I promise you to 
 annihilate him at the first stroke!" 
 
 "God aid you in this noble resolve! No one in the
 
 14 6 PROPOSITIONS AND PROVOCATIONS 
 
 Catholic world, saved by your army, will be happier for it 
 than he who speaks to you. But France may come into 
 the lists. Even now her arms approach Alsace ; you may 
 then regret that you did not destroy the audacious King 
 of Sweden." 
 
 "France is afar off, Gustavus Adolphus is near. If any 
 menace springs up in the west, the battle which will dis- 
 embarras me of this enemy will soon be fought. You, 
 Lord Lauenburg, will return promptly to the king and 
 fail not to inform me in case anything important should 
 arise." 
 
 "What I have done, I shall do always," replied Francis- 
 Albert, bowing. 
 
 He raised a heavy arras which hung in the corner of 
 the room and disappeared behind its folds. A man was 
 waiting for him at the door of the palace. 
 
 "Are the horses ready?" asked the duke. 
 
 "The horses?" said Captain Jacobus in a growling 
 tone. "Two men have just reached camp — the Count of 
 La Guerche and Renaud of Chaufontaine. I'm not going 
 away now." 
 
 The duke hesitated. 
 
 "Listen," continued the veteran captain, "the truce sus- 
 pends hostilities, but I have an old debt to pay, and I'm 
 a good debtor. To-day the whelps, afterward the wolf." 
 
 "Then we'll not go," said Francis-Albert. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer was at Nuremberg with the Duke 
 of Friedland. She was at once informed of the arrival of 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud by a dispatch from John of 
 Werth. She did not wish them to have a conference 
 with Wallenstein during her absence. She felt that the 
 struggle begun at St. Wast and continued by the terrible 
 episodes of St. Rupert's, Magdebourg and Ravennest, 
 was about to assume a new phase. 
 
 "These are the two adventurers of whom I spoke to 
 you," she said negligently to Wallenstein. "Hunters fol- 
 low the deer's trail, but it has pleased His Majesty, the 
 King of Sweden, to invest them with the solemn office 
 of ambassadors. Honor them by receiving them in pres- 
 ence of all your officers." 
 
 This desire of Madame d'Igomer was accomplished
 
 PROPOSITIONS AND PROVOCATIONS I47 
 
 At noon on the morrow two officers escorted Armand- 
 Louis and Renaud to the palace. Chamberlains, equer- 
 ries and pages crowded the antechambers and the grand 
 stair way. The envoys of Gustavus Adolphus walked be- 
 tween two lines of musketeers. A double door swung 
 wide admitting them to a hall thronged with gentlemen. 
 
 Quite at the end of the hall Wallenstein sat in a gold 
 armchair, much as a sovereign prince giving audience to 
 his court. Beside him in a magnificent robe of golden 
 brocade was Madame d'Igomer. 
 
 Renaud saw her and their glances crossed. 
 
 "We are lost !" he murmured to his friend. 
 
 Armand-Louis shivered ; but well dissembling his emo- 
 tion, he presented his credentials to Wallenstein, who at 
 once perused them. 
 
 "The exchange of prisoners will be made," he said then. 
 "Man for man, officer for officer. One of my aides-de- 
 camp will give you a list of the Swedes fallen into our 
 hands by the fortunes of war. You are at liberty, Sir, to 
 remain at Nuremberg until all these conventions have 
 been ratified." 
 
 Wallenstein bowed slightly as if betokening his de- 
 parture. 
 
 "But that is not all," said Armand-Louis quickly. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer exchanged a glance with Wallen- 
 stein and smiled. The duke sat down. 
 
 "Two women have been taken captive by the Imperial 
 troops at Magdebourg." Armand-Louis continued. "They 
 are Mademoiselle de Souvigny and Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan. I come to treat of their ransom, if such is neces- 
 sary." 
 
 "Count Tilly is dead and affairs are no longer as he 
 left them," replied Wallenstein haughtily. "We have 
 more gold, thank God, than we can use for ourselves or 
 our army." 
 
 "If you keep them as prisoners of war, Sir, at least ac- 
 cord us a fair exchange." 
 
 "Have you any daughter of a great house, any German 
 princess in captivity in the Swedish camp? If you have 
 let us have the names and we will see." 
 
 "Ah," roared Renaud, whose blood began to boil, "do
 
 148 PROPOSITIONS AND PROVOCATIONS 
 
 you gentlemen think we are having a war with women ?" 
 
 Wallenstein frowned. Madame d'Igomer advanced 
 abruptly and said : 
 
 "Perhaps these gentlemen are not aware that, thanks to 
 the worthy Franciscan monk, which His Eminence the 
 legate of the Holy Father has supplied, Mademoiselle de 
 Pardaillan and Mademoiselle de Souvigny are opening 
 their hearts to the holy truths of our faith ? To restore 
 them to those who are bred in the poison of heresy were 
 to endanger their eternal salvation. Politics and blood 
 must yield to religion." 
 
 "Mademoiselle de Souvigny a Catholic!" cried Ar- 
 mand-Louis. 
 
 "Mademoiselle de Pardaillan a Catholic!" added Ren- 
 aud. 
 
 He was about to say that this conversion mattered 
 little to him, who gloried in the fact that he was of Rom- 
 ish persuasion, when two officers appeared in the hall. 
 The groups of gentlemen retired and parted at their ap- 
 proach. 
 
 "The most striking sign of their conversion," added 
 the Duke of Friedland, "is that Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan and Mademoiselle de Souvigny have been af- 
 fianced with Count Pappenheim and Baron John of 
 Werth." 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud turned livid. Count Pap- 
 penheim and John of Werth were standing before them. 
 The bow of ribbon embroidered by Adrienne's hand hung 
 at the hilt of the baron's sword. 
 
 "What, you !" cried Armand-Louis to Count Pappen- 
 heim. 
 
 "I do not remember that I promised anything to the 
 Count of La Guerche in the regard of Mademoiselle de 
 Pardaillan," answered Count Pappenheim. "It is per- 
 haps well to recall that, at Prague, as well as at Vienna, 
 she is Countess of Mummelsberg, subject to His Majesty 
 the Emperor of Germany; and that, if it pleases the Em- 
 peror Ferdinand to grant me her hand, it pleases me to 
 accept it." 
 
 "Ah," murmured Armand-Louis, "you are always the 
 man of La Grande Fortelle."
 
 PROPOSITIONS AND PROVOCATIONS 149 
 
 Count Pappenheim's visage colored. The purple lines 
 of the crossed sabres stood revealed upon his brow. 
 
 "I believe you met this man at Magdebourg," he re- 
 plied, haughtily throwing back his head. 
 
 "Traitor!" roared Renaud. 
 
 A deadly pallor overspread the features of Count Pap- 
 penheim as he measured the Gaul with his glaring eyes. 
 
 "That word will cost life to either one of us," he said. 
 
 "Well, why do you tarry? You have your sword. 
 We've met often before this. If you hate me as I hate 
 you, you must burn with ardor to end this quarrel. Come 
 on!" 
 
 "I follow you," said Count Pappenheim advancing a 
 step. 
 
 "And I forbid you to leave this place," cried Wallen- 
 stein. "Who commands here? Who is the representa- 
 tive and delegate of the Emperor? If it please the Mar- 
 quis of Chaufontaine to forget his office, it suits me to 
 remind him that I am master at Nuremberg. Sheathe 
 your swords ! Count Pappenheim, Grand Marshal of the 
 Empire, you have a command which necesitates your 
 presence in the army and does not permit you, unless at 
 my order, to risk your life in single combat. You will do 
 as you see fit, if the chance of war sets you face to face 
 with your enemy on the field of battle. Until then, obey!" 
 
 Count Pappenheim, trembling with rage, rammed his 
 half-drawn sword into its scabbard. 
 
 Armand-Louis, noticing that Renaud did not do like- 
 wise, seized his comrade's arm. 
 
 "I can wait," he murmured, "be thou patient, also." 
 
 The Duke of Friedland cast his imperious glance over 
 the assembly. All were silent. Madame dTgomer smiled, 
 smiled. 
 
 "(Gentlemen," said the duke, "I believe the conference 
 is ended." 
 
 "My lord, is that all the answer you have to make?" 
 said Armand-Louis. "Remember, I speak in the name 
 of Gustavus Adolphus and I demand justice." 
 
 "Sir, 1 have nothing to add." 
 
 Armand-Louis s iluted Wall* nst< in and withdrew. As 
 he passed Count Pappenheim he said :
 
 150 PROPOSITIONS AND PROVOCATIONS 
 
 "You promised me on your honor to guard Made- 
 moiselle de Souvigny. Au revoir, count!" 
 
 "Au revoir, gentlemen," replied Count Pappenheim. 
 
 Meanwhile Madame d'Igomer kept smiling and flut- 
 tering her fan. John of Werth curled his mustache. He 
 alone had not spoken. 
 
 "I must see Captain Jacobus," he said to himself. "In 
 the interim I will send a messenger to my friend, Lord 
 Mattheus. I fancy that my two gentlemen will beat about 
 the country. They shall not take me unawares." 
 
 No words can express exactly the feelings that tortured 
 Renaud. The furtive glances which Armand-Louis cast 
 upon him told him how precisely his own fury and hate 
 were reflected and echoed. Unhappily their anger had 
 no vent ; their office and the haughty answer of Wallen- 
 stein did not allow them to seek the immediate reparation 
 of arms for the injury they suffered. They must bide 
 their time and stomach the outrage until the day when 
 their brave swords might be freely drawn. 
 
 "Don't talk to me of Pappenheim," said Renaud. 
 "Whether traveler or soldier 'tis always the same man."
 
 THE LITTLE HOUSE AT NUREMBERG 151 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE LITTLE HOUSE AT NUREMBERG. 
 
 That same evening, while Renaud was walking up and 
 down before the house, which had been assigned as their 
 dwelling, and as he vented his rage in various expletives, 
 a page approached and invited him with much discretion 
 to follow him. 
 
 "Whither dost thou wish to lead me?" asked Renaud, 
 who was not in a mood for adventures. 
 
 "To a place where you will not regret to have gone," 
 replied the page. 
 
 Carquefou, who was nearby, munching the wing of a 
 pheasant, lifted up his nose. 
 
 "Marquis," he said, " 'tis my mind that this is not a safe 
 country at sunset. Hereabouts they tell some awful talcs 
 of devils and hobgoblins with divers human rascals inter- 
 mixed. Stay at home." 
 
 "It concerns Mademoiselle de Pardaillan," the page 
 murmured close to Renaud's ear. 
 
 "What ! Why didst not speak sooner? Be off, I follow 
 thee." 
 
 Renaud ran rather than walked upon the heels of the 
 page, whom he drove thus more briskly. Carquefou 
 flung away his bone. 
 
 "I feel just like a good sleep," he said to himself. 
 
 He arose with a sigh and followed his master at a dis- 
 tance. Renaud never looked behind him. 
 
 Carquefou saw him go out of the city, dive into a hol- 
 low road, reach a coppice in whose midst an avenue 
 opened, then disappear suddenly behind the door of a 
 pavilion, hidden under a thick mass of foliage. 
 
 < arquefou took a turn about the building, scraping the 
 deadwood under his feet. No light could he see. Doors 
 and windows were hermetically scaled.
 
 152 THE LITTLE HOUSE AT NUREMBERG 
 
 "Humph !" murmured Carquefon, "this looks like the 
 house of a fairy or the abode of an ogre." 
 
 He leaned against a tree, facing the door by which his 
 master had entered the pavilion. Here he waited. 
 
 "At the slightest noise I begin the attack," he said to 
 himself in a low voice. 
 
 Meanwhile Renaud was ascending a dark staircase. 
 The page held his hand. He felt a carpet under his feet 
 which stifled his footfalls. His heart beat till he could 
 scarcely breathe. 
 
 "Diana! I shall see Diana!" he thought. A portiere 
 was drawn aside, and in a room dimly lighted he beheld 
 Madame d'Igomer. Renaud recoiled. 
 
 "You are afraid of a woman, then, marquis ?" she said. 
 
 "I believed that I was summoned in regard to Made- 
 moiselle de Pardaillan. This is treachery!" crieu Renaud. 
 
 "You have not been deceived. It concerns Made- 
 moiselle de Pardaillan. But I do not know that you have 
 been told you were to see her." 
 
 Madame d'Igomer trembled as she spoke. 
 
 Renaud had never seen her so pale and worn, not even 
 on the day he took his leave from her in St. Wast Castle. 
 
 This vindictive woman, who obeyed hate's every in- 
 spiration, seemed to have lost almost all her strength. 
 Her white robe revealed the heaving of her bosom. The 
 pallor of death veiled her forehead and cheeks. Never- 
 theless Renaud, while studying her, drew open one of 
 the folds of the portiere, as if about to retire. 
 
 "What do you fear?" asked Madame d'Igomer sweet- 
 ly. "Only a woman and a boy are here." 
 
 "But that woman is you," said Renaud. 
 
 "If you mean that the fate of Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan is in my hands, it is true. But it is for you to de- 
 cide whether she shall be free to-morrow." 
 
 "I am to decide! What must I do? All my life 
 blood—" 
 
 "You would shed for her, eh?" interrupted Madame 
 d'Igomer. "I know that. Why do you tell me it? You 
 take bad means to heal the wound which bleeds in my 
 heart." 
 
 Thecla fell exhausted into a chair. Her face was the
 
 THE LITTLE HOUSE AT NUREMBERG 153 
 
 color of snow. Tears of unfeigned suffering flowed from 
 her eyes. Renaud took her hands and felt them tremble 
 in his. 
 
 "If you wished it." he said, "you might have me spend 
 my whole life in blessing you." 
 
 "Listen," replied Madame d'Igomer. ''I fancied I was 
 much stronger than I am ; much more rooted in hate. I 
 have seen you and I know not what flame has suddenly 
 warmed this heart which has throbbed but once. What 
 shall I say? Do I not know the influence, the charm 
 that has conquered it? All this feeling that I had for- 
 gotten suddenly returns upon me. Long months of 
 mourning, tumultuous with the spirit of vengeance, are 
 obliterated: of all that I have suffered or dreamed, of my 
 tears of madness and despair, only you remain." 
 
 For a moment Thecla was silent. A mingling of as- 
 tonishment and sadness flooded Renaud's soul. He was 
 about to speak, but she anticipated him . 
 
 "Know me as I am," she continued. "Whatever you 
 will have me, I will be. I can no longer be your com- 
 panion in life, the proud wife to walk, leaning on your 
 arm. I shall be your servant, your slave. None will be 
 more devoted, more humble, more happy with the lot you 
 dole her. If you wish me to love Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan, I will love her. But do you love me, or if this 
 effort be impossible to you still, do not love her at all any 
 more and abandon this cursed idea of giving her your 
 name! Tell me, do you remember nothing of the past, 
 and am I too exacting in asking of you a little pity? Re- 
 call our words of whilom times. Ah, if you have lost the 
 memory of them, my sad heart still burns with it. You 
 do not know how deeply I loved you ! Alas, I did not 
 know myself. See what you have made of me, into what 
 an abyss I have fallen! Do you not owe something to 
 her whom yon have abandoned and who, if it were not 
 
 for you, perhaps . But I will nol reproach you. I 
 
 bless the evil day I nut yon, the day that saw me love 
 you. Of the happiness I tasted in the past 1 ask only the 
 shadow, the remembrance. At this price there Is nothing 
 you cannot obtain from me. Place your hand in mine.
 
 154 THE LITTLE HOUSE AT NUREMBERG 
 
 Swear that Mademoiselle de Pardaillan shall never be 
 Marquise de Chaufontaine, and my confidence will go 
 so far as to tell you : She is free !" 
 
 "But I love her!" cried Renaud. 
 
 "What!" exclaimed Madame d'Igomer. "You are in 
 
 my house. She is still captive. You dare hold, you 
 
 are very bold or else mad !" 
 
 "In turn, hear me, I pray you. What has she done to 
 you? Is she not entirely innocent?" 
 
 "Innocent? She who tore you from my arms!" 
 
 "Then punish me, but spare her. Has she not been 
 good and true to you? She is not yet twenty. Let not 
 her youth be drowned in tears !" 
 
 "Do you fancy that she has wept alone?" 
 
 "Ah, you are implacable. Neither beauty, innocenct 
 nor misery affect you. Why strike her, when I am here ? 
 What shame do you propose to me? Betray her when 
 she has said, 'I love you !' " 
 
 "Did not some one, named Renaud, say the same 
 words to me?" she almost shrieked. 
 
 This last cry was the last straw. Madame d'Igomer 
 had arisen. That expression he had seen in her face at 
 St. Wast had returned. Thecla showed not the slightest 
 trace of the emotion which had softened her a minute be- 
 fore. 
 
 Renaud went toward the door without answering. 
 
 "Then," said Madame d'Igomer, "you do not renounce 
 the hand of Mademoiselle de Pardaillan?" 
 
 "Never!" 
 
 "Then she shall renounce yours!" 
 
 Renaud turned as if to question her. 
 
 "Marquis, I do not detain you any longer," said 
 Madame d'Igomer, striking a bell and ordering the page 
 to reconduct Renaud. 
 
 "Now," murmured Madame d'Igomer, "I'll let Mat- 
 *heus Orlscopp do his will." 
 
 Renaud found Carquefou standing against the tree he 
 had selected as his post for observation. 
 
 "All goes wrong," he said in reply to Carquefou's in- 
 terrogative glance.
 
 THE LITTLE HOUSE AT NUREMBERG 155 
 
 "Sir," replied the honest philosopher, "while there's 
 life, there's hope." 
 
 Then understanding that his master was not in a talk- 
 ative mood, he wound his cloak about him and followed 
 in silence.
 
 156 FOUR. AGAINST ONE 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 FOUR AGAINST ONE. 
 
 The conditions of exchange had been ratified. There 
 was nothing to detain Armand-Louis and Renaud at 
 Nuremberg. They took leave of Wallenstein and rode 
 out of the camp. 
 
 Within arrow-shot of the moat they met a cavalier who 
 saluted them as he passed. It was Count Pappenheim. 
 He bore his cuirass and a great cloak. Before Armand- 
 Louis or Renaud had time to answer his salute the count 
 was far away. 
 
 "The bird of prey flies to the left — a bad sign," said 
 Carquefou. 
 
 "Even without considering that the country is full of 
 ambushes," murmured Rudiger. 
 
 Their route led through a wooded country, sewn with 
 gorges and solitudes of pine and birch trees. A low 
 wind blew the mass clouds wandering across the sky. 
 They thickened and they scattered Jn turn. Armand- 
 Louis and Renaud felt the influence of this melancholy 
 mood of nature. They meditated and did not converse. 
 
 Magnus was looking ahead one moment, behind the 
 next, now to the left, then to the right. 
 
 Rudiger on his side kept his eye on everything. 
 
 "If I die, which is probable," murmured Carquefou, "I 
 should not like to die in such weather or in such a coun- 
 try. I should be too cold." 
 
 This said he wrapped His cloak, which fluttered in the 
 north wind, closer about his thighs. 
 
 The fog ran along the heather; a flock of crows 
 streaked its gray mass in a sinister and heavy flight. 
 
 A cavalier passed like a phantom along the road, then
 
 FOUR AGAINST ONE 157 
 
 another, then a third ; then the three united in a group, 
 preceding Armand-Louis and Renaud by one hundred 
 paces. 
 
 Magnus cast his eves toward the end of a gorge his 
 little troop had just crossed. In the distance, almost in- 
 visible in the mist, three cavaliers appeared on foot. 
 
 "That makes six in all," he thought, "that's nothing." 
 
 Nevertheless he tried his pistols to see that they slipped 
 easily from their holsters. 
 
 Almost at the same moment, Rndiger who had tried his 
 weapons also, and was peering searchingly on every side, 
 observed on the right, in the plain, where grew a low 
 copsewood, three other cavaliers. 
 
 "Nine," said he, pointing them out to his neighbor. 
 
 Magnus quickly turned his eyes to the left, where a 
 small wood lay, along the border of which they were 
 passing. 
 
 Night was coming on quickly. Yet among the pale 
 trunks of the birches they distinguished three shadows, 
 which glided into the silent depths of the forest. 
 
 "That makes twelve," thought Magnus. This time he 
 primed his pistols, and, drawing his sword from the scab- 
 bard, let it hang naked in his hand. Rudigcr had taken 
 the same precaution. 
 
 Carquefou, who was watching them, imitated them 
 scrupulously. Then leaning over toward Magnus' ear he 
 asked : 
 
 "Why?" 
 
 Without saying a word Magnus pointed toward the 
 four points of the compass. 
 
 "('th!" exclaimed Carquefou. 
 
 "Remark," said Rudiger, "that they are approaching 
 us." 
 
 Magnus said nothing; but for himself he took note that 
 within the last minute each group had been augmented 
 by one man, making the whole number sixteen. 
 
 The next instant, the four men in advance turned 
 around ; those behind hurried forward. By a simultane- 
 ous movement the two troops on the right and left gal- 
 loped toward the road.
 
 158 FOUR AGAINST ONE 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud were caught between four 
 fires. 
 
 In this district where no inn, house, or cabin could be 
 seen as far as the eye could reach, two bunches of black 
 pines arose on either side of the road. 
 
 Magnus had struck Armand-Louis on the shoulder, 
 and Carquefou cautioned Renaud, when a cavalier sud- 
 denly issued from the pines. He held his head high, his 
 sword in his hand. 
 
 Carquefou gave utterance to a cry. 
 
 "I see, gentlemen," said the cavalier smiling and salut- 
 ing them with his sword, "that you have recognized Cap- 
 tain Jacobus." 
 
 "Ah, bandit!" roared Renaud. 
 
 "Now, ii it please you, let's settle our accounts." 
 
 But as Captain Jacobus raised his pistol to give the 
 signal of attack to the four bands, which were within 
 thirty paces of the gentlemen, a cavalier came bounding 
 along the road and putting a silver whistle to his lips sent 
 forth a shrill call. 
 
 A great clashing was heard in the thick of the fog and 
 the road was covered with cuirassiers, who, sabres 
 drawn, surrounded the assailants. 
 
 "Captain Jacobus, lower arms," said the cavalier. "1 
 am Count Pappenheim." 
 
 Captain Jacobus cast his astonished glances in all di- 
 rections and found his bands surrounded by a wall of 
 bronze. 
 
 He shoved his sword back into the scabbard. 
 
 "My lord," he said coolly, "you are the stronger, but 
 I very much fear that you've committed a blunder." 
 
 Count Pappenheim pointed toward Nuremberg. 
 
 Captain Jacobus reunited his men, the serried ranks of 
 the cuirassiers opened and the whole pack scurried away 
 like jackals who have heard the roaring of a lion. 
 
 The cuirassiers formed ranks behind Count Pappen- 
 heim and, riding at their head, he escorted Armand-Louis 
 and Renaud to the end of this dangerous road. At the 
 first streaks of dawn they saw a town, whose houses 
 speckled each side of the way.
 
 FOUR AGAINST ONE 159 
 
 "The Swedish army is before you, gentlemen." lie then 
 said, "and the armistice expires to-morrow." 
 
 As the two Gauls bowed, he added, addressing himself 
 to Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Are we not quits, now, count? The woods you have 
 just passed through, have they paid the debt of the camp 
 of Stettin? Has Count Pappenheim remembered Count 
 Eberart ?" 
 
 "Yes." replied Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Then, gentlemen, good luck to you. And, if it please 
 God we shall meet on the field of battle, there you shall 
 see that I forget nothing." 
 
 Count Pappenheim saluted the two gentlemen very 
 proudly with his hand, and, followed by his cuirassiers, 
 was soon lost in a cloud of dust. 
 
 "A strange man," said Renaud, looking after the sol- 
 dier as he rode away with his men. 
 
 "Truly a strange man," replied Armand-Louis, "in 
 him is to be found a mixture of all good and all bad Qual- 
 ities. The former are his by birth, the latter the result of 
 the events and the struggles of his life. He has the germ 
 of the best and highest virtues, the passion for glory, love 
 of country and religion, faithful beyond all proof to his 
 emperor and his flag, untamably brave. But all this is 
 envenomed and corrupted by a dangerous ambition, an 
 implacable pride, a contempt for men and a disdain for all 
 rights. Yesterday he rode through a city in Barnes and 
 made his horse pass over the corpses of ten thousand 
 Germans. What did it matter to him? They were only 
 rebels and Protestants. The same day he resolutely risks 
 his life for two women in a village, a prey to the drunken 
 pillage of an army. Yesterday he aspired unpityingly to 
 the hand of a noble woman, who repulsed him ; to-day he 
 s his rival. Circumstances have made him what he 
 is; ferocious, violent, capable of most terrible revenge, the 
 most savagr deeds. Then at times his soul awakens and 
 magnanimity dawns. The tree seems to be withered, but 
 it often drops ripe fruit." 
 
 "In faith," said Rcnnnd, "if \ ever kill him, I shall never 
 have killed a more valiant warrior."
 
 160 FOUR AGAINST ONE 
 
 On the very day the armistice expired Armand-Louis 
 and Renaud regained the army of the king. Immediately 
 Armand-Louis requested an audience with Gustavus 
 Adolphus. 
 
 A most audacious project had sprung up in his mind. 
 He had served the cause of Sweden. He believed he had 
 the right to serve his own now.
 
 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE 161 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE. 
 
 After having detailed to the king the result of the mis- 
 sion, which had been entrusted to him, Armand-Louis 
 asked His Majesty permission to speak of matters that 
 were of no importance save to himself. 
 
 "Speak, my dear count," said the king. 
 
 "Sire, do you think I have so far served the cause to 
 which you have devoted your arms, as to solicit a favor 
 from Your Majesty?" 
 
 "Colonel, you know that I have not hesitated to pro- 
 claim before the whole army how much Sweden owes to 
 
 ft 
 
 you. 
 
 "Then, Sire, as I one day asked you for five hundred 
 men to deal a final blow to the enemy, will you now per- 
 mit me to look in the army for one hundred volunteers 
 who will follow me whithersoever I may lead them ?" 
 
 "If you mean to be their leader, I fear they may go so 
 far that they will never return." 
 
 "It is quite possible. I must have soldiers who will re- 
 treat before nothing." 
 
 "This is a difficult undertaking, then?" 
 
 "So difficult, that it may well appear mad to any man 
 who does not see the happiness of his life entailed in it." 
 
 "Explain yourself." 
 
 "A faithful servant drew me out of the hands of the 
 Imperialists. Shall I do less for Mademoiselle de Souv- 
 igny than Magnus did for me? Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan is beside her, subject to the same slavery. Her 
 father weeps, my heart bleeds. M. de Chaufontaine and I 
 have sworn to liberate them." 
 
 "It is to Prague, in Bohemia, in the heart of the ene- 
 my's province s, I know not whither, you wish to go with 
 one hundred men ?" 
 
 "Yes, Sire. Honor is my law."
 
 i6a THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE 
 
 "Oh, I should have acted as you act in the past," cried 
 the king, seizing the hand of Armand-Louis. "Go then ! 
 I should think myself unworthy of my crown if I did not 
 say to you : Risk everything to rescue her whom you 
 love. But after the king, the friend will add : Be careful 
 to save the brave soldiers of Sweden. She has none too 
 many." 
 
 As Armand-Louis was taking leave of the king, the 
 door opened and the Duke of Lauenbourg entered. Ar- 
 mand-Louis stopped. 
 
 "Hostilities have recommenced," said Francis-Albert. 
 "Two Hungarian regiments, which reached the Imperial 
 camp yesterday, attacked a squadron of Finnish musket- 
 eers during the night. Two Italian regiments follow in 
 their train." 
 
 "Your information is very exact," said Armand-Louis 
 brusquely. "How did you get it?" 
 
 The duke who had not noticed Armand-Louis, turned 
 toward him now and reddened. As he spoke Armand- 
 Louis played with a chain of gold which hung at his belt. 
 The flashing of the pure metal attracted the attention of 
 the Duke of Lauenbourg, who was sore put for an answer. 
 
 "But you, Sir," he said at length with mingled anger 
 and haughtiness, "you who ask such fluent questions, can 
 you tell me whence you have this golden chain that glit- 
 ters on your doublet ? I have been looking for it for some 
 time." 
 
 "Does the chain belong to you?" asked Armand-Louis 
 quickly. 
 
 "It was stolen from me. By what strange chance does 
 it come to be in your hands ?" 
 
 "Ah, Sir, you have been searching for it for a long time, 
 you say. Well, I have been just as long seeking its 
 owner. Something tells me that there may be some rela- 
 tion, at least a whimsical one, between the accident by 
 which you lost it and a crime committed near the royal 
 residence some three years ago." 
 
 "What do you mean?" 
 
 "I mean that this chain, which is yours and claimed by 
 you so impudently, was found by me near Gothabourg, at 
 the door of the house from which Margaret Cabeliau had
 
 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCIIIv 163 
 
 just been abducted and where, an hour later, I met you, 
 my lord duke, for the first time." 
 
 "It must have slipped from my belt," stammered the 
 duke, turning pale. 
 
 '"Before the crime, then; because it was before the ab- 
 duction of Margaret Cabeliau that I found this chain on 
 the grass amid the hoof-prints of a horse — of your horse, 
 my lord duke." 
 
 For an instant the Duke of Lauenbourg wished to re- 
 turn the stare of Armand-Louis. But as he was van- 
 quished in this silent struggle he slowly lowered his eyes. 
 
 Armand-Louis then passed before him, saying in a con- 
 descending tune : 
 
 "Since the chain belongs to you, my lord duke, take it." 
 
 With a haughty gesture the Huguenot flung it at his 
 feet. 
 
 Armand-Louis approached the king and murmured: 
 "Sire, what do you think of this?" 
 
 Then believing that he had trod the worm in the dust, 
 he went away. 
 
 "Well?" asked the king turning suddenly upon the 
 Duke of Lauenbourg. 
 
 "If this man were not your guest I should have killed 
 him," cried the duke. 
 
 "It is not so easy to kill the Count of La Guerche," re- 
 turned the king. "But we are now concerned with this 
 chain and not with him." 
 
 The blow had been a terrific one, not less terrific than 
 unexpected. But the duke was alone and he knew that 
 Gustavus Adolphus loved him. He made a sudden sum- 
 mons on all his native audacity. 
 
 "It is true, the chain is mine and I lost it at the door of 
 the little White House," he cried. "Do not ask me what 
 I was doing there. Remember only that Margaret was 
 beautiful and I was young. All that could be done to 
 stifle a love which fills the heart I had done. My efforts 
 were in vain. Her image pursued me everywhere. Sire, 
 was it my fault that I met her before you did? When a 
 COTlfid< in''-, which I had not asked for, informed nie that I 
 had no longer the right to hope, you know not the an- 
 guish which tore my breast. I would have fled away, dis-
 
 1 64 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE 
 
 appeared to forget her who had become the soul of my 
 life. An invisible but mighty thread drew me back to the 
 places where she breathed and I drank the poison with 
 the bitter pleasure of a heart which nothing can disen- 
 thral of its love. Ah, a thousand times I felt that I was 
 dying. When you were at her side, I, drunk with despair, 
 prowled about her enchanted abode, which should have 
 been my kingdom, my paradise, had Margaret so willed. 
 My tears wet the grass as did the dew. She loved you 
 and I kissed the traces of her footsteps. One day this 
 chain fell. Ah, Sire, you were then with Margaret " 
 
 An emotion he could not master stole into the king's 
 heart. Could he who had felt love's full fever condemn a 
 man who had suffered all its anguish? Francis-Albert 
 knew Gustavus Adolphus too well not to guess at the 
 slightest outward sign the trend of his sentiments. He 
 felt that the best and cleverest defense was absolute frank- 
 ness ; and he resumed with an extraordinary vehemence : 
 
 "But if, Sire, you wish to have my whole confession, 
 then know all. What tempests in a bosom all burning 
 with a futile love ! Yes, I admit it, I thought to avenge 
 myself." 
 
 "You?" 
 
 "Indeed I did. A thousand terrible projects crossed 
 my mind. I knew not to which I should sacrifice the re- 
 mainder of a miserable life. In you I saw the sole cause 
 of all my suffering. It seemed that my greatest joy should 
 be to see you dying, abandoned by all. I sought a means 
 of appeasing my black grief in the sight of your ruin. Ah, 
 if I acknowledge these nightmares 'tis because my awak- 
 ening has dissipated them. I had not the strength and in 
 spite of myself, when I wished to carry out these sinister 
 dreams, I thought of the past and my cowardly heart 
 trembled." 
 
 Astonishment, anger, pity, all were pictured in the vis- 
 sage of the king. 
 
 Francis-Albert, who observed his mood even as he pre- 
 tended to abandon himself to the feverish flow of his con- 
 fession, soon went on : 
 
 "I did more. I visited your most implacable enemies. 
 I saw Count Pappenheim, I saw the Duke of Friedland,
 
 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE 165 
 
 as I saw also him, whose army your sword scattered on 
 the shores of the Lech. I was to march with them 
 against you and in the conflict seek you out and die — or 
 kill you. I heard your voice, a chill seized me, and this 
 sword which thirsted for your blood I surrender to you. 
 If it seems fit to you that I should die, strike!" 
 
 Francis-Albert had drawn his sword and gave it to 
 Gustavus Adolphus. 
 
 "Hut when you strike," he added, "at last do not forget 
 that perhaps you do not owe me so much misery in rec- 
 ompense for the past. My cheek is pale to-day though 
 my heart bleeds." 
 
 This allusion to the scene of their youth, which had not 
 been forgotten by Gustavus Adolphus, suddenly shook 
 the king. His open and loyal soul reached the highest 
 mercy as it understood all candor. The fearless confes- 
 sion of Francis-Albert had paved the way. What sus- 
 picion could live in presence of such an avowal ? 
 
 "Take back this sword," said the king holding his hand 
 out to him. "It is Gustavus Adolphus who gives it to you 
 and who asks you to keep it for Sweden." 
 
 Francis-Albert gave utterance to a cry and raised the 
 king's hand to his lips. But when he had gained the 
 door of the roval tent he shook the dust from his feet and 
 slapping his scabbard said between his teeth : 
 
 "Thou hast given it back! Woe betide thee!" 
 
 That same day Armand-Louis convoked a general as- 
 sembly of the dragoons of his company. A goodly num- 
 ber of them had fallen at Leipzig and on the shores of the 
 Lech ; but they had been replaced by other Huguenots 
 who had flocked hither from all parts of France with the 
 permission of Cardinal Richelieu. Never had a braver 
 body of youth gathered about a captain. No hall was 
 large enough to contain them all, so it was decided to 
 have the reunion on the border of a wood where lay a 
 quantity of fallen trees. These were the seats of the 
 dragoons. That the truce was at an end tilled the hearts 
 of these brave gentlemen with hope. The hour of perils 
 and battles was t<> be reborn. This n pose of a few days 
 
 irked even the least impatient among them. 
 "When do we sit in saddle?" asked one.
 
 i66 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE 
 
 "Do you remain with the king or do we follow Rhine- 
 grave Otto?" asked another. 
 
 ' "Whithersoever we go, let us be in the advance 
 guard !" said a third. 
 
 ' When calm had been almost restored, Armand-Louis 
 stood on the trunk of a felled Oak. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said he, "I have need of a hundred men 
 of will. I should have judged myself guilty of an insult 
 to the dragoons of France had I addressed myself to the 
 other corps of the Swedish army before submitting my 
 request to them. It is no longer your captain who speaks 
 to you. It is your brother in arms — a soldier. Therefore, 
 speak as you will, without fear. We are not concerned 
 with a matter of service." 
 
 "Will you lead the hundred men you need into battle?" 
 asked M. de Berail. 
 
 "I shall lead them all into the heart of Germany, into 
 the thick of the Austrian provinces, into the home of the 
 enemy." A thrill of joy animated the dragoons. 
 
 "Now we begin to understand," added M. d'Aigrefeu- 
 ille. "We may hope then to incur many dangers?" 
 
 "My friends," said Renaud, "the Count of La Guerche 
 has confided his project to me. Such is it that the half 
 of those who undertake the expedition have a chance of 
 never returning." 
 
 "Then there'll be a shower of blows to give and re- 
 ceive," cried a young cornet. 
 
 "And a tempest of pistol balls as well," added Renaud. 
 
 "Monsieur de Chaufontaine, you speak like a good 
 book," said M. de Berail. "If fate does not have me to 
 fall on the way, we'll talk about this little journey over a 
 pate of venison. Write me at the head of the list." 
 
 "And do you think I wish to remain here?" cried M. 
 d'Aigrefeuille. "If we don't risk our lives twenty times 
 I'll consider you a man of ill faith and we'll cut our own 
 throats. Have a care." 
 
 "Be easy on that score," replied Renaud, as he drew 
 from his pocket a memorandum on which he wrote the 
 names of the first two recruits. "The least that can hap- 
 pen you is to lose a leg or an arm." 
 
 "Put my name there also," cried the cornet.
 
 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE 167 
 
 "Do you think I will miss this pleasure party?" asked 
 a gentleman burning with ardor to win his spurs. 
 
 -Write M.de St.'l'aer." 
 
 -And M. d'Arrandes." 
 
 -M. de Volras." 
 
 "M. de Collonges." 
 
 Renaud's pen lagged; the cries crossed one another in 
 the lire of enlistment and grew more numerous. 
 
 "Oh, la, la!" cried Renaud, "my hands weary. We 
 need one hundred men of good will. Let those who have 
 a fancy to follow us have the goodness to pass to my 
 right. We will count them.'' 
 
 All the men rushed at one bound to the right of Ren- 
 aud. Not one remained on his left. 
 
 "Good!" cried Renaud, closing his book, "we won't 
 count." 
 
 "I maintain my rank," said M. de Berail, laughing, "by 
 right of age. Let the others draw lots." 
 
 "Let us draw lots," said M. d'Aigrefeuille, sadly. 
 
 A cornet placed his hat on a stone and each man 
 hastened to throw into it his name inscribed on a bit of 
 paper. The hat was half filled when M. de Collonges, 
 who was quite young, knocked it over with a blow of his 
 fist. 
 
 "We are stupid," he cried, "why draw lots? Let us all 
 go — the more the merrier, and if we're all killed there'll 
 be none left to be jealous." 
 
 "Truth sometimes comes from the mouth of a child," 
 said Renaud. "What thinkest thou, captain?" 
 
 "I think," replied Armand-Louis, "that the entire 
 squadron may pace whithersoever the company has made 
 a way." 
 
 "What's better still," continued Renaud, "the more 
 numerous we are the less we shall be remarked." 
 
 "There's a riddle I will not undertake to solve," said 
 M. de St. Paer. "The important thing to know is whether 
 you accept." 
 
 "I acc< pi !" cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 Every hat was thing in the air. They cried : 
 
 "Loner live the Count <>f La Guerchel Long live the
 
 168 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE 
 
 Marquis of Chaufontaine." They pressed around them, 
 embraced them.. It was a very explosion of joy. 
 
 "And now that, thanks to me, everybody is of accord," 
 said M. de Collonges, "may one with discretion ask 
 whither we are to go?" 
 
 "We are going to Bohemia," repeated Armand-Louis, 
 "and when we shall have reached there, this army of Wal- 
 lenstein will be between us and the Swedes." 
 
 "It could not be more clearly said. We shall be as 
 Daniel in the lion's den," said M. de Berail. 
 
 "With the distinction that Daniel was a prophet and we 
 are but poor sinners." 
 
 "So that we have some chance of being devoured by 
 lions." 
 
 "In faith," grunted M. d'Aigrefeuille, "I pity the im- 
 molators," and he clapped the heavy hilt of his sword. 
 
 "Now that we are in Bohemia," continued M. de Col- 
 longes, "what do we do there?" 
 
 "We seek out a stronghold called Drachenfeld Castle." 
 
 "Suppose we have found it. Then ?" 
 
 "Gentlemen," said Armand-Louis, "in this castle dwell 
 two ladies whom several of you have known ; Madem- 
 oiselle de Pardaillan and Mademoiselle de Souvigny. 
 They are kept captive ; both their faith and their hearts 
 are threatened. M. de Chaufontaine and I have sworn to 
 deliver them or lose our lives. But the swords of two 
 men, however devoted, cannot overcome all obstacles. 
 This is why I have made call upon your chivalry. We 
 will conquer together or perish together. As for me, gen- 
 tlemen, I swear to return with them or not to return at 
 all." 
 
 Three hundred swords suddenly flashed in the sun- 
 light and this valiant body of youth, exalted by one of 
 those bursts of enthusiasm which are the appanage of 
 noble hearts and generous natures, made oath to devote 
 their last drop of blood to the cause of Armand-Louis 
 and Renaud. 
 
 "When you give the signal to set out, we shall be 
 ready," said M. de Berail to Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Then, gentlemen," replied he ,smiling, "have your
 
 THE DRAGOONS OF LA Gl'ERCHE 169 
 
 horses saddled and bridled to-morrow. You have one 
 night left to say farewell to those you love." 
 
 Renaud was not the only one to whom Armand-Louis 
 had confided his project. As soon as Magnus was in- 
 formed of it, the old reiter, who held no enterprise, how- 
 ever dangerous, to be impossible, together with his com- 
 rade Rudiger, had set about beating the country with the 
 activity of ants. At the end of the day they returned with 
 three or four wagons loaded with a mass of Imperial uni- 
 forms, where, thanks to the skirmishes that were of daily 
 occurrence, these objects were not wanting. Carquefou, 
 who assisted at the unloading, opened wide his eyes at the 
 sight of so many cloaks, coats, mantles, doublets and 
 belts of the Austrian colors. There was enough to clothe 
 an army. 
 
 "Great Jove !" he exclaimed, "for whom are all these 
 things ?" 
 
 "For us," replied Magnus. 
 
 Armand-Louis. who appeared then, congratulated 
 Magnus and Rudiger on their excellent selection. 
 
 "\Ve must begin with a ruse," said Magnus. "Force 
 always comes soon enough." 
 
 "Always too soon," commented Carquefou, to whom 
 this odyssey into the country of the enemy seemed like a 
 defiance flung at Lucifer. 
 
 The disguise proposed by Magnus was in truth the only 
 means for crossing the lines of Wallenstein's army with- 
 out difficulty, or at least without too much danger. 
 Nevertheless it required some effort to convince certain 
 of the young gentlemen of this who could not bear the 
 thought of shielding their skins under the hated cockade. 
 They had never, they said, hidden either their names or 
 their faces. They wished no mask. 
 
 "Gentlemen," cried Magnus, impatiently, "why do you 
 not rather send word to the Duke of Friedland of the day 
 of your departure and the road you are taking?" 
 
 At length the punctilious ones < . ded and none thought 
 
 of anything save of preparations for the morrow. An ex- 
 
 •rdinary animation reigned in the Dragoons' quarters 
 
 during the whole night. Busy men came and went; 
 
 some groomed their horses or furbished their arms;
 
 170 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUERCHE 
 
 others wrote farewell letters; while furtive sighs made 
 their bosoms heave. The younger ones sang songs of 
 their distant fatherland; others knelt in remote corners 
 in prayer. Diverse though their occupations were, the 
 same fire shone in every visage. Not for anything in the 
 world would the soberest of them have renounced this 
 mad expedition. 
 
 The rumor had spread to the Swedish camp and with 
 it the fever. It was much feared that the most of these 
 braves who were to take saddle at the first streak of dawn 
 would never be seen again. But among the officers 
 grouped about the king, a goodly number would willingly 
 have joined them and none dreamed of dissuading them 
 from their undertaking. At the first sound of the morn- 
 ing trumpet all the troop was afoot, beside their steeds. 
 The whole army had gathered to assist at the setting out 
 of the La Guerche Dragoons to hail them with acclaim. 
 When they broke away, every hat flew in the air and a 
 chorus of a thousand cries echoed to heaven. 
 
 The sun shone radiantly, the sky was in holiday dress. 
 The three hundred dragoons rode proudly round the line 
 of the camp and drew up in battle array before the tent 
 of Gustavus Adolphus, who had come out to honor this 
 picked body of men. 
 
 He uncovered and three hundred swords sparkled in 
 the sun. 
 
 "Good luck and God guard you, gentlemen," cried the 
 king with emotion. 
 
 "God give us victory as he gives it to Gustavus Adol- 
 phus," answered the dragoons. 
 
 The king embraced Armand-Louis, the bugles sounded 
 and the troop rode, on, their horses' heads pointed south- 
 ward. Far away could be discerned the smoke of the 
 Austrian outposts. 
 
 Magnus rode ahead. He acted as guide and was seek- 
 ing to distinguish himself by leading the dragoons to 
 Drachenfeld Castle by the shortest route. 
 
 He had taken the broadest and most frequented road. 
 
 "If we do not wish to be seen," he said, "we must not 
 hide ourselves."
 
 THE DRAGOONS OF LA GUEROHE 171 
 
 "We are like the Argonauts who went in quest of the 
 golden fleece," cried M. de Collonges. 
 
 "With the difference that our golden fleece consists of 
 two golden heads," corrected M. de Berail. 
 
 "What a conquest it will be for us !" added M. de Saint- 
 Paer. 
 
 "We might also be compared to three hundred Persei 
 going forth to the rescue of two Andromedas," said M. 
 d'Arrandes. 
 
 "In faith, long live war!" cried M. tie Yolras gaily, "in 
 that alone is life." 
 
 "When there's not death in it," Carquefou murmured 
 low. 
 
 There was no dearth oi talk ; they laughed and made a 
 great commotion. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said Magnus, suddenly, "let us not talk- 
 too much French now. We are in the enemy's territory." 
 
 lie pointed out to the Huguenots a company of Croa- 
 tian cavalry driving a herd of cows before them across 
 the ford of a stream. 
 
 "The Rubicon is passed!" cried M. de Collonges, 
 whose joy was so great that he made his horse perform a 
 couple of pirouettes. 
 
 "Alas!" murmured Carquefou, and he sadly crossed 
 himself three times.
 
 172 A HALT IN THE SHADOW OF A WALL 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 A HALT IN THE SHADOW OF A WALL. 
 
 The squadron rode on bravely without meeting any ob- 
 stacle in a country mottled on all sides by the uniforms of 
 a hundred foreign soldiers. Hardly an hour passed that 
 they did not meet some of them. The most passed un- 
 questioning. When it chanced that a captain interro- 
 gated Magnus, who, with Rudiger, had taken the white 
 horse and clarion of a trumpeter, a reply was ever 
 promptly vouchsafed. Sometimes Armand-Louis, who 
 rode at the head of the cavaliers, was questioned. 
 
 One day they said they belonged to the army of Wal- 
 lenstein, and that they were going into garrison in a place 
 in Suabia. On the morrow, they were of the Pappenheim 
 regiments, marching toward the frontier of Bohemia 
 which was menaced by the Swedes. The next day, they 
 were in the service of Duke Charles of Lorraine and they 
 were making a flank march. According to the circum- 
 stances and the various officers they met, they were in 
 turn Italian, Spanish, Hungarian or Polish. 
 
 Day by day they steadily advanced. Each time they 
 broke in halt Carquefou sighed. 
 
 "We are as so many fishes with a hundred nets 
 stretched in their pool," he said ; "the weave is coming 
 closer together." 
 
 Honest Carquefou's unquietude was felt by the others, 
 but in an inverse sense. They looked upon it as a pil- 
 grimage, or a journey in search of new scenes. 
 
 Some of the gentlemen complained. "Marquis, you 
 have played upon our faith," said M. de Collonges to 
 Renaud. "Where are the dangers ? The battles?" 
 
 "Patience," replied Renaud, astonished to hear him- 
 self utter the word. 
 
 "You promised us a storm of sword blows," interposed 
 M. de Berail. "I am looking for it, but in vain."
 
 A HALT IN THB SHADOW OV A WALL 173 
 
 "Is Pappenheim a phantom?" asked M. d'Aigrefcuille. 
 "You promised to let us see him." 
 
 " Tis no longer an expedition, but a journey. We 
 should have carriages," cried M. de Saint-Paer. "With 
 a few violins and flutes we could give a ball," added M. 
 d'Arrandes. 
 
 Some scraps of this and similar conversations reached 
 the ears of Magnus. 
 
 "Gentlemen," he said, smiling, "don't be impatient. 
 Everything comes to him who waits. To go into this 
 country is nothing; to get out of it is everything. Mag- 
 nus has sung many songs which began with a burst of 
 laughter and ended with a De Profundis." 
 
 One morning he informed the dragoons that they had 
 crossed the borders of Bohemia. 
 
 "So well that we are in the heart of the place," said M. 
 de Collonges. 
 
 "You mean in the fire," said Carquefou, sadly. 
 
 "Now, gentlemen," continued Magnus, "I have but one 
 suggestion to make to you. Remember that a single im- 
 prudence means the death of all of us." 
 
 "Quite short, but clearly said," answered M. de Berail, 
 saluting him. 
 
 Rudiger, who knew Bohemia as a gardener knows his 
 garden, from the fact that he had served under Count 
 Thurn, was sent out as scout as soon as the troop reached 
 the vicinity of Drachenfeld. At a glance one could see 
 in him a man of the same race as Magnus, inured to all 
 hardships and ready even to risk his head on the cast of a 
 die. 
 
 The surprise of living in the company of men for whom 
 honor and devotion were more than mere words was as 
 great as was his desire to imitate them. He set out alone 
 on foot. He wore a forester's jacket and a fox-skin cap. 
 The dragoons laid their bivouac in a wood. 
 
 They waited for him to return until evening. Night 
 fell and he had not yet returned. Renaud was beginning 
 to suspect that Rudiger might have sold the secret of 
 their expedition t<> Madame d'Igomer, when he reap- 
 I ired. His head was low, his fort-head care-stricken. 
 
 "What Dews?" asked Armand-Louis.
 
 174 A HALT IN THE SHADOW OF A WALL 
 
 "The man of Ravennest is at Drachenfeld," answered 
 Rudiger. 
 
 "Mattheus Orlscopp?" 
 
 "He is in command of the castle." 
 
 "So much the better," cried Renaud. "This time I'll 
 hang him." 
 
 At daybreak they resumed their march. Armand- 
 Louis and Renaud, in unrecognizable disguise of beard 
 and hair, rode at the head of the band. Rudiger retained 
 his forester's dress. Magnus wore the costume of a char- 
 coal-burner. Carquefou was disguised as a raftsman. He 
 carried a pole with an iron hook, and wore great boots. 
 These three advanced on foot. At noon they beheld the 
 towers of a castle rising above the crest of a hill. 
 
 "Drachenfeld !" Rudiger explained tranquilly. 
 
 These three syllables sent a chill through the veins of 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud. Behind those formidable 
 walls breathed Adrienne and Diana. 
 
 "Now, gentlemen," said Magnus, "the siege begins." 
 
 Then at a rather slow gait he made his way toward the 
 postern of the castle. 
 
 Madame dTgomer had returned to Drachenfeld the day 
 after she had received Renaud in the pavilion at Nurem- 
 berg. From the first moment they looked at her on this 
 occasion the two young ladies understood that something 
 grave had occurred. 
 
 But they could learn nothing from her. With 
 Mattheus, Thecla was more frank. 
 
 "Redouble your vigilance." she said to him. "The 
 wolves know where the sheepfold is." 
 
 "Please God they'll come hither. My only fear is that 
 they may find the road too difficult," replied Mattheus. 
 
 "One would say you did not know them," added Mad- 
 ame dTgomer. 
 
 Meanwhile the days sped by and naught was discov- 
 ered that might justly the belief of Madame dTgomer. 
 The scouts sent by Mattheus in every direction saw no 
 man of suspicious appearance. Two or three of them had 
 met the La Guerche squadron. But they were consid- 
 ered merely as adventurers. 
 
 They had spoken with some of the dragoons ; but they
 
 A HALT IN THK SHADOW OF A WALL 175 
 
 had not thought it worth while to inform the governor of 
 the castle of their presence. 
 
 One morning a charcoal-burner appeared at the gate of 
 the castle and asked to speak to the steward. 
 
 '"In a valley, a short league from here," he explained, 
 "there's a troop of cavalry which would like to breakfast 
 here. They look like Poles or Spaniards, and seem to 
 have a great appetite. They took all they could find in 
 our cabins at a mouthful. I offered to go seek something 
 for them to eat. They are going to join the army. You'll 
 see whether 'tis worth the trouble to take them in. I 
 saw a big round purse in the belt of the leader. The 
 others have sabres and pistols. They swear they'll pay 
 for everything." 
 
 The steward went to Mattheus. Mattheus ordered five 
 or six lackeys to attend him and he rode out to find what 
 sort of men these might be who were Poles passing for 
 Spaniards. In the meantime Magnus took good care to 
 lose himself in the castle. While wearing a stupid air, 
 he ferreted into every corner. He saw many warriors, 
 but neither Adrienne nor Diana. 
 
 The steward who had been looking everywhere for him 
 found him lying on the rampart. At this the steward 
 frowned. 
 
 "Sir," began Magnus, "I believed you had forgotten 
 me. I've been beating about for an hour trying to find a 
 way out. Show me to the door, please. There's no 
 doubt but that the Spaniards will skin me alive if I don't 
 bring them an answer." 
 
 "An answer!" cried the steward, giving him a shove, 
 "they have it already. Begone, varlet !" 
 
 Magnus crossed the drawbridge- lightly. He reached 
 the bivouac juA as Mattheus was having it. 
 
 To insure safety, M. de Berail had taken command in 
 place of Armand-Louis. M. de Berail, who spoke Italian 
 and Spanish fluently, gave out that he was the captain of 
 a free company which was being Bent from Milan to the 
 army of Wallenstein. 
 
 Mattheus asked him some questions, less, perhaps, in 
 fear of a Burprise than by force of habit. M. de Berail
 
 176 A HALT IN THE SHADOW OF A WALL 
 
 had an apt and easy answer for everything. He enjoyed 
 the game. 
 
 "My entire troop is in need of rest," he said, finally. 
 "If I were assured of meat for my men and fodder for 
 their horses, I should like to remain here for a few days." 
 
 "You will have everything you need," replied Mattheus. 
 "In return, if I should have need of some soldiers for 
 work hereabouts, you will furnish them to me." 
 
 The governor and the captain separated, each en- 
 chanted with the ether. 
 
 "He would have looked fine hanging from that dead 
 branch," said Renaud as he watched Mattheus retire. 
 
 "Bah!" cried M. de Collonges. "The dead branch 
 won't leave its place." 
 
 On the return of Magnus a council was held. 
 
 "The camp is assured for eight days at least," said M. 
 de Berail. "That's a longer time than 'twill take to sack 
 the place." 
 
 "Above all, if we make the attack to-night," said M. de 
 Saint- Paer. "My sword is rusting in its scabbard." 
 
 "Thou who hast seen Drachenfeld," asked Armand- 
 Louis of Magnus, "what dost thou think of it?" 
 
 "An attack is impossible. There is a garrison of two 
 hundred men, not counting the lackeys. I saw nothing 
 but cannons, falconets and blunderbusses. The moats 
 are deep, the walls thick, the drawbridge provided with 
 harrows. Lions must yield place to foxes. We shall be 
 very wretched if we don't find a means of getting inside 
 of the fortress." 
 
 "Is it not the same here as it was at Ravennest?" asked 
 Carquefou, who pitched into a conversation whenever the 
 mood was on him. "Don't you know of some accommo- 
 dating underground path by which we could comfortably 
 glide into the cellars of Drachenfeld? I should have an 
 exceeding pleasure in surprising Lord Mattheus in bed 
 again." 
 
 "Alas, no," answered Magnus, shaking his gray head. 
 "There's neither a hole in the wall, a tunnel under the 
 towers, nor a cave in the rocks. But since I got in there 
 once, we'll all manage to do so." 
 
 While the dragoons consulted under the walls of the
 
 A HALT IN THE SHADOW OF A WALL 177 
 
 stronghold, the Franciscan monk and Madame de Lif- 
 fenbach, each in turn, left the two cousins no respite. 
 Prayers and admonitions followed each other. Despite 
 tluir patience and their good courage, their strength be- 
 gan to fail. They suffered fits of fever and hours of de- 
 pression in which they tied from each other's presence. 
 The thought that Armand-Louis and Rcnaud had for- 
 gotten them sometimes assailed their brain. They suf- 
 fered horrible tortures. They repelled this thought, but 
 it returned ever like those light and tenacious enemies 
 who harass a good knight. Again, they might be dead. 
 Tears followed to ease their anguish-torn hearts. 
 
 The prisoners of John of Wcrth and Count Pappen- 
 heim were meanwhile well remembered. These gentle 
 swains sent them flowers and gilded fruits in silver 
 baskets. With them the fair women should have riches, 
 honors, pleasures, rank, consideration — in a word, all 
 worldly goods that could be desired. If, on the con- 
 trary, the young ladies continued to repel them, solitude 
 should be their dole until their bright youth should be ex- 
 tinguished by the icy austerities of the cloister. They 
 must, therefore, have no illusions. To be sure, it was no 
 longer a question of marrying them by surprise and 
 against their will. The intervention of the Papal Legate 
 had delivered them from this peril. But the Duke of 
 Friedland having spoken after the legate, time was al- 
 lowed to them to reflect. It was a kind of novitiate. 
 They should not leave the castle, where a few pleasures 
 were arranged for them, except to be buried in a convent. 
 Inflexible as they were, they were their own executioners 
 and could blame none but themselves for the lot which 
 was reserved for them. 
 
 These discourses were served under all forms. The 
 Franciscan monk gave them commentaries in a horrid 
 voice. Madame de Liffenbach spoke with an air of au- 
 thority. It was hoped that the two cousins would be- 
 come wearied ; that fatigue and disenchantment should 
 had them to a capitulation that would accomplish all the 
 prayers of Madame d'Igomer. The tatter's patient wait- 
 ing was recompensed by the enduring pleasure of the 
 moral suffering she was inflicting on the two captives.
 
 178 A HALT IN THE SHADOW OF A WALL 
 
 The suspense, anxiety, the torment of knowing naught 
 and fearing all, the daily persecution, the incertitude in- 
 creasing day by day, the silence which gives access to 
 chimeras, homesickness, imprisonment in a castle where 
 everything speaks of what is hateful to one, monotonous 
 days of threatening, pleasures offered by hated hands and 
 to which they had to resign themselves in the midst of 
 inimical faces, the imagination a prey to every wild dream 
 and half maddened by the sweet daily exhortations, which 
 produced on the irritated minds of the prisoners the cruel, 
 intolerable sensation of a drop of water ceaselessly falling 
 on the aching forehead of a sick person — all this was 
 equal to the corporal barbarities which Mattheus had in- 
 flicted on Armand-Louis and Renaud. 
 
 The delicate, nervous woman proved herself the peer of 
 the brutal and ferocious men. He aimed at the flesh ; she 
 at the heart. 
 
 "If Mademoiselle de Pardaillan and Mademoiselle de 
 Souvigny should die now," Madame d'Igomer said, "it 
 will not be my fault. I have not laid a hand on them nor 
 have I allowed anyone else to do so." 
 
 The very day on which the squadron of Armand-Louis 
 lay in bivouac under the cannons of the castle, Madame 
 d'Igomer entered the apartment of the two cousins. 
 
 "Good news," she said gaily, "John of Werth is soon 
 going to pay us a visit. He cannot live any longer with- 
 out you, dear Adrienne. When Count Pappenheim 
 learns that the Bavarian is here, I am sure that he will 
 desert to fling himself at the feet of his beloved Diana. 
 Make yourselves beautiful to receive them." 
 
 Adrienne and Diana at once made a resolve to wear 
 only their simplest clothes. But when they awoke in the 
 morning all their linen and woollens had disappeared. 
 In their stead they had but to choose between silks, laces 
 and velvets scattered in profusion about the room. 
 
 "Ah, my pretty coquettes," said Madame d'Igomer, 
 clapping her hands when she saw them in their gorgeous 
 attire, "you have not lost a minute !" 
 
 Touched by this example of feminine zeal, Madame 
 d'Igomer confided to them that she proposed to celebrate
 
 A HALT IN THE SHADOW OF A WALL 179 
 
 the arrival of John of Worth by magnificent entertain- 
 ments. 
 
 "You will be the Queen of the Fetes,'* she said to Ad- 
 rienne. Then turning toward Diana, she added sooth- 
 ingly : "Be not jealous, my dear Diana, your turn will 
 eome later."
 
 180 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 WHAT WOMAN WILLS. 
 
 A kind of intimacy had sprung up between the castle 
 governed by Mattheus and the wood in which the dra- 
 goons were encamped. Magnus profited of this to fre- 
 quent the walls of Drachenfeld, whose every nook and 
 cranny was soon familiar to him. He changed his guise 
 more easMy and quickly than a chameleon. Now a char- 
 coal-burner, now a porter, he avoided all suspicion. On 
 one occasion he yielded to the request of Armand-Louis 
 and crossed the portcullis of the castle in company with 
 his master disguised as a pilgrim. 
 
 At the stroke of one they saw a door at the end of a 
 gallery open, whence appeared a little band which moved 
 toward the chapel. It was raining that day and Madame 
 d'Igomer felt a need of prayer. Behind the stiff and 
 pompous Madame de Liffenbach came the two young 
 ladies, wearing long veils of lace, embroidered with gold, 
 which hid the elegance of their robes. But what a pale- 
 ness marked their brows ! They looked as two statues 
 torn from the marble of a tomb. Picture Armand-Louis 
 as he recognized x\drienne and Diana ! 
 
 A cry almost broke from his lips. Magnus, who was 
 kneeling at his side, seized his arm. 
 
 "Not a word, a stir," murmured the veteran, "or you 
 will lose all." 
 
 Armand-Louis restrained himself, though he shook 
 like a tree in a storm. 
 
 "Stretch out your hand," whispered Magnus, "are you 
 not a pilgrim and should you not ask alms." 
 
 The band passed close to them. The skirt of Adrienne 
 swept the pilgrim's gown. Unable to master his emo- 
 tions, Armand-Louis bore the rich waving stuff to his 
 lips. Adrienne slackened her steps and letting fall a piece
 
 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 1S1 
 
 of money into the hands of the unknown beggar, she 
 said : 
 
 "Pray for me I" 
 
 The voice was so sad that the eyes of the Huguenot 
 filled with tears. 
 
 "Bend low," murmured the ever-watchful Magnus, 
 "here comes Lord Mattheus." 
 
 The knees of Arniand-Louis remained nailed, as it 
 were, to the floor, but when he stood up the flames of an- 
 ger and daring flooded his countenance. 
 
 "I leave my heart in this place or I save her," he swore. 
 
 On the fourth morning after the arrival of the dragoons 
 the trumpets sounded anew in the wood. A squadron of 
 Croatians was passing. These troops had marched over 
 the whole of Austria to gain the theatre of war. They 
 halted to repose after the fatigues of their long travel. 
 Some of the Huguenot gentlemen paid them a visit. 
 
 "Gentlemen, let us rejoice," said M. de Collonges, when 
 he returned that evening, enchanted with his excursion. 
 "We shall play a little before fighting. Everything went 
 so well during our visit that we have had the good fortune 
 to arrange four or five duels for to-morow. This is the 
 sowing of the seed." 
 
 "We'll reap the harvest," cried M. d'Aigrefeuille de- 
 lightedly. 
 
 The promised duels took place at the rising k of the sun 
 in a glade at an equal distance from either camp. Two 
 of the Croatians were killed and a third grievously 
 wounded. M. de Yoltras sustained a scratch on the 
 arm. 
 
 By careful management the Croatian squadron might 
 last fifteen days. 
 
 "Then we'll have to fast," said M. de Saint- Paer. 
 
 While the dragoons were beguiling their tedious so- 
 journ in the wood, Magnus had discovered a young and 
 pretty gypsy who came and went unmolested in the cas- 
 tle. She belonged to a tribe whose tents jutted from the 
 foot of a hill not far from Drachenfeld. She seemed to 
 about sixteen years old. She was mel at all hours on 
 the postern path with her tambourine. It was rare that
 
 182 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 
 
 some of the officers did not watch her as she issued from 
 the gate. 
 
 Magnus persuaded a few women and lackeys into con- 
 versation. He learned that the gypsy frequently saw Ad- 
 rienne and Diana, who seemed to feel a friendship for her. 
 She danced and told them tales. One of the governor's 
 lieutenants, Patricio Bempo, found her very much to his 
 taste. 
 
 "Perhaps the road to the castle lies there," Magnus 
 thought, scratching his ear. "If we get the gypsy, we 
 will have Patricio Bempo, and if we get Patricio, we will 
 have Drachenfeld." 
 
 In his turn by apparent accident he haunted the little 
 savage, who smiled and showed her flawless white teeth 
 whenever Patricio Bempo spoke to her. What surprised 
 Magnus was that when the gypsy fixed her coal-black 
 eyes upon himself, there was a significant something in 
 her look which he could not understand. He fancied he 
 had seen this face somewhere before now. But despite 
 his efforts he could not remember where. 
 
 "I have seen so many faces, young and old, glad and 
 sorrowful, pretty and ugly — a whole ocean of them," he 
 said to himself. 
 
 One evening he found her alone on the edge of the 
 forest, running like a fawn. He accosted her resolutely. 
 She stopped suddenly. 
 
 "Will it please you, my child," he said, "to render a 
 service to a gentleman who will be happy to pass a neck- 
 lace of a hundred gold ducats about your pretty throat? 
 Gold like this ring, which will fit your finger so well." 
 
 The gypsy did not even look at the ring which Magnus 
 had just drawn from his pocket. 
 
 "In your turn," she replied, "will it please you to lead 
 me to this gentleman ? When I shall have seen him, per- 
 haps I will be more disposed to perform whatever he may 
 need of me." 
 
 Magnus hesitated. 
 
 "The Spanish camp is not far away," she added smil- 
 ing. "Go thither, I follow you." 
 
 But she rather preceded than followed him. Magnus 
 kept close to her, and studied her from the corner of his
 
 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 183 
 
 eye. In the depths of his memory he recalled a face much 
 resembling hers, as one sees, but does not grasp the traits 
 of a countenance reflected in the water of a fountain. The 
 gypsy hastened onward. She bounded like a deer through 
 the forest. After a quarter of an hour, without having 
 looked back once, she reached the camp, and standing 
 upon a hillock, she cast an inquiring gaze over it. 
 
 "Why do you seek a cavalier you do not know?" Mag- 
 nus asked her. 
 
 "Who has said I do not know him? Besides, you for- 
 get that I belong to a race that possesses the gift of sec- 
 ond sight.*' 
 
 A group of dragoons stood at the edge of the camp. 
 The gj psy went rapidly thither and approached a cavalier 
 who was seated on the trunk of a fallen birch. 
 
 "Count of La Guerche," she asked quietly, "what can I 
 do for you?'' 
 
 Armand-Louis trembled. Magnus seized the gypsy by 
 the arm. 
 
 "Thou knowest things," he murmured, "that it is not 
 well to know." 
 
 "If you no longer remember Yerta," she continued, 
 keeping her gaze upon Armand-Louis, and not seeking to 
 free herself from the veteran's grasp, "Yerta has forgotten 
 nothing." 
 
 "Yerta! 'Tis thou, little Yerta!" cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Myself! If you have passed close to me without rec- 
 ognizing me, my eyes and heart at once divined who you 
 wire." 
 
 "Then this is why I always saw this dark glance in 
 spirit." said Magnus, releasing her, "but if you knew us 
 so well why did you not discover yourself?" 
 
 "The Count of La Guerche wore a dress that did not 
 
 belong to him. His disguise and yours might deceive all 
 
 ccept those of a gypsy. I thought that you did not 
 
 wish to be known, and I acted as though I did not see 
 
 -." 
 
 "A child with the heart of a man !" murmured Magnus. 
 
 "I have the hear! of a woman who dors not forget. If 
 you have need of Yerta now-. Yerta is yours." 
 
 She crossed her arms on her bosom and waited.
 
 184 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 
 
 "Well, Yerta," cried Armand-Louis, "thou canst pay a 
 hundred fold in one day what I did for you." 
 
 "Command; I obey." 
 
 "Thou enterest and leavest Drachenfeld Castle freely?" 
 
 "As freely as a bird flies in the forest." 
 
 "Thou must have seen two young ladies within there — 
 iwo prisoners." 
 
 "I have seen them. One laughs sometimes, the other 
 prays. Both are beautiful as morning." 
 
 "Yerta, thou must help me save them." 
 
 "The tongue speaks of two young lad ; es ; but the heart 
 thinks only of one. She is fair, with eyes bluer and 
 sweeter than heaven, sadder than night. She prays much 
 and her name is Adrienne." 
 
 "What ! Thou knowest " 
 
 "In your tent on the battlefield of Leipzig there hung 
 a medallion between two swords. When I saw a woman 
 at Drachenfeld, whose features resembled those painted 
 on the medallion, I felt that some day you would come 
 and that is why I waited." 
 
 "Good, Yerta !" 
 
 "She for whom you have risked a thousand deaths is 
 not ungrateful. Had I not known it, I would have 
 guessed it from her sadness. Alas, they whose hearts are 
 captured are not gay." 
 
 A sigh swelled Yerta's bosom ; then she glanced 
 toward the wood, saying : 
 
 "Now that you are here, let me know what I must do 
 and I will do it." 
 
 "Couldst thou not, if only for an hour, lead us into the 
 castle?" asked Magnus. "Couldst thou manage to have 
 the postern left open some evening? I think it is not 
 always closed." 
 
 "Yes," answered Yerta, blushing, "sometimes a man 
 comes out of there in the steps of a Tzigane, whose 
 thoughts are elsewhere. He is in love, therefore he is 
 blind. If I wish it, the postern will be left open." 
 
 "Then Adrienne is saved," cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 A shadow darkened Yerta's visage.
 
 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 18s 
 
 "There's a man I will deceive," continued the gypsy 
 with an effort. 
 
 "Patricio Bempo?" suggested Magnus. 
 
 "Yes, Patricio Bempo. If blood must flow, you will 
 save his life?" 
 
 "I swear it to thee," replied Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Take back this jewel," said Yerta, taking off the ring 
 Magnus had slipped on her finger. "Between us there 
 must be neither gold nor silver. I will see Patricio 
 Bempo this evening." 
 
 "A word," cried Armand-Louis, retaining her as she 
 withdrew. "If through thee I am to save Adrienne, and 
 my life shall not be long enough to bless you for it, try 
 to see her. Tell her that friends are near, and that she 
 is to be ready to follow us when the hour of deliverance 
 strikes." 
 
 Yerta seemed to reflect for a moment. She was no 
 longer the girl Armand-Louis had seen, her face stained 
 with blood, and pale and haggard as death. She was a 
 woman now in all the glory of a wildflower beauty, proud 
 and sad, a brow of rare intelligence, a glance of fire. 
 
 "Three days from now," she continued at length, "at 
 the first hour of evening, be before the postern of the 
 castle, behind the thick curtain of oak trees that stands 
 there. I will have the key and a light burning in the 
 highest window of the tower you see yonder toward the 
 setting sun, will tell you that she whom you love sleeps 
 not, but waits." 
 
 Yerta then dove in the wood, while the glances of Ar- 
 mand-Louis followed her steps. Soon the slight silhouette 
 of the gypsy maiden disappeared, and they could not 
 longer hear the sound of her tread on dead leaves. Two 
 tears were silently coursing down her cheeks. 
 
 "Does this fair prisoner know how happy she is?" she 
 I as though the words « -'aped her lips unwittingly. 
 
 Then lowering her head she hastened along the path 
 which led to the castle. 
 
 A moment later she was to be seen in a gallery where 
 Madame d'Igomcr loved to assemble the people of the 
 neighborhood, to whom her hospitable heart offered en- 
 • - linment. Yerta sounded her tambourine and halt :d
 
 i86 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 
 
 before each group. But her eye, quick as a bird's, was 
 seeking a certain face. Finally a door was opened and 
 Adrienne appeared. 
 
 "Last always, and last to be best admired," said the 
 baroness, advancing towards Adrienne. 
 
 But Yerta was before her, and placing her finger on the 
 arm of the young woman, she said : 
 
 "The morning follows night. The nightingale sings 
 after the storm. In your features I read that before a 
 year shall have passed you will be wedded to a young and 
 mighty lord, whom you love " 
 
 "And who will soon be here, is it not so?" suggested 
 Madame d'Igomer, who was thinking of John of Werth. 
 
 "Yes, he will be here soon. As you I know it, as you I 
 see him." 
 
 Adrienne quickly withdrew her arm. 
 
 "Do you not wish me to tell you his name?" asked 
 Yerta. 
 
 "Since fate protects you, let fate speak, my darling," 
 said the baroness, who moved away after casting a sig- 
 nificent glance upon the Tzigane. 
 
 Yerta had seized Adrienne's arm again. 
 
 "Armand-Louis !" she whispered. 
 
 Adrienne trembled from head to foot. 
 
 "They are watching us," continued the gypsy coolly, 
 pretending to examine the lines in Adrienne's hand. "Do 
 not tremble. Try to smile. I have seen him. He is near. 
 He will deliver you. Be ready at the first signal. Leave 
 your lamp lighted, and if at night you hear me sing, let 
 your door remain open. Somebody will not be far away. 
 For the present make Madame d'Igomer believe that you 
 are resigned. You can well suffer a little for him who 
 loves you so much." 
 
 Yerta let fall Adrienne's hand, and brushing her thumb 
 against the sonorous skin of her tambourine, she softly 
 sang: 
 
 "I love," says the silvery moon, 
 
 Bathing in cloudy fleece. 
 "I love," say the jaded flowers, 
 
 Dragged 
 By the careless brook.
 
 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 187 
 
 The tambourine snorted while she shook its copper 
 rings, and Ycrta continued, as she threw a furtive glance 
 on Fatricio Bempo, who devoured her with his eyes : 
 
 "I love," said the wave to the moon, 
 
 Under the dune 
 On which mounts its mighty surge. 
 
 "I love," says the bird who clucks 
 
 Under the moss 
 Amid the yellow corn. 
 
 "Well?" asked Madame d'lgomer, as she dropped a 
 gold coin into Yerta's hand. 
 
 "Well," replied Adrienne, "one must resign oneself to 
 one's lot." 
 
 Madame d'lgomer kissed her brow. 
 
 Yerta had just disappeared ; but she had not left the 
 gallery alone. Patricio Bempo followed her. lie saw her 
 stop at the edge of a ditch and fling into it the piece of 
 gold which the baroness had given her. As the glittering 
 coin sank into the greenish water she rubbed her hands 
 together in a convulsive movement of anger and disgust. 
 
 "Ah, the words I have just heard, the words your song 
 repeats ever, will you always say them alone?" cried Pa- 
 tricio Bempo. 
 
 "And why should I say them," asked Yerta, looking at 
 him fixedly, "to him who does nothing to merit them ?" 
 
 "What have you demanded of me which permits you 
 to speak thus? Have I not offered to do everything?" 
 
 "Yes; everything I did not wish to accept." 
 
 She moved away from the ramparts. Patricio walked 
 beside her, ravished with her beauty. 
 
 "Command me, then," he cried. 
 
 "Words, mere words," interrupted Yerta. "Others have 
 offered me gold, jewels, robes to make duchesses envious, 
 in fine, all that the sword >>f a soldier can conquer. None 
 has said to me, 'Here is my heart, my life. I,< t all perish, 
 I am yovUTS.' " 
 
 "Do •' U not know that I am all yours? That I " 
 
 ' her little finger over Patricio's mouth, and 
 fixing her soft-flamrd eyes upon him, added:
 
 1 88 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 
 
 "No more promises ! If I ask you two things, I wager 
 you will refuse them to me." 
 
 "I ? Speak," said the lieutenant of Mattheus, whose lips 
 clung to that dainty hand. 
 
 "Two things. Only two. The key of the little door 
 which pierces the foot of the ramparts " 
 
 "Of the door whose charge is mine?" 
 
 "Moreover, the countersign, which permits entrance 
 though ten sentinels, with musket in hand, were posted 
 along the wall." 
 
 "The countersign also? But you ask me my life with 
 it, my honor of a soldier !" 
 
 "Do you fear to trust me with them?" Yerta asked half 
 closing her dark eyes. 
 
 "Everything is yours, Yerta, except this." 
 
 "What did I tell you? Let's speak no more of it. You 
 are like the others. A sorry love that which can give 
 nothing. Farewell, Patricio!" 
 
 Yerta took a few steps toward the forest. Patricio fol- 
 lowed her still, but she took no notice of him. 
 
 "But why do you want this key and the countersign?" 
 he asked. 
 
 "Why?" asked Yerta, slackening her pace. "I was 
 dreaming. I fancied that with this key one might enter 
 Drachenfeld, without being seen, at nightfall. The door 
 open, with the countersign, one might pass unknown and 
 unquestioned before the sentinels. In the morning one 
 might escape as a bird from its nest, and my tribesfolk 
 would not know that the gypsy maiden had deserted her 
 tent." 
 
 "Yerta, is it true ? You promise me?" 
 
 "I promise nothing. But like the swallow I come and 
 go. A chance may lead me to the foot of the walls, a 
 chance may cause me to seek the door. But why open it, 
 when behind this impenetrable iron and wood there is 
 hidden a captain prudent as a hare and suspicious as an 
 eel? Ah, Patricio Bempo, you are like a fire that from 
 afar blazes brilliantly. One runs toward it, and reaches it 
 to find only ashes."
 
 WHAT WOMAN WILLS 189 
 
 "Yerta," cried the conquered Patricio, "here's the 
 
 key!" 
 
 "The key ; 'tis well. But the countersign ?"' 
 
 Patricio heaved a great and violent sigh. Falling at the 
 
 Tzigane's feet and hiding his head between her hands, he 
 
 murmured : 
 
 "Dux et imperator!"
 
 i 9 o THE POSTERN OF DRACHENFElvD 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE POSTERN OF DRACHENFELD. 
 
 On the morrow at evening's first sign, Armand-Louis, 
 who in the depths of the forest never let his eyes wander 
 from Drachenfeld, noticed a light as of a star, shining at 
 the top of a stunted tower in which dwelt Adrienne. 
 
 "Look !" he said to Magnus. 
 
 "The gypsy maiden has lost no time," replied Magnus. 
 
 They notified Renaud of their discovery, and the 
 dragoons were informed that they might have to strike 
 camp during the night. 
 
 "So much the better," said M. de Collonges. "I am 
 weary of killing Croatians." 
 
 Shortly afterward, a band of Huguenots, at whose head 
 were Armand-Louis, Renaud, Magnus, Carquefou and 
 Rudiger, stole up to the edge of the wood. A little 
 distance behind them a few of the dragoons held horses 
 ready saddled and bridled. M. d'Aigrefeuille was in 
 charge of the latter company. He had received orders to 
 advance at the first noise or cry that should be raised. 
 
 The rest of the troop lay flat in the undergrowth, be- 
 hind the hedge, so that they could see everything that 
 passed without being seen themselves. Somewhat for- 
 ward and protected by a knoll lay Armand-Louis and 
 Renaud with their three servitors. The night was clear 
 and calm. 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud had been at their post 
 scarcely a quarter of an hour, when their ears caught 
 the sound of light footsteps. A woman was passing
 
 THE POSTERN OF DRACHENFELD l9 i 
 
 within a few yards of them. She wore a long cloak and 
 was hurrying toward the castle. 
 
 "Yerta!" Magnus whispered to Armand-Louis. 
 
 The gypsy maiden vanished in the black shadow of the 
 castle walls. Behind her followed Magnus and Carquefou. 
 gliding like serpents toward the bank of the wood. Ru- 
 diger kept watch not far distant. 
 
 Lying quite near and holding breath, Armand-Louis 
 and Renaud scanned the postern, which looked like a 
 great round black spot on the base of the wall. 
 
 Here Yerta paused for a second, slipped the key into 
 the hole and opened the little door. 
 
 Perhaps she was not going to close it when a sentinel 
 advanced upon her. 
 
 "Dux !" she cried huskily. 
 
 "Et imperator!" replied the sentry. 
 
 Yerta pushed the door back on its iron hinges and en- 
 tered into the vault. 
 
 Patricio Bempo had heard all, the furtive step of Yerta, 
 the muffled groan of the door on its hinges, and the chal- 
 lenge and countersign. 
 
 "She! It is she!" he said. 
 
 Yerta was soon at the head of the spiral staircase which 
 led to the apartment of Patricio. He leaped across the 
 threshold, darted through the room and opened the win- 
 dow on the balcony. 
 
 Patricio was following her with outstretched arms. The 
 Tzigane was horribly pale. Her glittering eyes scanned 
 the sombre and silent forest, the glades, the moats, where 
 vague forms were barely distinguishable. They looked 
 like the fallen trunks of trees. In the stunted tower a 
 lamp-flame trembled. She leaned over the balustrade. 
 From the foot of the wall arose the sound of a piece of 
 nutal against a pebble. 
 
 "What is that?" asked Patricio. 
 
 "The gold bracelet I had on my arm has fallen," an- 
 swered Yerta. 
 
 Patricio took her in his arms and tried to lead her 
 within the room. 
 
 "No," murmured Yerta, holding him tenderly. "The 
 air is good here."
 
 192 THE POSTERN OF DRACHENFELD 
 
 Then she laid her head on Patricio's shoulder, and in 
 a trembling voice began to sing : 
 
 "I love," says the black nightfly 
 
 To the breath 
 Which weeps in the reeds, 
 "I love," says the wave superb 
 
 To the bit of grass 
 That quivers in the depths of the waters. 
 
 The soft night breeze bore the sound of her voice 
 through the air; the light still trembled behind the nar- 
 row window of the tower, and Yerta, whom Patricio 
 gazed upon enraptured, continued her song: 
 
 "I love," says the wind that passes 
 Through space 
 Where glows the great sun. 
 "I love," says the autumn flower 
 
 Which shivers 
 At the kisses of the purple eve. 
 
 A shadow passed before the window where the solitary 
 lamp shone, and the gravel crunched furtively at the foot 
 of the wall. 
 
 "Some one walks below," whispered Patricio, leaning 
 over the balcony. 
 
 "You hear the tread of a stag in the wood, and you no 
 longer see Yerta who is at your side," murmured the 
 gypsy. 
 
 Patricio felt the fire of a kiss upon his cheek, and 
 trembling he seized her in his arms. 
 
 "Ah," she whispered, "it will no longer be said that I 
 do not love." 
 
 Her cheeks were instantly flooded with tears. 
 
 Magnus meanwhile had slowly and noiselessly as a 
 lizard approached the postern. He had picked up the 
 key which Yerta had dropped from above, and slid into 
 the hole. This done, Armand-Louis wished to pass in the 
 first. 
 
 "No," said Magnus. "Let me go first. There may be a 
 poignard behind this door, and the blow that strikes you 
 will strike Mademoiselle de Souvigny as well."
 
 THE TOSTERN OF DRACHENFELD 193 
 
 "Dux!" cried a sentinel who suddenly appeared at the 
 loophole. 
 
 "Et imperator!" replied Armand-Louis. 
 
 The sentry shouldered his musket, and they entered. 
 A sentry was pacing up and down in the sombre hall, 
 which was poorly lighted by a lamp hung from the roof. 
 This one challenged them with the same word ; the same 
 reply was returned to him. 
 
 He had counted four men ; at the fifth he frowned. 
 
 "Does the governor of the castle know you are here?" 
 he asked. 
 
 The Pole nodded in assent and allowed his companions 
 to enter. 
 
 The postern remained open. 
 
 "Comrade," said the sentinel as Magnus and his three 
 companions passed into the vault, "do you not close the 
 door?" 
 
 "Others are coming," replied Rudiger, who had quiet- 
 ly seated himself on a stone bench. 
 
 "More? Then if more come they must give the counter- 
 sign. The door must not remain open." 
 
 "Then close it yourself." 
 
 The sentry approached and shoved it close ; but the in- 
 stant that he turned his back on Rudiger, the Pole leaped 
 like a jaguar and planted his dirk between the shoulders 
 of the sentinel. The latter's arms opened wide and he 
 fell in a heap to the earth. 
 
 "One at least," muttered Rudiger, as he calmly wiped 
 the blood-stained blade on the dead man's cloak. 
 
 Then he reseated himself on the bench after having 
 opened the postern door. 
 
 Magnus, who was acquainted with the lay of the castle, 
 swept through a long gallery which connected the two 
 wings of the building. Thus he quickly led Armand- 
 Louis and Renaud to the tower inhabited by Adrienne 
 and Diana. Standing arm in arm, pale and trembling, 
 they were awaiting their saviors. 
 
 At sight of the two gentlemen they sprang toward the 
 passage which united the tower to the other buildings. 
 Madame de Liffenbach appeared at the door.
 
 i 9 4 THE POSTERN OF PRACHENFELD 
 
 She was about to scream, when Renaud, pointing a 
 pistol at her head, muttered : 
 
 "Madame, a single word, and you die !" 
 
 Madame de Liffenbach grew pallid, attempted to ad- 
 vance a step and fell in a swoon. 
 
 "She may recover and cry the alarm before we get out 
 of this cursed castle," murmured Carquefou, casting lynx 
 glances from side to side. 
 
 " Tis possible," said Magnus. 
 
 Then wrapping the duenna in the folds of a great cloak, 
 he laid her in a closet, taking care to shut the door upon 
 her. 
 
 Adrienne and Diana were in the arms of Armand- 
 Louis and Renaud. 
 
 "No words, but wings," warned Magnus. 
 
 As they reached the door of the gallery the silhouette 
 of a man, who walked with the supple tread of a cat, sud- 
 denly appeared at the farther end of this long apartment. 
 
 "Have a care, 'tis Mattheus Orlscopp !" Magnus mur- 
 mured in the ear of Armand-Louis. 
 
 Though these words had been so swiftly and quickly 
 said the little band had caught them. 
 
 With a lightning glance Magnus surveyed the gallery. 
 Then he assisted the two young ladies behind a heavy 
 curtain, whose folds concealed a bay window. Armand- 
 Louis and Renaud stood beside them, pistols in hand. 
 Magnus exchanged a glance with Carquefou, and these 
 trusty fellows hid behind enormous pillars, which were 
 covered with panoplies of arms. 
 
 All this was done with the rapidity and silence of the 
 wind that blows. They had disappeared as so many 
 phantoms. When Mattheus entered into the gallery all 
 was mute under its lofty ceiling. An uncertain ray of 
 the moon, broken by the panes of glass in the window, 
 cast a confused light across this immense hall. 
 
 For an instant Mattheus paused on the threshold as 
 though warned by some indefinable fear of the presence 
 of an unseen danger. Then neither hearing nor seeing 
 anything to cause him alarm he proceeded. 
 
 The rounds he made this evening were not his daily 
 habit, though he was ever on the alert. But a certain
 
 THE POSTERN OF DRACHENFELD 195 
 
 something, which it would have been very difficult for 
 him to explain, a kind of suspicion, a vague and unthink- 
 ing anxiety, had dragged him from his bed to run 
 through the castle halls. The governor's inspection was 
 awaited night and morning, and while waiting the sol- 
 diers watched. 
 
 His eyes questioned the stiff folds of arras and curtain, 
 the window niches and corners lost in the night as his 
 footfall fell lightly on the floor. When he reached the 
 middle of the gallery the moon was veiled and a deeper 
 shadow flooded the place. Mattheus still advanced. 
 
 He had made most of his way when he fancied he saw 
 the bottom of a curtain move as though in a sigh of the 
 night wind. 
 
 His hand sought the hilt of his dirk, but while all his 
 attention was concentrated upon the suspect tapestry, 
 Magnus and Carquefou suddenly leaped upon him and 
 flung him to the floor before he could even unsheath. 
 
 "Help!" cried the governor in stifled tones. 
 
 But his voice was lost as a breath. A moment he lay, 
 bound and gagged securely despite all his struggles, a 
 rope about his neck, which Carciuefou held. Mattheus 
 Orlscopp. the terrible, was now no more than a lifeless 
 lump, like a soldier's cadaver ready for burial. 
 
 Armand-Louis and Renaud stood before him. but he 
 did not recognize them. Only the presence of Adrienne 
 and Diana made him suspect the traits of these faces he 
 could but indistinctly trace in the darkness. 
 
 "I told thee," said Renaud finally, "that I would hang 
 thee ; and thou well knowest I keep my promises." 
 
 Mattheus shivered. The veins of his throat swelled. 
 From corpse-like pallor his face grew purple red. His 
 whole body shook convulsively and his muscles strug- 
 gled in a supreme effort. His eyes, into which the blood 
 had spurted, closed and he remained motionless as death. 
 
 Renaud made a sign and Carquefou slung Mattheus 
 across his shoulder. They pnssrd through the gallery, 
 reached the hall and proceeded silently through the pos- 
 tern. Rudigt*, who was waiting for them, had seen or 
 heard nothing 
 
 "All's well!' he said to Maenus.
 
 196 THE POSTERN OF DRACHENFELD 
 
 The moon lay hid behind great clouds. It was almost 
 impossible for them to discern the black curtain of the 
 forest, which lay drowned in the blackness of the night. 
 
 Suddenly a cry arose from the watch-tower hooked in 
 the angle of the wall as an eyrie of an eagle on the side 
 of a rock. 
 
 "Dux et imperator!" shouted Armand-Louis in an- 
 swer to the challenge of the sentry. 
 
 Mattheus opened his eyes and closed them in the same 
 instant. 
 
 A moment later the moat and escarpment had been 
 cleared by this strange company.
 
 REQUIESCAT IN PACE 197 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 REQUIESCAT IN PACE. 
 
 A few paces from the forest there was an old dead 
 tree, which stretched its stout branches over a precipice 
 at the border of a glade. Carquefou laid Mattheus on 
 the ground and passed the end of the rope which he held 
 over a branch of this tree. Magnus took part of the gag 
 from the prisoner's mouth, who could now articulate a 
 few sounds, but could not cry out. Then he placed be- 
 tween his pinioned hands a small wooden cross. 
 
 "Recommend thy soul to God," said Magnus. "Thine 
 hour is come !" 
 
 "Damn ye !*' mumbled Mattheus, throwing the cross 
 from him, "John of Werth is not far away." 
 
 Carquefou pulled the rope and looked at Renaud. 
 The prisoner's body was half raised from the ground. 
 
 "< >h. this is horrible! Not here, not before me!" 
 cried Diana, clinging to the arm of Renaud. 
 
 "No, no," added Adrienne. "Have mercy on him. 
 Should we think of punishment, in this hour when Provi- 
 dence restores our liberty to us?" 
 
 Renaud was about to answer. 
 
 "Adrienne is right," interrupted Diana, "he is a cap- 
 tive. He can do nothing against us. Have mercy on 
 him." 
 
 The body of Mattheus was let fall again to earth by 
 Carquefou. 
 
 "Vet this was a beautiful chance and a beautiful tree," 
 grumbled Carquefou, as he knotted the rope solidly 
 about the trunk of the dried tree. 
 
 Then lie followed Magnus, who was running to the 
 spot where M. d'Aigrefeuille was waiting with his 
 dragoons. 
 
 Armand-Louis, Renaud, Adrienne and Diana had 
 just disappeared in the depths of the forest.
 
 L98 REQUIESCAT IN PACE 
 
 Rudiger walked in their rear ; a kind of pity had seized 
 him as he gazed at the man who had been his master 
 and whose face was pale with the awe of death. 
 
 He looked behind him once more and saw the gover- 
 nor writhing on the ground. Carquefou had not 
 loosened entirely the rope about his neck ; besides, a jerky 
 movement might pitch him into the gorge which lay 
 within ten feet of him. 
 
 Death lurked everywhere for Mattheus. Rudiger re- 
 traced his steps. 
 
 "Now I'm becoming tender," he told himself. "How 
 stupid it is !" 
 
 Mattheus, hearing his steps, raised his head with an ef- 
 fort and looked at him. 
 
 "I'm suffocating," he groaned in a voice hardly hu- 
 man. 
 
 Rudiger knelt down and loosened the knot of the rope. 
 
 "If you have anything else to ask of me, make haste," 
 he said. 
 
 "Don't leave me in this position," replied Mattheus. 
 "The slant of the ground impels me toward the gorge. 
 My head is low and the blood stops my breath." 
 
 He gasped even as he spoke. 
 
 Rudiger knelt down again, and taking Mattheus in his 
 arms, he raised him to change his position. A devilish 
 joy gleamed in the eyes of the prisoner. Seizing Rudi- 
 ger's pistol, which, hanging in its belt, came even with 
 his grasp, he pressed the barrel to the Pole's breast and 
 fired. 
 
 Rudiger sprang back like a tiger struck with the ball 
 of a hunter. He staggered a few steps and fell. 
 
 "Dead !" cried Magnus. 
 
 A musket shot from the castle answered this report. 
 
 "Ah, all's not lost !" murmured the governor, as he 
 glared at Rudiger, stretched on the earth. 
 
 But the Pole, whom he thought dead, rose slowly 
 on his hands and crawled toward him. Mattheus felt a 
 cold sweat moisten the roots of his hair. Keeping one 
 hand on his wound, whence the blood flowed in a torrent, 
 Rudiger crept on and on ; each effort brought him nearer 
 to Mattheus. A grim, unconquerable determination
 
 REQUIESCAT IN PACE 199 
 
 shone in his eyes. Soon he could touch the feet of Mat- 
 theus with his finger-tips and clung to them. 
 
 "1*11 not die alone!" he groaned. "Wretch, 'tis thou 
 who killed me, even as I was helping thee. Then, rat, 
 I'll do for you what Rcnaud de Chaufontaine was too no- 
 ble to do."' 
 
 Then, stiffening his bloody hands he braced his chest 
 against the feet of Mattheus and pushed him toward the 
 abyss. Mattheus strove to repulse him, but his bonds 
 prevented him, the blood froze in his veins and his most 
 violent efforts were hurtling. He felt his body gradually 
 slipping along the grass. 
 
 "Mercy, mercy," he groaned. 
 
 "Thou'lt have mercy and from me! Thou'rt joking, 
 Mattheus. Wretch, thou'rt going to die and to die 
 hanged." 
 
 With this Rudiger made an extra effort and Mattheus 
 went nearer death. He dug up the tufts of grass by 
 which he sought to save himself. Only a small stretch 
 of verdure separated him now from the abyss. Suddenly 
 Rudiger stopped ; his exhausted arms scarcely bore him ; 
 he fell face downward to the earth. 
 
 "Ah, thou couldst not, robber," roared Mattheus. 
 
 Rudiger dragged himself slowly along and again laid 
 his hands on the body of the governor. 
 
 "Listen," said Mattheus, his teeth chattering. "Die in 
 peace. Release me and I'll have a thousand masses said 
 for the repose of thy soul." 
 
 But the feeble hands of the dying Pole frantically 
 shoved the governor on to the slope. A trail of blood 
 marked his course. 
 
 "Thou'lt have a thousand gold ducats, ten thousand ; 
 all I've got, if thou'lt but spare me, hangman !" 
 
 The last words died in the throat of Mattheus. Rudi- 
 ger, feeling the chill of death in his bones, shoved him 
 onward with shoulder and arm, digging his feet in the soil 
 to sustain his pressure. The abyss yawned slowly, but 
 fatally, beneath the haggard eyes of the captive; he 
 gasped an oath from his foaming mouth. Then a last 
 shove of the Poll's should r sent him over, the rope
 
 200 REQUIESCAT IN PACE 
 
 straightened out with a crack and the corpse of Mattheus 
 hung above the gorge. 
 
 Rudiger leaned his head over the side of the precipice, 
 while his life-blood ebbed away swiftly. He raised him- 
 self on his elbow by a supreme effort. 
 
 "He'll take thee, villain !" he groaned. 
 
 A veil sprang up before his eyes, a chill shook his 
 whole body and his elbow fell from under him. 
 
 "Ah, mercy, good God, mercy!" he cried. 
 
 His head dropped heavily on the grass and he moved 
 no more. 
 
 Meanwhile the double firing which had just broken the 
 silence of the night had aroused Patricio Bempo. He 
 sprang for his sword and leaped from the room, where 
 Yerta listened with bended head like a wild-cat. The 
 Italian crossed the gallery to attain the ramparts. He 
 stopped at the sound of a stifled groan which proceeded 
 from the depths of a room he was passing. He kicked 
 the door in and a disheveled phantom, dragging a cloak, 
 appeared before him. 
 
 "Down there, down there, they took them," said Mad- 
 ame de Liffenbach in a hoarse voice, as she pointed with 
 her withered hand to an open door at the end of the gal- 
 lery. 
 
 Patricio ran toward it. The alarm had been sounded 
 and everywhere heavy footsteps echoed from the walls 
 and ceilings of the castle. As the lieutenant was passing 
 through one of the lower halls, at the end of which stood 
 a spiral staircase, he felt a draft of fresh air strike his 
 cheek. A dreadful suspicion crossed his mind and he 
 plunged into the dark passage at the foot of this stair- 
 case, which led to the postern. He had advanced but 
 thirty steps when he slipped in a pool of blood. He 
 stopped and looked down and began to search. The 
 body of a soldier lay against the wall ; and the earth here- 
 abouts was freshly marked with many footprints. 
 To arms!" cried Patricio in terrible tones. 
 
 "To arms !" repeated the sentry in the watch-tower. 
 
 Ten trumpet calls replied and Patricio hastened back to 
 his room to inform Yerta of what had happened. The 
 hour of love had passed ; the hour of battle had struck.
 
 REQUIESCAT IN PACE 201 
 
 "Oh, Yerta," he cried as he entered the room, "what 
 an awakening!" 
 
 But there was no answer. The gypsy had disappeared. 
 The window was wide open and from the balcony to the 
 ground hung a white sheet which indicated the flight of 
 the fugitive. The water in the moat was still trembling 
 under the rays of the moon and a vague shadow was flee- 
 ing into the forest. 
 
 In a mad rage Patricio Bempo seized a musket from 
 the wall, set it against his shoulder and fired. The ball 
 whistled through the air. The gypsy gave a great leap 
 and vanished in the thick of the wood. 
 
 "I'll be avenged yet," roared Patricio as he flung the 
 musket from him into the moat. 
 
 In the castle rumor and tumult reigned. Madame de 
 LifTenbach had awakened Madame dTgomer, who, half 
 naked, rushed to the room of the two cousins, unable to 
 believe that they had been taken. 
 
 "Both of them gone!" she cried, "Mademoiselle de 
 Pardaillan and Mademoiselle de Souvigny! Then those 
 two Huguenots must have got into the castle." 
 
 As she turned to leave, she met Patricio, who had just 
 been to the room of Mattheus. He had not found him 
 there and was seeking him out all through the castle. 
 
 "The governor is not in his room," Patricio said, "and 
 nobody has seen him." 
 
 "To horse, then!" cried Madame dTgomer, "and woe 
 betide ye, if ye fetch not back the two women, bound hand 
 and foot, as well as the wretches who have stolen them." 
 
 An instant later a troop of cavalry issued like a torrent 
 from the gate of Drachenfeld and made the drawbridge 
 tremble as they crossed it. 
 
 They saw traces of the vanishcrs in the earth moist with 
 the dew. Patricio followed them up to the edge of the 
 forest, where the great dead oak stretched its branches. 
 
 "Look," said one of his riders suddenly, taking hold of 
 his arm and pointing to the body of Rudiger stretched on 
 the edge of the gorge, over whose abysmal depths swung 
 the body of Mattheus Orlscopp. 
 
 Meanwhile Armand-Louis and Renaud had not lost 
 any time in reaching the glade where M. d'Aigrcfeuille,
 
 202 REQUIESCAT IN PACE 
 
 with his saddled steeds, was awaiting them. They were 
 now advancing steadily, escorting Adrienne and Diana, 
 when they heard from afar the pistol shot of Mattheus 
 and the gunshot of the sentry to arouse the castle. 
 
 "Powder is beginning to sing now," said Magnus. 
 "Forward, gentlemen !" 
 
 "At last," cried M. de Collonges, "and if the balls sing, 
 we'll talk." 
 
 Shortly afterward a third shot was heard and almost 
 immediately Yerta appeared. 
 
 "Are you content with what I've done?" she asked, 
 laying her hand on the neck of Armand-Louis' horse. 
 "Is my debt paid?" 
 
 "Yerta, dear Yerta !" cried Armand-Louis, seizing the 
 gypsy's hands and kissing them. 
 
 A smile illuminated Yerta's dusky countenance ; but 
 the next instant she staggered and fell upon her knees. A 
 long thread of purple flowed down her dress to the 
 ground. Armand-Louis leaped from his horse and took 
 her in his arms. 
 
 "Yerta !" he cried, "you must not die, you who have 
 saved us all." 
 
 The gypsy pressed him close to her. 
 
 "Thank you," she murmured, shivering. "Ah, I had 
 not hoped to die thus." 
 
 The words came to his ear like a breath of the wind. 
 
 "Here," she whispered, laying her head against the 
 heart of the Huguenot, "I am happy here." 
 
 Her eyelids rose and fell ; she smiled sweetly. Her 
 arms, which she had clasped about his neck, unwound. 
 It seemed to him that the dear weight of her frail form 
 had grown heavier on his chest and knees. He leaned 
 his lips toward Yerta's cheek. 
 
 "Dead," he said in a low voice. 
 
 He laid her on the ground. All the men raised their 
 caps. 
 
 A rumbling noise, as of cavalry, reached their ears. 
 Magnus turned cautiously toward the castle and said : 
 
 "We have not a minute to lose if we would not have 
 all Drachenfeld's warriors on our hands." 
 
 "Shall we leave poor Yerta unburied?" asked Renaud.
 
 REQUIESCAT IN PACK 203 
 
 "Assuredly no,"' cried Armand-Louis. "I should 
 deem mvself unworthy to look upon Mademoiselle de 
 Souvigny, if I left the body of our saviour to be out- 
 raged." 
 
 "Quick to work, then!" replied Magnus, as he and 
 Carquefou began vigorously to dig a grave. A line of the 
 dragoons was ranged between them and the border-side 
 of the forest. 
 
 The noise grew louder and the earth trembled under 
 the hoof-beats of the horses who were galloping between 
 the trees. Soon they saw the flames of torches which the 
 foremost riders bore to light their course. At the head of 
 the squadron rode Patricio Bempo and Madame 
 d'Igomer. A few more leaps and their horses stood be- 
 fore the line of Huguenots, behind which Carquefou and 
 Magnus were digging the grave. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer. astonished at the sight of this 
 armed troop, approached M. d'Aigrefeuille, whose uni- 
 form bore the imperial colors, and asked him whether he 
 had not seen two women fleeing through the forest. 
 
 "Two women?" repeated M. d'Aigrefeuille, caressing 
 his beard. 
 
 "Was one of them fair with eyes like the sky?" asked 
 M. de Saint-Paer. 
 
 "The other dark, with fiery eyes?" asked M. de Berail. 
 "I think that we must have met them," added M. de 
 Collonges. 
 
 But before he had finished speaking Madame d'Igomer 
 had caught sight of Adrienne and Diana on horse. 
 
 "Patricio," she cried, "there they arc. We need search 
 nc longer. You stopped them, gentlemen? I thank 
 
 v< >u 
 
 She spurred her horse forward, but M. d'Aigrefeuille 
 caught it by the bridle, saying: 
 
 "Do not trouble yourself, Madame. These young 
 women have been placed under our protection and, not 
 to displease you, however, they must remain with us." 
 
 "What?" cried Madame d'Igomer, paling. "You will 
 not give them bail, to me? 1 " 
 
 Renaud advance. 1. taking off his hat and not trying to 
 disguise his voice, he said:
 
 204 REQU1ESCAT IN PACE 
 
 "No, madam. I will keep Mademoiselle de Pardaillan, 
 and my friend will keep Mademoiselle de Souvigny." 
 
 "They, always they," shrieked Thecla, in the tones of a 
 hyena. "And do you fancy I cannot take them from you 
 by force?" 
 
 "Try," suggested Armand-Louis. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer turned toward Patricio and his 
 band, before whom in serried ranks stood three hundred 
 gentlemen who looked upon fighting as a pleasure. The 
 men of Drachenfeld counted them at a glance and hung 
 back. 
 
 "Cowards!" muttered Madame d'Igomer. 
 
 "My lord, the work is done," said Magnus, coming 
 forward, hat in hand. "Yerta sleeps in peace." 
 
 "Then, gentlemen, we have no more to do here. For- 
 ward !" commanded Armand-Louis. 
 
 "What!" scf earned Madame d'Igomer, who was rid- 
 ing up and down like a fury. "They go off and you do 
 not stir, you who have swords in your hands ! What sort 
 of men are you, then?" 
 
 Patricio spurred his horse forward. A handful of sol- 
 diers followed him and they fell upon the first line of the 
 dragoons. 
 
 But the skirmish was very short. The Imperialists 
 wavered, four or five of them emptied their bows and 
 Patricio retreated with a broken sword. 
 
 "Yerta said I must spare thee," said Magnus, as he 
 wiped Baliverne on the mane of his horse. "But don't 
 tempt me again." 
 
 Madame d'Igomej- was now surrounded by a disordered 
 band of cavaliers. A good half of them was ready to flee. 
 All seemed lost, when a fanfare of trumpets resounded 
 from the other extremity of the forest and a rider, whose 
 silhouette appeared in the first streak of dawn, came gal- 
 loping at top speed under the branches of the ancient 
 oaks. 
 
 When he reached Madame d'Igomer, he saluted her 
 and said : 
 
 "John of Werth follows me." 
 
 The fanfare of trumpets kept sounding meanwhile. 
 
 "Ah, John of Werth !" cried Thecla, the blood leaping
 
 REQUIESCAT IN PACE 205 
 
 to her cheeks for joy. "Until we meet again, gentle- 
 men !" 
 
 Then, without concerning herself more with Patricio 
 and his men, she spurred her horse in the direction 
 whence the trumpets sounded. 
 
 "Now the ball commences," said Magnus, touching M. 
 de Collonges on the shoulder. "You will sec what a 
 dance there'll be when Baron John of Werth leads the 
 violins." 
 
 This said, he tried the blade of his sword with his finger. 
 
 "My poor Shiverer," murmured Carquefou. whose re- 
 ligion it was to imitate Magnus, "more work for thee; 
 more terrors for thy master." 
 
 Carquefou tried the blade of his weapon on his saddle. 
 
 The strong voice of Armand-Louis resounded once 
 more, the squadron fell in line and rode from the bivouac 
 in good order. 
 
 M. de Collonges, who did not feel at ease, whistled a 
 hunting song.
 
 so6 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS. 
 
 In truth John of Werth had just reached Drachenfeld, 
 He had taken advantage of a cessation of hostilities to pay 
 a visit to Madame d'Igomer. But in place of finding a 
 new opportunity to press his suit with Adrienne at the 
 castle, who, as he had been informed by the latest letters 
 of the baroness, was beginning to show a more docile dis- 
 position, he met with the tumult and clamor incident to 
 the evacuation of the fortress. As soon as the cause had 
 been explained he dashed into the forest with his escort 
 and had his buglers sound his approach. How Madame 
 d'Igomer became aware of his presence has been told. 
 She speedily joined him and together they set out on the 
 tracks of the three hundred dragoons in all haste. 
 
 The name of Armand-Louis was sufficient stimulus for 
 John of Werth. Another and such a check from this 
 hated rival after so many former ones made him furious. 
 
 The sun shone in full splendor when the troop of the 
 baron, enlarged by that which had fallen to the command 
 of Patricio Bempo after the tragic death of Mattheus, 
 came up with the squadron of Armand-Louis. The Hu- 
 guenots, who expected this encounter, were drawn up in 
 battle array at the gate of a village, whose every position 
 they held and whose every street they had barricaded. 
 
 At sight of the first dust clouds which betokened the 
 approach of the Imperialists, the dragoons leaped to sad- 
 dle. John of Werth, who was at the head of his troop, 
 rode around the village, but did not find a single spot 
 unguarded. In a burst of rage he gave the command to 
 attack the enemy. 
 
 He had about three hundred cavaliers of his own ; the 
 troop of Patricio numbered almost as many. Thus the 
 Imperialists possessed the advantage of number ; but the
 
 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 207 
 
 Huguenots that of position. The chances of victory were 
 therefore ahout equal. 
 
 The clarions of the Huguenots retorted to those of the 
 Imperialists and the struggle began. John of Worth 
 charged on the right ; Patricio on the left. Both attacks 
 were fast and furious ; but such was the vigor of the 
 defense that the shock of the assailants went no farther 
 than the lines of the village. 
 
 Armand-Louis, aided by M. d'Aigrefeuillc, met John of 
 Worth ; Renaud and M. de Berail repelled Patricio. 
 Madame d'Igomer, sitting her saddle with the ease of a 
 reiter, had taken a place on a small hill whence she could 
 observe the action. Adrienne and Diana, sheltered under 
 the porch of a church, awaited the issue of the combat. 
 They were surrounded by four dragoons, lest by any 
 chance one or more of the enemy should surprise their 
 covert. 
 
 Soon a belt of smoke encircled the village, where the 
 men fought like demons in the blood of the fallen. Horses 
 neighed piteously and dropped to the ground ; the sound 
 of the muskets was an incessant crash ; the clash of 
 swords and cries of terror, rage and pain tore the air. A 
 kind of sullen fury was evident in the Imperialists. A 
 gallant intrepidity marked the fighting of the Huguenots. 
 The younger men sang; M. de Collonges spared neither 
 songs nor blows. Renaud revelled in the strife. It was 
 long since he had had occasion to call upon his St. Esto- 
 cade so valiantly. 
 
 Finally the ranks of Patricio weakened ; one broke, then 
 another, until an entire squadron was disarrayed. A cry 
 of victory arose from the throats of the Huguenots; but 
 John of Worth answered it with a desperate charge. Mag- 
 nus was tired of seeing him load the old companies in his 
 command back and back again to make the attack and he 
 determined to break his fury by a decisive blow. Taking 
 with him M. de St. Paer and thirty dragoons, he wont 
 forth from the village by a remote side street, attained the 
 fifld without being Been and fell like a torrent bursting its 
 dikes upon the flank of the Imperialists. 
 
 At this juncture when his advance was sorely put by 
 Armand-Louis, his flank massacred by Magnus, ami his
 
 208 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 
 
 chances further diminished by the scurrying of Patricio's 
 cravens, John of Werth gave way. 
 
 "Raise your swords and down on them !" commanded 
 Armand-Louis. 
 
 The Huguenots charged mightily and the Imperialists 
 fell before them like a tree in the tempest. In the heart 
 of the bloody struggle Magnus met Patricio. 
 
 "Again !" cried the veteran. 
 
 Patricio fell upon him without parley ; Magnus parried, 
 then thrust — and the bloody blade of Baliverne sank into 
 the throat of the Italian, who fell back upon his horse. 
 The beast shied and Patricio dropped heavily to the 
 ground. 
 
 "I told thee," said Magnus, "not to lead me into temp- 
 tation !" 
 
 Leaping over the corpse of the lieutenant he swung 
 Baliverne right and left in the broken ranks of the van- 
 quished. 
 
 Armand-Louis and M. de Berail pursued John of 
 Werth with unremitting fury. M. de Berail had a better 
 mount and so reached the baron first. Then the latter 
 turned. For an instant both riders were hidden in a cloud 
 of dust, in which only the gleam of their swords was vis- 
 ible. Then a rider appeared out of the cloud. It was 
 John of Werth. 
 
 M. de Berail staggered and fell to earth. He was seen 
 to raise himself to his knees and seize again his sword. 
 Then he fell and lay still. His horse scurried off in terror 
 and John of Werth galloped away. Armand-Louis had 
 come up to the spot ; but the terrible captain was lost in 
 the crowd of fugitives. 
 
 "He still bears that sword-knot at his hilt," murmured 
 the Huguenot. 
 
 Renaud, who was close behind him, felt his eyes grow 
 dim at the sight of M. de Berail lying lifeless and livid on 
 the ground. He crossed the dead man's arms on his 
 breast, took up his sword and covered him with a cloak. 
 
 "He was my friend and brother in arms," he said ; "may 
 the soil of Germany lie lightly upon his brave heart." 
 
 M. de Berail was not the only dragoon who failed to 
 respond to the roll-call. These were decently interred;
 
 
 .— * - "**" 
 
 , 
 
 
 -^r> 
 
 " Diana tore off I e jewel and flung il far from her. " p. 131
 
 THE RETRKAT OF THE DRAGOONS 209 
 
 and the wounded were placed in the largest house of the 
 village, where a document was left, informing the Im- 
 perialists that a considerable number of wounded Aus- 
 trians and Bavarians would answer for the lot of these 
 Frenchmen. Magnus then hurried preparations for de- 
 parture. M. de Collonges was astounded at this haste. 
 
 "Sir," replied Magnus, "you do not know the man with 
 whom we have to deal. He will be on our trail before 
 to-night, like a wolf that has scented blood." 
 
 They left the village, around which lay a hundred dead 
 or dying men. and rode rapidly northward. But in spite 
 of this loss the squadron exhibited an almost joyous ar- 
 dor, which seemed increased by the knowledge that perils 
 threatened them from all sides. Some of their foes might 
 rise up at any moment from any point of the horizon. 
 The memories of classic antiquity commingled in their 
 minds with the heroic memories of chivalry. 
 
 "Where are the Arabs? Where are the Saracens?" 
 asked M. d'Aigrefeuille, who was thinking of the gloomy 
 Templars wandering in the mournful solitudes of Pales- 
 tine. 
 
 "Who will sing on our return the retreat of the three 
 hundred as in the past old Xenophon sang the retreat of 
 the ten thousand?" added M. de Saint-Paer. 
 
 And they all longed for another battle, almost before 
 their blades were dry of the blood shed in the first. 
 
 Although they were by this time accustomed to the 
 horrible perils and scenes of war, Adrienne and Diana felt 
 profoundly touched at the thought of the sacrifices these 
 brave men were making for them. They were as among 
 brothers with these hardy dragoons, whose ranks knew 
 but one heart and one will. Even those who had never 
 seen them before panted for a risk to incur in the young 
 ladies' behalf. 
 
 "We swore we would rescue you from the Philistines !" 
 said the old Calvinists. 
 
 "God, the king and women !" cried the younger men, 
 who had adopted Sweden as their country. 
 
 They rode the whole day unmolested. Towards even- 
 ing they noticed a great cloud rolling from the south. 
 "Here comes a storm," said Magnus.
 
 210 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 
 
 They gained a wood as night fell. This they entered, 
 and proceeding in the midst of a profound silence reached 
 a valley wherein they set their bivouac, after having bar- 
 ricaded the entrance to it. 
 
 "The cursed Imperialists will not attempt to attack us 
 here," said Magnus, who had guided them hither. 
 
 "So much the worse," replied M. de Collanges. "We 
 should kill a goodly number." 
 
 After resting a few hours they set out before dawn on 
 their march, escorted at front and on their flank by light 
 platoons. 
 
 " 'Tis easy to go into a wood," thought Armand-Louis. 
 "To get out of it is more difficult." 
 
 Magnus, to whom no path was unknown, guided them 
 towards the left. At the first streak of day in the heavens 
 they gained the border of the forest, whence they were in 
 view of mounted sentries disposed on the plain. 
 
 Armand-Louis commanded his dragoons to leap from 
 their saddles behind an elevation, while Magnus with 
 Carquefou and M. de Collonges set out in three direc- 
 tions to inspect the environs. At sunrise they returned. 
 
 "I saw five musketeers toward the west," said Magnus. 
 
 "On the north side I counted four squadrons," said M. 
 de Collonges. 
 
 "Below there, where we entered, there's a million 
 sabres and muskets," said Carquefou. "The Shiverer is 
 still quaking because of them." 
 
 "Then we're surrounded," said Armand-Louis. 
 
 Without further parley Magnus flung the bridle of his 
 steed to Carquefou, and creeping on hands and knees he 
 reached the hedge which bordered the confines of the 
 forest. They awaited his return in silence. In half an 
 hour he returned and leaped into his saddle. 
 
 "Well ?" asked Armand-Louis. 
 
 "I have found a passage at the end of which are four 
 hundred cavaliers with a handful of infantry," answered 
 Magnus. "Half of them are asleep or playing cards. 
 These people fancy we are still on the other side of the 
 wood." 
 
 "Let's show them we are quite near," said Renaud.
 
 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 211 
 
 "We'll ride over their stomachs before they have time to 
 recognize us. What think ye, gentlemen?" 
 
 The dragoons all brandished their sabres in token of 
 assent. 
 
 Armand-Louis placed Adrienne and Diana in the mid- 
 dle of a platoon, the command of which he gave to M. 
 d'Aigrefeuille. Then riding at the head of the squadron 
 he led his men quickly to the border of the forest. Here 
 he paused for an instant to contemplate his companions, 
 who chafed with impatience behind him. He raised his 
 sword and cried : 
 
 "Forward! Gallop!" 
 
 The troop dashed ahead precipitately. Like an ava- 
 lanche, a whirlwind, they rode down upon the sentries al- 
 most before they could fire their pistols. The squadrons 
 reached the body of the company with swords aloft and 
 cut it down. In vain did infantry and cavalry attempt to 
 array themselves in line of battle. Only one squadron 
 offered serious resistance, but it soon followed the others 
 in rout under the fierce blades of the Huguenots. 
 
 The way was clear and one hundred bodies lay in the 
 plain. 
 
 Armand-Louis looked for M. d'Aigrefeuille, who rode 
 up to him and said proudly : 
 
 "You confided the young ladies to my care. Behold 
 them here." 
 
 But ere he could take the valiant gentleman's hand, M. 
 d'Aigrefeuille let fall his bridle and fell at the feet of Ad- 
 rienne. At the beginning of the action a ball had entered 
 his breast ; yet he had remained steadfast to his duty till 
 the end. The battle won, he died. 
 
 "Yesterday M. de Berail ! To-day M. d'Aigrefeuille! 
 How many shall yet fall?" murmured Armand-Louis 
 sadly. 
 
 Then the retreat recommenced. 
 
 The living barrier through which they had just fought 
 their way was part of a belt of soldiers that John of Werth 
 had formed around the wood. After his previous defeat 
 the baron gave hurried orders to the various detachments 
 in the vicinity to join him or to follow the directions of his
 
 212 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 
 
 couriers. He himself launched out in pursuit of the Hu- 
 guenots at the head of a small band of tried men. 
 
 As soon as he saw Armand-Louis and his companions 
 enter the wood he resolved to imprison them there, not 
 daring to risk himself in the night. Then he took his 
 stand at the head of the stoutest squadrons upon the road 
 which the Huguenots should logically take in order to 
 reach the Swedish cantonments. But the oblique march 
 of Magnus foiled his plan, and it was only two hours 
 after the French had left the wood that fugitives coming 
 up with him informed John of Werth that the dragoons 
 had escaped from the belt of steel within which he fancied 
 he had caught them. 
 
 The baron collected his men and set forth on the track 
 of the Huguenots, like the wolf scenting blood, to which 
 Magnus had likened him. None dared speak to him. He 
 galloped ahead of his troop, silent and pale, biting his 
 moustache and tiring his hand with the fierce grip in 
 which he held his sabre. 
 
 "Nothing stops ; nothing catches them !" he muttered 
 at times. 
 
 Animated with a like ardor, strengthened by the same 
 hate, maddened by the same thirst for vengeance, 
 Madame d'Igomer galloped at his side. She seemed to 
 be made of steel. No effort fatigued her. 
 
 The desolate villages, the smoking ruins, the numerous 
 squadrons they saw here and there notified the Hugue- 
 nots that they were nearing the fields where the armies of 
 Sweden and Germany floated their mutually hostile 
 standards. 
 
 Toward evening, Magnus, who rode ever in advance, 
 descried the fires of a bivouac across their path. He 
 spurred his horse and soon recognized the encampment 
 of a numerous body of Imperial cavalry, lying on either 
 side of the highway. They could pass here only in the 
 teeth of sabres and pistols. 
 
 To the right and left stretched plains and marshes 
 broken up with streams. None could pass here without a 
 guide. To wait meant to receive the attack of John of 
 Werth, and to be caught between two fires.
 
 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 213 
 
 Magnus returned and coldly explained their situation. 
 A council of war assembled about Armand-Louis. 
 
 '"Gentlemen," said he, "we have just five minutes to 
 deliberate." 
 
 "That's four too many. Let's draw and down this 
 rabble !" said Renaud. 
 
 "This rabble numbers three hundred men," objected 
 Magnus. "Let each of you give his opinion." 
 
 "Half of us will remain on the ground, the other half 
 will pass ahead," cried M. de Collonges. 
 
 "We have always time to adopt the plan of M. de Chau- 
 fontaine," said Armand-Louis. "But we may try an- 
 other." 
 
 "Which?" asked M. de Saint-Paer. 
 
 "It is possible that John of Werth has not had the time 
 to inform these cavaliers of all that has happened since 
 our departure from Drachenfeld. This is even probable. 
 We still wear our green belts, our Imperial cockades." 
 
 "Alas for that!" sighed M. de Collonges. "Further, 
 we are in a territory where it is hardly to be supposed 
 that anv Swedes would dare to penetrate." 
 
 "That is true." 
 
 'We can present ourselves boldly to the captains of 
 this cavalry, pretend we are Spaniards or Italians, accord- 
 ing as they are Germans or Hungarians, and inquire of 
 them the location of the cantonments occupied by the 
 corps of General Pappenheim. If the ranks open, we 
 pass ; if the captains become too curious we unsheath." 
 
 "Well planned !" exclaimed M. d'Arrandes. 
 
 "If the opinion of M. de la Guerche is that of us all," 
 said M. de Yoltras, "let us advance straight upon the Im- 
 perials." 
 
 "Forward, then!" said Renaud. 
 
 "Sheath, therefore, and trot ahead," said Armand- 
 Louis. Taking M. de Collonges aside, he added : 
 
 "You are, perhaps, the youngest of us, but none the 
 less resolute. At the first sign of danger you will take 
 ten well-mounted men and form around the young ladies 
 If I make a sign to you with my hand, dash onward for 
 their lives !"
 
 214 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 
 
 "If I do not pass 'twill be because I'm dead !" an- 
 swered M. de Collonges. 
 
 A few hundred paces had been ridden and Armand- 
 Louis and Magnus took the lead. 
 
 "Who goes there?" cried a sentry. 
 
 "Jesus and Mary !" answered Armand-Louis. 
 
 At the war-cry of the Imperial army an officer ap- 
 proached them. 
 
 "Who are you? Whence do you come?" demanded 
 the cavalier, whom Armand-Louis determined by his ac- 
 cent must be a Walloon. 
 
 "We are part of a Spanish regiment with orders to join 
 General Pappenheim," replied Armand-Louis in atro- 
 cious German. "We are forbidden to lose an hour though 
 we leave half the squadron on the wayside. If you can 
 tell us how we can reach this general most speedily we 
 will be grateful to you." 
 
 Several other officers now came forward. One of them, 
 who was acquainted with Spanish, questioned Armand- 
 Louis in this tongue. Armand-Louis and Renaud, who 
 spoke this language fluently, replied with cleverly dissim- 
 ulated gratification. 
 
 While they were speaking they still rode on. The 
 squadron followed in close ranks. M. de Collonges re- 
 mained near the two young ladies, keeping a constant eye 
 on Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Ah, you have two women with you !" said one of the 
 captains. 
 
 "My wife and her sister," Armand-Louis replied un- 
 disturbed. "Donna Louisa-Fernanda de Coloredo y Pen- 
 aflor and Donna Emmanuela-Dolores de Miranda y Cas- 
 tejo. They are to await the termination of the war at the 
 court of His Highness the Elector of Bavaria." 
 
 He said this in a calm, natural voice. Adrienne and 
 Diana, who had listened in amazement, bowed to the 
 Walloon officers. The latter all saluted in return. They 
 were now almost at the limits of the encampment. 
 
 An idea suddenly illumined Renaud's brain. 
 
 "Dear captain/' he said lightly, addressing his neigh- 
 bor. "My horse is rather fagged. Had I the time to 
 leave him stabled for a day or two, I would not part with
 
 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 215 
 
 him for anything under the sun. But. as you know, I 
 must hurry. Give me yours, which seems fresh and stal- 
 wart and you will have in exchange besides mine own ten 
 gold ducats." 
 
 "So be it," said the captain, "I am happy to be able to 
 oblige a comrade." 
 
 The deal was made, and this example followed by a 
 large number of the dragoons, who had fagged or foun- 
 dered steeds. Exchanges were proposed on the spot and 
 were the more readily effected by the ingenious expedient 
 of some pieces of gold. 
 
 Walloons and Huguenots separated a quarter of an hour 
 later, each equally pleased with the other. The former 
 believed that in two or three days they should have good 
 were the more readily effected by the ingenious expedient 
 horses. Provisionally they had a few bright ducats in 
 pocket. The latter, spurring their vigorous mounts into 
 leaps and curvets, felt quite assured that they had driven 
 an excellent bargain. 
 
 One or two hours later Baron John of YVerth entered 
 the Imperial camp. His astonishment at finding no trace 
 of battle, no dead or wounded in the route which Ar- 
 mand-Louis and his men had followed, knew no bounds. 
 
 Certainly the fugitives had necessarily met the Wal- 
 loons. Yet they had no wings, he thought. 
 
 Before ten minutes had elapsed he knew what had 
 passed. 
 
 "And you have been their dupes!" he roared. "They 
 Spaniards from Milan ! They soldiers for the corps of 
 Pappenheim ! Good God! They're Huguenots! French- 
 men!" 
 
 A cry of rage replied to him. Five hundred of the best 
 ravaliers were at once placed at the disposal of John of 
 Werth. They sent couriers in every direction to trace 
 the path of the eternally elusive fugitives. 
 
 This was not easy, as the country was marked with the 
 tread of countless ^nuadrons passing hither and thither. 
 Further, it will be remembered that the Huguenots wore 
 the Imperial cockade atl(l their guide was a man who 
 knew the country perfectly and who was acquainted with
 
 2i6 THE RETREAT OF THE DRAGOONS 
 
 all the ruses of war. The band glided across the fields as 
 a pike through the troubled waters of a stream. 
 
 At last such information was brought to John of Werth 
 as enabled him to decide what course he should take. 
 Madame d'Igomer displayed even more irritation and im- 
 patience than he, and it was on her insistence that they 
 did not pause in their march when night overtook them. 
 
 At daybreak they learned from their couriers, who were 
 scouting on all sides, in what location Armand-Louis and 
 his companions were situated. They counted upon gain- 
 ing upon them at about evening. 
 
 "The Huguenots are in front of you," said John of 
 Werth, turning to his men, "will you suffer them to re- 
 turn to their country and tell how they vanquished the 
 Imperialists on twenty fields?" 
 
 A terrible huzza and the unsheathing of a thousand 
 sabres were his answer. 
 
 "Then, death to the French !" and the pursuit recom- 
 menced.
 
 THE FLAG OF TRUCE 217 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 THE FLAG OF TRUCE. 
 
 Good as a horse may be he cannot run forever. The 
 steeds of the Huguenots had covered a dozen leagues 
 without a stop. A halt was now imperative. Armand- 
 Louis chose a village at the entrance to a valley, on either 
 side of which lay an impenetrable morass. A flank at- 
 tack was thus impossible. On the other side of the vil- 
 lage was a thick wood, in which no cavalry could be 
 marshalled. If the enemy wished to force its way there- 
 f >re there was but one point for assault, the face of the 
 village. 
 
 To render this spot less vulnerable Armand-Louis 
 caused a dozen great oaks to be felled and stretched 
 across the road and embattled the cottages which over- 
 looked it. 
 
 "Now we shall be quiet, at least for the night," he said. 
 "For to-morrow let's trust in God." 
 
 The horses were unbridled, and while they were taking 
 fodder the Huguenots sought to make themselves com- 
 fortable here and there in the village. 
 
 As soon as the villagers caught sight of the cavalry in 
 the Imperial uniform they were struck with terror of 
 being plundered. They secreted all their goods and cattle 
 and withdrew in hiding. Not a living being was to be 
 seen. 
 
 w The houses still stand," said Magnus. "The place 
 must be inhabited." 
 
 He set out upon a hunt and entered an inn. The host 
 swore by all the gods amid quaking that he had not a 
 ham hung on his roof, not a bottle of wine in his cellar. 
 
 "The Saxons, who visited us yesterday, gulped every- 
 thing," he added. 
 
 But the I lngucnots were not content with this explana- 
 tion. The host was fat and sleek. They rummaged the
 
 218 THE FLAG OF TRUCE 
 
 place and that so carefully that they found bread, cheese 
 and beer. Carquefou made a sally upon the fowl that so 
 imprudently displayed their beaks in the barn. He car- 
 ried off a couple of dozen. Magnus discovered three mut- 
 ton and two calves hidden in the depth of the cellar. 
 Shortly a half dozen pigs declared their existence by their 
 stupid squealing. But they did not squeal long. 
 
 "Now we have something to live on," said M. de Col- 
 longes. 
 
 A few of the village women, who were the first to ven- 
 ture from their huts, wept and lamented the theft of the 
 fowl and meat. 
 
 Armand-Louis made a sign to Magnus, who pulled out 
 his long purse and generously reimbursed these poor 
 folk. Their astonishment at this liberality quickly dried 
 their tears. They had not been beaten and had received 
 money. This was unprecedented in their memory since 
 the beginning of the war. 
 
 Sentries were distributed on every side. 
 
 At midnight all the dragoons, save eight or nine, slept 
 tranquilly. A shot, echoing from one end of the village, 
 startled the troop from its slumber. Each man rushed to 
 the post to which Armand-Louis had previously assigned 
 him. The alarm had been given by one, of the sentries. 
 
 Far off in the darkness a cohort of cavalry could be 
 dimly seen. 
 
 A low rumble of horses' neighing and the distant clash 
 of arms reached the village. A company of musketeers 
 drew near stealthily. Then a volley of balls leaped into 
 the barricade of trees shaving off the twigs and bark. 
 
 "That's John of Werth," said Magnus. 
 
 "Fire low!" 
 
 The dragoons returned the fire. A dozen men and 
 horses dropped to earth. The company, suddenly dis- 
 mayed, retreated in disarray. Then silence reigned again. 
 
 M. de Collonges went outside of the village to recon- 
 noitre. In an hour he returned with the information that 
 the road was occupied by a body of troops. 
 
 "If by to-morrow we have not ten thousand devils with 
 green belts on our tends," he added, "I shall be much 
 surprised."
 
 THE FLAG OF TRUCE 219 
 
 " Tis not the attack that concerns me," replied Mag- 
 nus. " 'Tis the retreat." 
 
 He glanced at Armand-Louis as he said this and con- 
 tinued : 
 
 "Yes, yes, the assault will be repelled and John of 
 Werth, hell take him, will leave a goodly number of his 
 men stretched before our barricade. But if we leave the 
 village we'll meet the Bavarians on open ground less than 
 an hour on the other side of the forest, and we shall be 
 one against ten." 
 
 "Zounds ! What do we risk ?" added M. de Saint Paer. 
 "They'll not take us alive !" 
 
 "True; but are we alone?" murmured Armand-Louis, 
 turning his gaze upon the house in which Adrienne and 
 Diana had sought shelter. 
 
 "Curse the beggarly Germans!" exclaimed M. de Vol- 
 tras. 
 
 "Perhaps we have another means to hold the enemy in 
 check," suggested Magnus. 
 
 "We can pile up brushwood about the wooden walls 
 and thatched roofs of these cottages and easily fire the 
 whole place. Neither John of Werth nor his cavalry will 
 pass through that furnace and we can meanwhile beat a 
 retreat." 
 
 "Good!" cried M. de Collonges. 
 
 "But there are over a hundred families in the village. 
 How many women and children will be without home or 
 bread to-morrow I" 
 
 All about Magnus were silent. Each understood that 
 the squadron was at the most difficult pass it had yet en- 
 countered. 
 
 M. de Collonges stretched his cloak on a bundle of 
 straw and lav down. 
 
 "Let business wait till the morrow," he grumbled. "I'm 
 going to sleep." 
 
 Carquefou, who never lost a word of Magnus' utter- 
 ances, slept with one eye open. lie did not hold the same 
 opinion as his veteran comrade on the- question <>f burn- 
 ing the village and believed that grave maladies demand 
 heroic remedies. 
 
 "Faith," he thought to himself, "if a spark should ac-
 
 220 THE FLAG OF TRUCE 
 
 cidentally catch a cottage thatch they would not hang me 
 for it." 
 
 But first he must know whether the road through the 
 forest was free. Tormented by these thoughts Carquefou 
 rose before dawn, and, like a beast in search of prey, he 
 slipped out of the village on the side opposite to the one 
 attacked. There were great clusters of pines. Then leav- 
 ing the road he followed the wood-path in the depth of 
 which he could barely distinguish the traces of foresters. 
 A horseman would have found it difficult to pass here. A 
 quarter of an hour after he had left the last house in the 
 village he noticed a flame in the middle of the road. Car- 
 quefou fell upon his stomach and crept along on ail fours. 
 Two more fires appeared on the road, one at the right, the 
 other at the left. Shadows passed before the flames meth- 
 odically. He fancied he could distinguish muskets on the 
 shoulders of these shadows. 
 
 "Ha ! Now it's going to be spoiled !" thought Car- 
 quefou. 
 
 He crept on a bit, then lfiting his head in a bush, whose 
 branches he separated with both hands, he counted about 
 twenty flames scattered along the wood. Soon the slow 
 and regular tread of a troop on march struck his ears. 
 He leaned forward under the lower branches of the bush, 
 held his breath and waited. 
 
 A patrol of infantry, commanded by a sergeant, passed 
 quite close to him. Carquefou counted twelve men bear- 
 ing muskets. 
 
 "I might easily finish two or three," he thought, "but 
 
 then? 1 fancy by that time the others would have 
 
 rather battered me." 
 
 The result of this reflection was that he quickly turned 
 his heels to the Imperialists and returned to the village 
 noiselessly. 
 
 "Cavalry before us and infantry behind ! 'Tis done 
 perfectly," murmured Carquefou, still pressing onward. 
 
 He met Magnus, who was making his rounds. 
 
 "Let us be humane," he told him. "The fire will be 
 useful," and he detailed to the veteran what he had seen. 
 Then he added: "Yesterday M. de la Guerche spoke of
 
 THE FLAG OF TRUCE 221 
 
 Providence. Zounds, but Providence would be welcome 
 in the guise of a good Swedish regiment." 
 
 A volley of musketry interrupted them. 
 
 "There," said Magnus, "John of Werth wants to talk 
 with us." 
 
 "Let's talk, then," sighed Carquefou. 
 
 But while Armand-Louis rushed toward the threatened 
 quarter, Magnus took Renaud aside and related to him 
 what he had learned from Carquefou. 
 
 "We must divide into two bands. In a little while you 
 will have plenty to do on the forest side. If we remember 
 only the cavalry of John of Werth, his infantry will soon 
 have smoked us out like rats.*' 
 
 M. de Voltras and M. de Saint-Pacr followed Renaud; 
 M. de Collonges joined Armand-Louis. Thirty dragoons 
 were left under the orders of M. d'Arrandes to be led 
 with all speed toward the point most fiercely attacked. 
 Soon the fusillade resumed from all points. The people 
 of the village, terrified, took refuge in a poor chapel. Ad- 
 rienne and Diana fell to their knees on the threshold of 
 their house. 
 
 While they raised their voices to God in prayer, the 
 musket balls rained on the roof and bounded against the 
 walls of the houses in the village like hail in a storm. The 
 roar of musketry continued unceasingly, interrupted oc- 
 casionally by shouts and cries, which announced a death- 
 dealing stroke, now on one side, now on the other. The 
 whole village was overcast with a cloud of smoke. 
 
 The greater number of John of Werth's cavaliers had 
 leaped from their saddles and were striving to scale the 
 barricade erected by the Huguenots. Axes, hooks, pikes 
 were brought into requisition against this obstacle which 
 resembled a gigantic chevaux-de-frise. But the dragoons, 
 ambushed in every nook, beat back the assailants as fast 
 as tlu-y advanced. The French were entrenched behind 
 the trunks of trees and spans of wall, which partially pro- 
 tected them from the fire of the enemy ami permitted 
 them to make every shot tell. At times they allowed a 
 small body of soldiers to reach as far as the first line of 
 houses, then they leaped uj on th< Imperialists, who had
 
 222 THE FLAG OF TRUCE 
 
 become almost confident of victory, and not a man of 
 them but fell. 
 
 Yet no backset diminished the fury of the foes, who 
 were rallied by John of Werth, galloping hither and thith- 
 er, sword in hand and cuirass on his back. 
 
 While Armand-Louis held his position, at the other end 
 of the village Renaud withstood the assault of the in- 
 fantry. 
 
 There had been no time to build a barricade here, but 
 the village confines were protected by a small river 
 crossed by a log bridge. All the fighting was concen- 
 trated at this bridge. A very rain of bullets did not deter 
 a few lansquenets and musketeers from crossing the 
 single arch, but as soon as they showed themselves on the 
 opposite bank, Renaud, followed by M. de Voltras and M. 
 de Saint Paer charged upon them and drove them back 
 into the river, where some drowned. 
 
 On returning from such a charge Carquefou would 
 wipe the Shiverer, saying : 
 
 "Some of them get bullets, the others water. It is a 
 matter of taste." 
 
 Toward noon a parley-bearer, preceded by a trump- 
 eter, who bore a white flag, appeared on the side which 
 John of Werth commanded in person. The firing was at 
 once stopped and Armand-Louis received the truce-bear- 
 er, whose eyes Magnus had already bound. 
 
 "Speak, sir," Armand-Louis said to him, after they had 
 retired to the lower room of a house near by. 
 
 "I am sent to you by Baron John of Werth, general of 
 the troops of His Highness, the Elector of Bavaria, my 
 master, to request you to cease a futile resistance and to 
 treat of conditions in order to stop the shedding of 
 blood." 
 
 "In that case, sir, allow me to inform my companions 
 in arms. Nothing of what is to pass here shall be con- 
 cealed from them." 
 
 Armand-Louis addressed a few words to Magnus, who 
 went out ; then turning to the envoy of John of Werth, he 
 added : 
 
 "You seem to be surprised, sir, that I should summon
 
 THE FLAG OP TRUCE 223 
 
 all the men, with whom you have just been fighting, to 
 this interview ?'" 
 
 "I have admired the valor of them all," gallantly an- 
 swered the officer. "But, I admit, that I did not think the 
 presence of so many dragoons was necessary to our de- 
 liberations. I believed I was speaking to their com- 
 mander." 
 
 " Tis true, I ride at their head. This is their free 
 choice, confirmed by a commission of King Gustavus 
 Adolphus. Yet I am less their commander than their 
 friend. They would obey my orders without question, 
 but I hold it in my honor to consult with them." 
 
 Renaud, M. de Voltras, M. de Saint Paer, M. de Col- 
 longes, M. d'Arrandes and other gentlemen now entered, 
 ] 'receded by Magnus. They ranged around Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said their chief, "here is an officer sent 
 by our neighbor, Baron John of Werth, to treat a pro- 
 posal for capitulation." 
 
 "What !" cried Renaud, "have we only the hilts of 
 our swords left? Are we out of powder and balls?" 
 
 "I swear to you, sir," added M. de Collonges, "that the 
 most of us is still alive, feel us and see?" 
 
 "It is precisely to save your lordships the trouble of 
 dying," responded the officer, saluting courteously, "that 
 Baron John of Werth sends me hither. His conditions 
 are such that you can accept them without dishonor." 
 
 "After all, it shall not be said that you undertook this 
 inconvenience for nothing," returned Renaud. 
 
 "Sir, we harken to you." 
 
 "As soon as the village be surrendered and occupied 
 by our men, you will have full liberty to retreat whither- 
 soever it please you." 
 
 "Without ransom and with the right to return to the 
 camp of the King of Sweden?" asked Renaud. 
 
 "All roads lay open to you, and you will pay no ran- 
 som." 
 
 "Proceed, sir." 
 
 "The honors of wnr will be allowed you and you will 
 retain your arms and horses." 
 
 "< »ur standards also?" 
 
 "Your standards also."
 
 224 THE FLAG OF TRUCE 
 
 "Ha ! Ha !" laughed M. de Collonges. "This begins to 
 resemble a fairy tale most marvelously." 
 
 "If I may believe my ears," said M. de Saint Paer, "all 
 we have to do is to proceed on our way with blowing 
 trumpets. Why did you not speak sooner? For the last 
 three or four hours this has been our only desire." 
 
 "Perchance there may be a final little condition which 
 you have not yet mentioned ?" suggested Renaud. 
 
 "It is true, gentlemen, there is a final condition with 
 which I have still to acquaint you. Yet remember well 
 before you refuse it that all egress from this village is 
 blocked." 
 
 "Here's a bit of advice that bodes little good," mur- 
 mured M. de Collonges. 
 
 "You have with you two persons of quality, Made- 
 moiselle de Souvigny and Mademoiselle de Par- 
 daillan. They shall be restored to His Eminence, Baron 
 John of Werth, who will conduct them to the Duke of 
 Friedland, from whom, as you well know, they have been 
 violently abducted." 
 
 "In a word," said M. de Saint Paer, with a tinge of dis- 
 dain, "you propose that we deliver to you two women, 
 who, besides us, have no friends or protectors?" 
 
 "Though the lot which the friends of whom you speak 
 reserves for them may be exceedingly brilliant," con- 
 tinued the envoy, "that which awaits them at the courts of 
 Munich and Vienna will leave them no room for regret." 
 
 "You call these conditions one may accept without dis- 
 honor?" cried M. de Collonges. "To sell defenseless 
 women !" 
 
 "Bravo!" commented Renaud, grasping his hand. 
 
 Renaud's face at the same time turned scarlet with rage. 
 He was about to speak, but Armand-Louis restrained 
 him by a sign. Then turning to the Bavarian officer the 
 Huguenot announced that the conference was at an end. 
 
 "We must deliberate," he told him, "will you please to 
 withdraw? You will have an answer within a quarter of 
 an hour." 
 
 "Deliberate!" cried M. de Saint Paer, when the dra- 
 goons were alone. "Deliberate, and to what end, pray?" 
 
 "Because there is involved a matter of personal interest
 
 THK FLAG OF TRUCE 225 
 
 to M. de Chaufontaine and to myself," replied Armand- 
 Louis. "I should consider myself dishonored if I did not 
 inform you of the consequences of the resolution inspired 
 by your magnanimity. On this matter I believe that M. 
 de Chaufontaine holds the same opinion as I." 
 
 "Most surely," said Renaud. 
 
 "We are hemmed in on all sides," continued Armand- 
 Louis, "by a superior force, which is being continually 
 augmented by reinforcements, while steel and lead deci- 
 mate our ranks. If you refuse the offer of John of Werth, 
 some day we shall be caught in our entrenchments. You 
 know what we may then expect." 
 
 "Death, of course," said M. de Saint Paer, quietly. 
 
 "Well, we have no great reason to be terribly fright- 
 ened by such a thing!" exclaimed M. de Voltras. 
 
 "To die with sword in hand, is this not the best end a 
 gentleman can wish for?" added M. de Collonges. 
 
 "Besides, who can tell," continued M. d'Arrandes, 
 "how many there are condemned to death who live for 
 a long time." 
 
 "There is no need to say, 'who knows,' " Armand- 
 Louis interposed with vigor, "we have all been long ac- 
 customed to war and no peril frightens us. Come hither, 
 Magnus, and tell us what thou thinkest of our position. 
 Dost thou believe that the most tenacious courage can 
 by any desperate chance secure our salvation?" 
 
 "No," replied Magnus, gravely. "I am speaking to 
 soldiers. They know how to hear the truth. Only God's 
 hand can draw us out of this pass. If then you wish to 
 persevere in your resistance till the end, make the sacri- 
 fice of your lives. At your last hour you can all unite in 
 a close column, leave the wounded to the mercy of the 
 conqueror and frill upon the enemy. This is the supreme 
 chance which the fate of war reserves for men of heart. 
 I '• W of you will relate the episodes of this bloody strife to 
 your nephews. Outside of this there is nothing." 
 
 "You hear, gentlemen," replied Armand-Louis. "Death 
 is everywhere, yet you can avoid it." 
 
 "But you?" cried M. de Collonges. 
 
 "Oh, Renaud and I," answered Armand-Louis, taking 
 his friend's hand, "are bound by a promise which cannot
 
 226 THE FLAG OF TRUCK 
 
 be blotted out by the shedding of every drop of our blood. 
 We will return with Mademoiselle de Souvigny and 
 Mademoiselle de Pardaillan or we will not return at all." 
 
 "Then, count," said M. de Collonges, "insist no more. 
 Your lot shall be ours. I believe I interpret the feeling of 
 all my companions when I speak thus. When we set out 
 for Drachenfeld you did not conceal from us the dangers 
 of our way. The hour of real peril has struck. We are 
 all ready for it." 
 
 "Yes ! Yes ! All of us !" was cried from all sides. 
 
 "Then, gentlemen, the propositions of John of Werth, 
 which mean liberty and life to you, are declined ?" 
 
 "They are !" 
 
 "Go," said Arrnand-Louis, turning to Magnus, "and 
 have the envoy reconducted hither." 
 
 When the Bavarian officer returned he found the Hu- 
 guenots pressing about their leader, clasping his hands 
 and embracing him. A chivalrous enthusiasm glowed in 
 every visage. 
 
 "Our deliberation is done, sir," Armand-Louis began. 
 "I promised you should have your reply within a quarter 
 of an hour. Here it is : Tell John of Werth that we in- 
 tend to fight while a drop of blood flows in our veins." 
 
 "This is a sublime madness," the officer answered, cast- 
 ing a glance over the assembly. "I admire you. If 
 Sweden can count many such soldiers as you, she will 
 never be conquered." 
 
 The set faces which surrounded him told him plainly 
 how useless it would be to insist on the purpose of his 
 mission. He allowed Magnus to bind his eyes and to lead 
 him out of the village, where the trumpeter with the white 
 flag awaited him. 
 
 "Now, gentlemen," cried Armand-Louis, "to our posts. 
 Let those who separate say farewell, for they may not 
 meet again." 
 
 All brows were uncovered and these valiant warriors 
 exchanged fraternal embraces in ominous silence. 
 
 "We are ready," cried M. de Collonges, who was pale 
 with emotion, as he drew his sword the first of all. 
 
 A moment afterward the firing recommenced at both 
 extremities of the village.
 
 THK CANNON'S ROAR 227 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 THE CANNON'S ROAR. 
 
 While these combats, followed by parleys, which were 
 soon interrupted by now battles, were taking place at 
 either side of their asylum, Adrienne and Diana were 
 waiting- and praying in the house which Armand-Louis 
 had chosen as most secure. Here the two cousins had 
 found a game-warden, who was watching a child in fever. 
 At sight of them he stood up and looked at them with 
 eyes full of desperation and sombre fire. 
 
 "I had two sons and a daughter," he said to them. 
 "The two boys fell before the blows of the Swedes in de- 
 fending their father's faith. The girl was seduced by the 
 new doctrines and she has strayed from the bosom of 
 Holy Mother Church. God has avenged himself. She 
 I by an unknown malady. Of all that I loved only 
 this child remains to me, and his life is threatened. I 
 hate you because you are of Huguenot blood, but you are 
 being persecuted and are in danger. Therefore come in." 
 
 He sat down at the child's bedside, his face glowering 
 with fanatic hate. 
 
 Adrienne drew near the little invalid and took his hand. 
 The child looked at her and did not withdraw his hand. 
 
 "' '• >d is good to those who prav out of a faithful heart," 
 she said. "Hope!" 
 
 In the days when she was at the Grande-Fortelle 
 Adrienne had often had occasion to tend the sick, either 
 of the people of tin- house or those in the neighborhood. 
 She km w the virtues of certain plants and used them ef- 
 ficaciously. Toward evening her sweetness and kind 
 manner had won for her the child's heart; he wished her 
 to remain by him and felt his pain assuaged when she 
 ssed him. 
 
 Certain now of bring heard and obeyed, she prepared 
 a brew of the juice of some herbs gathered in the garden 
 and oflf< red it to him.
 
 228 THE CANNON'S ROAR 
 
 The game-warden stretched forth his hand as if to take 
 the vessel which contained the potion. 
 
 "No," interposed the child, "this woman is good to 
 me." 
 
 Then raising the cup to his lips he drank the draught. 
 
 That evening he slept peacefully ; a copious sweat ex- 
 uded from his pores and at daybreak he was breathing 
 like one just brought to life. His first glance caught Ad- 
 rienne, who was leaning against the bed. 
 
 "I dreamed that my mother kissed me last night," he 
 said, stretching his arms to her. "She looked like you." 
 
 The game-warden stood up much perturbed. Adri- 
 enne looked at him sweetly, saying, in a low voice : 
 
 "Perhaps God will deign to save him." 
 
 The child fell asleep again, holding her hand. 
 
 It was at this time that the envoy of John of Werth 
 entered the village. The roar of battle resounded even 
 until nightfall. At times a spent ball would flatten against 
 the roof of the house. Every little while Diana went to 
 the door to look without. To the right or left, whichever 
 way she gazed, she saw but two great clouds of smoke 
 streaked with flame. Then a few of the men would come 
 by, bearing on a litter some poor wounded fellow. After 
 having laid their burden in a shed or a barn they returned 
 in all haste to the strife. 
 
 "Farewell !" murmured the wounded one to his depart- 
 ing comrades. 
 
 "Farewell," was the melancholy response. 
 
 Then Adrienne and Diana left their shelter and ran to 
 render aid and consolation to the fallen. At times all 
 they had need to offer was their prayers. 
 
 Night fell and put a stop to the attacks of the Imperial- 
 ists. Despite twenty assaults they had not succeeded in 
 breaking the barriers or dislodging the Huguenots from 
 the outermost houses or the gardens which belted the vil- 
 lage. Both sides suffered the loss of a goodly number of 
 men. Several times the enemy had gained so great an 
 advance that M. de Voltras had to- run at the head of the 
 reserve to protect the points in danger. 
 
 Armand-Louis inspected his ranks; on all sides he
 
 THE CANNON'S ROAR 229 
 
 found the same resolution and intrepidity ; but neither M. 
 d'Arrandes ncr any of his companions now said : 
 
 "Who knows?" ' 
 
 "We can calculate how many days we have to live," 
 cried M. de Collonges good humoredly, "by a rule of pro- 
 portion. If in twenty-four hours we lose thirty men, how 
 many days will suffice in which to destroy those still 
 standing r' 
 
 "I don't know arithmetic," answered M. de Saint-Paer, 
 smiling. 
 
 Nevertheless there was but little talk as the night- 
 watches drew near ; the youngest and maddest heads 
 found themselves in serious meditation. They thought 
 of their distant fatherland, of those they loved, whose 
 voices they should hear nevermore. A few furtive tears 
 bedewed blond moustache ; then the refrain of a song 
 troubled the impressive silence of the night. 
 
 Magnus, indefatigable even after the battle, searched 
 the marshes which surrounded the village to discover a 
 passage. On all sides the muddy bottomed water 
 stretched out in pathless waste. 
 
 Returning from this excursion he went to the quarters 
 of Armand-Louis. 
 
 "God is master!" he said, shaking his head discon- 
 solately. 
 
 Renaud alone preserved a semblance of hope. As 
 soon as the last shot had been fired he hurried to Diana's 
 presence and here forgot everything. When she recalled 
 their situation to him, he smiled. 
 
 "By St. Estocade, my patroness," he cried, "do you 
 think that I have come all the way from La Rochelle to 
 die in Germany? Erase that from your diary, if you 
 please." 
 
 Nevertheless, at the first streak of dawn the Marquis 
 of Chaufontaine reappeared at his post and did not leave 
 it again. 
 
 He was on the valley side, as Armand-Louis was on 
 the plain side, on the day after that which saw John of 
 Werth's envoy return with his propositions spurned. 
 To-day, to the great astonishment of the French, morn- 
 ing broke without the crack of musketry.
 
 230 THE CANNON'S ROAR 
 
 "They are reserving their music to salute the sun," said 
 Renaud. 
 
 The sun rose and they heard nothing. An hour 
 passed ; then another ; the same ominous silence sur- 
 rounded the village. 
 
 Magnus and Carquefou became impatient. Taking 
 separate routes, both of them stole out of the village. The 
 sentries of the enemy were at their posts ; the men in 
 their ranks. 
 
 John of Werth was riding up and down, inspecting 
 earthworks that were being put up with superhuman ef- 
 fort, while places were being measured off by the officers. 
 The baron was pointing out his plans with his cane to 
 Madame d'Igomer, who appeared to approve of them. 
 
 "Here's something that augurs no good for us," 
 thought Magnus. 
 
 A white rocket shot out from the plain side, a red one 
 answered it from the valley. 
 
 Magnus returned to quarters, where Armand-Louis 
 was awaiting his report. Here he met Carquefou, who 
 detailed information identical with his own. At either 
 end of the village the same works was being pursued and 
 the same calm was remarkable. 
 
 "Perhaps they're going to starve us out," said M. de 
 Collonges. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said Renaud, "if battle makes holiday, 
 there is no reason why our breakfast should do like- 
 wise." 
 
 In this lay the thorny aspect of the question for Car- 
 quefou. What he had been able to discover on the day 
 of their arrival in the village, had given him but a poor 
 opinion of its culinary resources. All that they had found 
 had been eaten ; and he was at a loss to invent a means for 
 replacing what no longer existed. But a kind of miracle 
 had been wrought in the village. At the first few steps 
 of certain dragoons, whose appetite awoke early, they 
 were agreeably surprised by the sight of numerous com- 
 panies of fowl which issued from various cellars. A herd 
 of honest sheep and inoffensive calves, having been re- 
 stored to daylight, were running along in the chase of
 
 THE CANNON'S ROAR 231 
 
 shepherds. Cellars and black holes gave up their pris- 
 oners. 
 
 " Tis the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and 
 fishes," murmured Carquefou. "Blessed be the Lord!" 
 
 This miracle was the result of Magnus' execution of his 
 master's commands. All their provisions being eaten, he 
 had made known that his purse was by no means empty 
 and he had offered to pay for everything in beautiful gold 
 pieces of full weight. The poverty of the village was 
 suddenly transformed into plenty. 
 
 Carquefou, now quite reassured, passed muster of the 
 cattle and led the fattest to one side. 
 
 At noon, when he was stacking a larder with the leav- 
 ings of the feast, they had not yet heard the crack of a 
 musket. 
 
 Magnus tried anew to cross the marsh, now afoot, now 
 ahorse ; but always, despite his persistence, unsuccess- 
 fully. When he returned, exhausted by ineffectual effort, 
 his visage was commencing to lower. 
 
 Evening came ; and not a ball had fallen upon the vil- 
 lage. 
 
 The dragoons supped. The youngest of them lost not 
 a toothful ; the veterans seemed unquiet. The uncer- 
 tainty, more than the prospect of battle, weighed upon 
 their hearts. 
 
 Armand-Louis reflected that, abundant as the re- 
 sources of the village might be, they must be exhausted 
 some day ; and there must be no thought of revictualing 
 by a sortie. 
 
 The dragoons went to sleep gloomily, wrapped in their 
 cloaks. Each of them was making mute farewells to 
 France. Far away, lost in the growing shadows, they 
 could discern the fires kindled by the men of John of 
 Werth, to lighten them in their work. 
 
 A white rocket whistled into the air on the right ; two 
 red ones were the response on the left. 
 
 "To-morrow," said Magnus, "we will know what these 
 signals mean. When we do, death will be before us." 
 
 When night had well fallen, Armand-Louis besought 
 his lieutenants to redouble their watchfulness at the out- 
 pusts. Then he hurried to the side of Adrienne.
 
 232 THE CANNON'S ROAR 
 
 He found her playing with the child of the game- 
 warden. The child's fever had abated. The father sat 
 in a corner gazing now upon his boy, now upon the 
 beautiful young foreigner. His face glowed with tender- 
 ness and gratitude. A burst of joyous laughter, a child's 
 laughter, suddenly sounded and filled the house with 
 gayety. The game-warden trembled and silently kissed 
 the hem of Adrienne's robe. But noticing the entry of 
 Armand-Louis, he dropped that delicate hand, kissing 
 it, and withdrew. 
 
 "Well, what news ?" asked Adrienne, as she rocked the 
 child on her knee. 
 
 "I believe we have tired the enemy and that they are 
 beating a retreat," answered Armand-Louis, whose face 
 wore an untroubled expression that betrayed naught of 
 their dire situation. 
 
 He sat beside Adrienne and they talked a while in a 
 low voice. Armand-Louis replied and smiled as though 
 they were still at St. Wast Castle. Nevertheless, at the 
 slightest sound from without, he lent ear, fearing a sur- 
 prise. 
 
 "What troubles and torments have I not caused you, 
 dear friend," said Adrienne, taking note of his furtive 
 glances toward the door. 
 
 Armand-Louis did not reply, but remained listening 
 intently. 
 
 "You are hiding something from me," she added 
 quickly. 
 
 "God is master," answered Armand-Louis with a tre- 
 mor. "To-morrow we may make a desperate resolve 
 Until then, do not fear." 
 
 The night passed uninterruptedly. A glorious day fol- 
 lowed it. It looked as though the Imperalists had not al- 
 tered their mind. All the change noticeable lay in the 
 earthworks that had been built in the night to the right 
 and left of the road leading from the plain. The earth 
 had likewise been thrown up at the other extremity of 
 the village, on the forest-side, and presented the same 
 ominous aspect. 
 
 Magnus, whose brow lowered, met the glance of Ar- 
 mand-Louis. Then he turned without saying a word.
 
 THE CANNON'S ROAR 233 
 
 Armand-Louis tapped him oil the shoulder, saying: 
 
 "What docs this mean?" 
 
 "Sir,"' replied the old soldier, "we pulled ourselves out 
 of Magdebourg and out of Ravennest Castle. We con- 
 quered at Drachcnfeld ; but I'm afraid we'll find our tomb 
 here." 
 
 The sun was now high in the heavens, when, for the 
 second time, the same officer, who had come for parley 
 before, presented himself at the outposts. 
 
 "Night brings with it counsel sometimes," he said to 
 Armand-Louis. "You have had two nights in which to 
 reflect Have you done so?" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "And vou surrender?" 
 
 "No." 
 
 An expression of profound sadness overspread the 
 countenance of the Bavarian. 
 
 "Perhaps, if I were in your place I should act as you 
 do," he added. "Nevertheless, my heart bleeds at the 
 thought of the shedding of so much noble blood." 
 
 "All our days are counted, sir. No drop of blood 
 shall flow, unless God so wills." 
 
 Armand-Louis conducted the officer in person to the 
 lines, after which every man flew to his post. The 
 dragoons felt instinctively that the terrible day was come. 
 
 They had hardly drawn up in line ere a trumpet call 
 resounded from the ranks of John of Werth. Almost im- 
 mediately afterward a cloud of white smoke covered the 
 road. A ball whistled through the branches of the bar- 
 ricade and felled a dragoon who, at two paces from Ar- 
 mand-Louis, was renewing the priming of his pistols. 
 
 "Ah, the brcaslworks !" cried Magnus. 
 
 Another roar answered the first volley and a ball that 
 came from the depths of the valley, toppled over a tree at 
 the door of a house. 
 
 The Huguenots understood now why John of Werth 
 had left them undisturbed for a whole day. 
 
 "We shall soon be obliged to see these gentlemen at 
 close range," said Kenaud. 
 
 The cannons, of which there were two on either side, 
 answering each other alternately, wrought terrible havoc,
 
 234 THE CANNON'S ROAR 
 
 but never broke the courage of the French. Some of 
 them, including Renaud, leaped forward and by a better 
 directed and more copious fire, succeeded in decimating 
 the ranks of the enemy. Their platoons of greater num- 
 ber imitated this manoeuver and boldly led to the last line 
 of houses under cover of walls and orchards, they gath- 
 ered batteries here and picked off the cannonaders from 
 the side of their guns. 
 
 In order to dislodge the besieged, columns of infantry 
 were cast upon them, which were in turn shattered by the 
 fury and expertness of the Huguenots, as the flinging of 
 a stone shatters a vase of clay. Every field, garden and 
 ditch was strewn with the dead. 
 
 Armand-Louis was ever the foremost in the attack and 
 the last to retreat. Magnus never left his side. 
 
 In the intervals between assaults Renaud sent for news 
 of Armand-Louis, as the latter also did to know how mat- 
 ters were progressing at his friend's post. Magnus and 
 Carquefou, who acted as couriers, crossed in their hur- 
 ried expeditions and exchanged a word as they passed. 
 
 "All goes well down there," said the old reiter. "We 
 have twelve dead and twenty wounded — who are still 
 fighting." 
 
 "On our side it hails — hails iron and lead," answered 
 Carquefou. "I'm frozen in the marrow and burning in 
 the face. Our men are dying a little." 
 
 At sunset a final charge, led by John of Werth in per- 
 son, brought the Imperialists up to the barricade, whose 
 thickness had been increased by a fresh stack of hewn 
 trees. The Huguenots, weakened by cruel losses, had 
 just been dislodged from their outposts. Armand-Louis 
 serried his men and fell upon the enemy, who were striv- 
 ing to penetrate into the village by the breaches their 
 balls had effected. He caught sight of John of Werth 
 and he discerned the swordknot, embroidered by Ad- 
 rienne, hanging from his hilt. 
 
 "Come hither, thou !" cried the Huguenot, felling a 
 lansquenet at each blow to clear his way to the baron. 
 
 "Dost take me for an adventurer like thee? I am the 
 general of an army," replied the Bavarian, as he directed 
 his soldiers toward a point not well guarded.
 
 THE CANNON'S ROAR 235 
 
 M. d'Arrandes divined his purpose and rushed forward 
 at the head of the little band he held in reserve. The 
 terrific shock of the Huguenots stopped the Imperialists. 
 They were attacked in front by M. d'Arrandes and on the 
 ilank by Armand-Louis. They withdrew, driven back, 
 with swords in their vitals, through the orchard they had 
 crossed. They held this position with difficulty. 
 
 At this juncture Renaud rejoined Armand-Louis. 
 
 " Tis a good quarter of an hour that we've been doing 
 nothing below there," he said. "I have left the com- 
 mand in the hands of M. de Saint-Paer and have come 
 hither to see how things are. 'Twas the awful noise in 
 this quarter that bothered my cars." 
 
 With a bound he was in the thick of the strife. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer, who watched the battle ahorse from 
 a small hill, wearing a velvet doublet in the belt of which 
 hung a poinard, saw him forcing a passage in the midst 
 of the combatants. A mixture of rage, admiration and 
 sorrow suddenly changed the expression of her features. 
 
 "Ah, if he had only loved me !" she murmured. 
 
 At this moment, John of Werth, who was roaring like 
 a lion torn from its prey, strove to drive back the fleeing 
 by beating them with the flat of his sword, but darkness 
 fell upon the plain. 
 
 "The game's postponed," he said, finally. 
 
 The cannons, which had not been fired since the men 
 were fighting hand to hand, bellowed anew. 
 
 "Halt!" cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 In the first ranks of those who stopped at the sound 
 of his voice, Armand-Louis saw M. d'Arrandes. He 
 gave him his hand, saying: 
 
 "Ah, you arrived in good time, friend." 
 
 "Thus, Captain, you can one day say to the Viscount 
 d'Arrandes, my father, that I did my duty," cried the gen- 
 tleman, joyously.
 
 2 x6 THE MARSH 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 THE MARSH. 
 
 Armand-Louis, his heart throbbing with joy over his 
 victory, walked through the ranks of his friends. A 
 goodly number of them failed to answer the roll-call. 
 Many others, covered with blood, could no longer lift 
 either sword or musket. Some lay in their cloaks await- 
 ing death. The eyes of all of them were turned towards 
 the setting sun. Perhaps they were thinking of France, 
 hidden below the horizon. 
 
 At the first sound of this furious battle, Adrienne had 
 leaped out of the cottage in which slept the sick child. 
 Diana followed her, gasping for breath, with distended 
 nostrils. 
 
 The game-warden, still gloomy and absorbed, walked 
 behind them. 
 
 "Dost hear? It is the cannon," said Diana. 
 
 "Yes, it is the cannon," murmured the warden. 
 
 "Oh ! They are lost !" cried Adrienne. 
 
 "Ah. A ball goes farther than a sword. To-day or to- 
 morrow all will be over," added the warden. 
 
 Diana seized the arm of Adrienne feverishly, saying : 
 
 "I have always thought that a terrible day would come 
 which should summon all the energy of a woman's heart. 
 Dost thou not feel the same resolution ?" 
 
 "I understand it," replied Adrienne. 
 
 "God forgive me if it be a crime, but never while I live 
 shall I fall again into the hands of John of Werth !" 
 
 "They are of the same age as was my poor daughter," 
 murmured the warden, the tears flowing slowly down his 
 cheek. 
 
 Towards evening the child, which Adrienne had 
 watched and fondled like a mother, for three days, called 
 her to his bedside. 
 
 "Kiss me," he said to her, "and I will sleep well."
 
 THE MARSH 
 
 237 
 
 Adrienne kissed the child, and while Diana, pale and 
 haggard, looked out of the window, hearkening the 
 clamor of the assault, she knelt by the bed, joining her 
 hands and prayed : 
 
 "Lord, my God, I have sacrificed my life to you, spare 
 him whose name you read in my heart." 
 
 The warden, who had been walking up and down in 
 the room, suddenly drew near her and laying his hand 
 on her shoulder, said : 
 
 "I had sworn to let all your people die in this corner 
 of the world, as my two sons have died. But you have 
 saved the life of this child. I will save you and all who 
 are with you." 
 
 Adrienne stood up and regarded him in amazement. 
 
 "Asa has never lied," continued the warden. "You have 
 opened the way to my heart by pity. When night is 
 quite fallen, tell him who came to see you yesterday, to- 
 gether with his companions in arms, that I swear to you, 
 I will save you all." 
 
 Meanwhile the dragoons whom death had spared were 
 busy in digging trenches in which to bury their unhappy 
 comrades, who had fallen in battle. 
 
 Even M. de Collonges was grave. The trenches were 
 many, and many also were the wounded. He was cal- 
 culating for how many hours the defense might last, and 
 he scarcely found sufficient for two days, after which 
 none should survive, so swiftly did death swing his scythe. 
 At this time in the midst of the flaring torches which 
 illuminated the spots where the battle had raged most 
 fiercely, Adrienne appeared, searching for Armand- 
 I.ouis. The- men gathered here moved away that they 
 might be alone. In a broken voice she told him what 
 she had just heard from the warden. 
 
 "I have faith in the word of this man," she added. 
 "Therefore assemble the dragoons in the village square." 
 
 "God is with us." cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 At this cry. the dragoons who had gone away came 
 rushing towards him rind he informed them of the prom- 
 ise made by Asa to his sweetheart. Soon the strange 
 news, that a man had promised to rescue those who wcrr 
 lift of the Hugm-ii'iK was borne from mouth to mouth.
 
 238 THE MARSH 
 
 An hour later the entire squadron was arrayed in the 
 order of battle in the village square. 
 
 The better to hide the retreat, Armand-Louis and Re- 
 naud took care to set blazing great fires along the stretch 
 of barricades and at the abandoned bridge. The sentries 
 exchanged halloas as they moved away to make it be- 
 lieved that the guard was to be prolonged until morning. 
 The Huguenots formed in the order of march noisily. 
 Carquefou flung his hat into the air, saying: "Another 
 hour of this life, enameled with balls, and the excitement 
 should have killed me !" 
 
 Almost immediately the warden arrived with torches. 
 He kindled one and approaching Armand-Louis, he 
 said : 
 
 "Divide your soldiers into two platoons of twenty, and 
 let the one who marches at the head of each bear a torch." 
 
 The ranks of the squadron broke, and each platoon 
 was formed in silence. 
 
 "Now, follow me," said Asa. 
 
 He walked at the head of the column and led the way 
 towards the marsh, which belted the village with rushes 
 and weeds. 
 
 For some time he searched at the border of the stag- 
 nant water, then halting beside an uprooted willow, he 
 said: 
 
 "This is the place." Then turning to Armand-Louis, 
 he pointed to the marsh whose surface was covered with 
 sword-grass and weeds. A light breeze rippled the water. 
 
 "The way of safety lies before us," he continued. "No 
 one knows it, excepting me. I will go first, the two 
 young ladies shall follow me, the men after us." 
 
 "And I will be the last," said Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Let each of you be very careful to ride your horses in 
 my tracks," added Asa. "If one of you goes out of the 
 line of my march, he will be lost in the swamp. The 
 path is not broad, only one man can ride abreast. Keep 
 your ears and eyes open. All that vigilance can secure I 
 promise, the rest belongs to God." 
 
 "But," asked M. de Collonges, "will not these torches 
 light us on our way?" 
 
 "Look at the fires which glide across the marsh. How
 
 THE MARSH 239 
 
 many women cross themselves when they see those er- 
 rant flames ! Do you believe that the torches which are 
 to guide you will increase their number?" 
 
 Having said this, Asa urged his horse into the marsh. 
 The water splashed up from the animal's hoofs. Renaud 
 seized the warden by the arm. 
 
 "By the blood of Christ, this is not reason,'' he said. 
 
 "She saved my child," said Asa, pointing to Adrienne, 
 "and you mistrust me." 
 
 Then he advanced. Adrienne followed him resolutely, 
 and the whole troop did likewise. 
 
 The wind rose and shook the bushy forests of the 
 weeds, which murmured plaintively. 
 
 At times a wild bird, awakened by the passage of the 
 cavaliers, sprang up with a cry and with frightened wing 
 skimmed the cloak of a dragoon. Soon the last soldier 
 had left the shore and Armand-Louis followed him. 
 Naught disturbed the silence in which the village slept 
 save the occasional halloas of the Imperial sentries. The 
 long line of Huguenots plunged further and further into 
 the marsh. They rode slowly one after the other, seek- 
 ing each other's tracks, the head of each horse on the 
 crupper of the horse which preceded. None spoke. The 
 torches, shaking in the wind, threw red streaks of light 
 upon the dismal surface of the water, which were lost 
 in the midst of the weeds. At times the horses sank in 
 the slime up to their houghs. Once or twice their great 
 breasts almost disappeared in a bed of floating grass, but 
 just when the earth seemed to be Ios1 beneath their feet, 
 they found a solid soil which lay hidden from all eyes 
 under the sleeping wat< r. 
 
 Asa did not keep a regular gait. Tie hesitated and 
 glanced about him, then lie leaned over the mane of his 
 horse, consulting the still surface of the marsh with a 
 piercing eye, sounding the thick mesh of grass, turning 
 to the right, then to the left, then stopping for a minute 
 or making a sign to Adrienne who followed him, when 
 he would beat about until he found again tin- invisible 
 line of passage, which wound under the water. At this a 
 smile would brighten his pale visage, and he would press 
 forward again before her.
 
 240 THE MARSH 
 
 This long journey lasted almost two hours. Finally 
 a wooded shore appeared by the dim light of the stars, a 
 more solid footing grew under the horses' feet, and a leap 
 bore Asa upon the steep bank of the marsh. He turned, 
 and each dragoon in his turn did likewise. Not a single 
 man had strayed. Armand-Louis was the last. Before 
 him the country spread out, hidden by a curtain of forest. 
 
 A spontaneous impulse threw Adrienne and Diana into 
 each other's arms. Armand-Louis uncovered. All the 
 cavaliers imitated him, and a deep sigh of benediction 
 rose to God. All these brave soldiers had left death be- 
 hind them and hope seemed to be calling them to the 
 other end of the horizon. 
 
 "Take the road to the right," said Asa, pointing to the 
 north. "Follow it until you come to a cross of stone. 
 There take the road which is built of stone. Each step 
 you make in that direction will put you further from the 
 Imperialists." 
 
 Meanwhile the dragoons, who had drawn up in battle 
 array, shook their damp cloaks. Armand-Louis drew a 
 long purse from his pocket and tried to pass it to the 
 warden. But the first words of the sombre Catholic 
 stopped him. 
 
 "You owe me nothing," he ,said. "I did this for a 
 woman and not for you. God is my witness that if you 
 had been alone, I should have left the village to its fate 
 and would have done nothing to save you." 
 
 Asa brushed back his hair, which was wet with the 
 moisture of the marsh, and, casting a glance upon the 
 cavaliers, he added : 
 
 "One thing amazes me, which is, that I, Asa Herr, 
 have had the heart to save from death soldiers serving 
 under the Swedish colors. May the bones of my sons 
 forgive me ! And now farewell." 
 
 He took Adrienne's hand, bore it respectfully to his 
 lips, and leaped back into the marsh. Almost immedi- 
 ately his silhouette was lost in the blackness of the night. 
 
 "Your goodness," said Armand-Louis, approaching 
 Adrienne, "has done more for our salvation than our own 
 courage."
 
 THE MARSH 241 
 
 Then, with resolute tread, he urged his horse along the 
 path which Asa had indicated. 
 
 Sunrise surprised them at the cross of stone, where the 
 roads intersected. As far as the eye could reach they 
 could see neither cavalry nor infantry. 
 
 "Gentlemen.'" said M. de Collonges gaily, "behold us 
 now as Ulysses when he escaped from the cave of Poly- 
 phemus. Let us gallop a little to warm our blood." 
 
 As they were driving on towards the north, John of 
 Werth commanded his batteries to open fire again. 
 Lodged in fields and orchards, his musketeers awaited a 
 rally of the Huguenots. Astonished at hearing or seeing 
 nothing, John of Werth led a reconnoitre as far as the 
 barricade. 
 
 Not a ball shot out from the branches. The captain, 
 who was versed in stratagem, feared an ambush. lie 
 drew up his troop behind a rising ground and command- 
 ed the batteries to redouble fire. 
 
 In the village all remained silent and undisturbed. 
 
 A few of the more hardy pikemen scaled a wall around 
 which a goodly number of their comrades had found 
 death the evening before. They ventured even beyond 
 posts they had until now been unable to attain. 
 
 Madame dTgomer. who saw them suddenly scatter 
 like a flight of birds of prey behind the barricade which 
 masked the village, gave her impatient steed free rein, 
 and. leaping over the obstacles, came up with them in a 
 few seconds. 
 
 The main street, so long and so heroically defended 
 by the dragoons, opened before her. Some few women 
 were walking here and drawing water from the fountains. 
 
 In an instant she had gained the limits of the village. 
 ry where were to be seen pools of blood and mounds 
 of freshly turned earth ; but nowhere a single soldier. 
 Far away in the distance the road stretched deserted. 
 
 "J". ut where can they be?" she cried, tormented by a 
 maddening rage. 
 
 It was now two or three hours since the game-warden 
 had returned to his cottage. 
 
 John of Werth had followed Madame d'Igomer at the 
 head of a regiment.
 
 242 THE MARSH 
 
 "Do you understand this?" she asked him. "I tell you 
 Satan protects them." 
 
 But John of Werth did not believe in such mysterious 
 protection. He was quite sure that the Huguenots had 
 not escaped by the road which crept down the valley. He 
 stopped the first peasant that passed. 
 
 "Dost thou know whether there be any path through 
 the marsh?" he asked. 
 
 "Our fathers have spoken of a path which could be 
 seen years ago," answered the peasant trembling. "But 
 the secret has long since been lost. The game-warden, 
 Asa, used to run across it, when he was young, in order 
 to surprise the ducks. I was a little child then. A great 
 many people have been drowned in trying to imitate 
 him." 
 
 John of Werth desired to see Asa, ?ad was conducted 
 
 to his cottage. 
 
 "I am told that thou knowest the path which leads 
 across the marsh," he said. "We have discovered the 
 hoof prints of many horses on its borders. Hast thou 
 served as guide to the Huguenots?" 
 
 "Me!" answered the warden. "I have been watching 
 this child all night along. Besides my two sons died in 
 fighting the Swedes. One at Leipzic, the other at the 
 passage of the Lech " 
 
 "And thou believest that if the cursed Huguenots, 
 whom we are pursuing, have set foot in this marsh with- 
 out a guide, not one of them will leave it alive?" 
 
 "Not a single one." 
 
 John of Werth left the cottage. 
 
 "Oh my sons !" murmured the warden, as he kissed his 
 sleeping child.
 
 WOLF AND SHE-WOLF 243 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 WOLF AND SHE-WOLF. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer herself had discovered many hoof- 
 prints in divers places on the shore of the marsh. She 
 looked for them under the water and saw them vanish 
 here and there in the midst of a bed of grass which the 
 wind caused to foam. Her anxious looks questioned the 
 horizon. Had those whom she was pursuing with in- 
 defatigable hate succeeded in crossing this reputed un- 
 fordable spot, or were they sleeping under the surface of 
 this leaden water? The space replied not. She heard 
 only the plaintive cries of the curlews beating their wings 
 among the weeds. A thousand variant sentiments 
 troubled her heart. It was mingling of joy and deep and 
 violent pain. He who had betrayed her and whom she 
 had loved, had he not paid the penalty with his life? 
 What a death was this in the sinister waters of a marsh, 
 and how well her vengeance had served her! But the 
 last look of Renaud had doubtless met that of Diana, 
 their hands had joined in a supreme clasp, death had 
 united them, and now nought could ever separate them. 
 Suddenly the thought that perhaps they had succeeded 
 in reaching the opposite bank crossed her mind. A 
 shudder passed through her frame and she thought only 
 of retracing them to capture them and inflict her worst 
 upon them. 
 
 J hn 1 if W'erth was only half assured by the declaration 
 of the game-warden. He had too often witnessed the 
 incredible resources which Armand-I.ouis and Renaud 
 drew from their courage and their address, not to doubt 
 that they had once more overcome the obstacles heaped 
 up in their way. Further, would they have exposed 
 their companions to an almost certain death if they had
 
 244 WOLF AND SHE-WOLF 
 
 not by some means secured the secret of crossing the 
 marsh ? 
 
 Such he knew their character to be, that they would 
 have twenty times preferred to gallop their horses into his 
 cannons' mouths and upon his saber blades, thus breaking 
 a way through his ranks or perishing in the effort. The 
 hoofprints on the muddy edge of the marsh were every- 
 where very numerous on the right as well as on the left 
 shore. The cattle of the village and the beasts of burden 
 were wont to haunt these places for pasture. The peas- 
 ants who were questioned answered vaguely. Some had 
 seen nothing, others had slept. The most of them, mad 
 with terror, declared that since the siege of the village 
 had begun they had not left their cottages. In fine, no 
 information could be gained from them. Weary of ques- 
 tioning them, John of Werth sent scouts here and there 
 to find the exact spot at which a body of cavalry might 
 have crossed. Their zeal was spurred by the anxious 
 anger and feverish impatience of Madame d'Igomer. 
 She rode along the edge of the marsh, leaning over her 
 horse's neck, searching for a trace which should put her 
 on the track of the fugitives. Suddenly she was seen to 
 stop, and pointing to a spread of glade marked in a 
 straight line by the hoofs of fifty horses, she cried : 
 
 "There it is ! There I" 
 
 "I see nothing except the hoofprints which are every- 
 where to be found," said John of Werth, who had gal- 
 loped up to her in answer to her call. 
 
 "But look there," replied Madame d'Igomer, pointing 
 to a bow of ribbon, which floated among the bushes a 
 short distance from the shore. "She passed there. That 
 bit of silk hanging on the bush, does it not prove what I 
 said ? Ah, I recognize it. This scarlet bow was worn by 
 Mademoiselle de Pardaillan at her breast. Behold the 
 path under the water, behold the deep hoofprints, one 
 after the other, which lose themselves in the distance." 
 
 " 'Tis true," said John of Werth. "If they have passed, 
 shall we not pass also ? Ah, that bow of ribbon, I want 
 to know whether Renaud de Chaufontaine did not fall 
 beside it." 
 
 "What are you going to do ?"
 
 WOLF AND SHE -WOLF 245 
 
 "Show you the way. Will you follow me if I suc- 
 ceed ?" Then inspired by the demon of hate, Madame 
 d'Igomer spurred her horse into the marsh before anv 
 one could stop her. 
 
 "Beware, you are tempting God," cried out one of the 
 peasants, whom John of Werth had been questioning. 
 
 But her horse's hoofs had just struck solid ground. 
 Madame d'Igomer shook her hand with disdain and pur- 
 sued her perilous course. The scarlet bow of ribbon, 
 which her eyes never quitted, attracted her like a magnet. 
 For some minutes the cavaliers of John of Werth followed 
 her with their eyes, hesitating on the shore, tempted to 
 follow her, but awed by the mysteries of this spread of 
 water, which was veiled here and there by reeds and 
 bushes. 
 
 "And you are men, soldiers !" cried back Madame 
 d'Igomer, who rode still onward. 
 
 Eight or ten cavaliers galloped in her tracks. John 
 of Werth never stirred. 
 
 "If they find the pass I shall follow," he murmured. 
 
 The cavaliers rode chancefully, some recklessly, some 
 with circumspection. After an advance of a hundred 
 steps one of them sank suddenly into a gut, his horse dis- 
 appearing up to the breast. Another felt the mire cave 
 under him and leaped back. A third slipped into a hole 
 and with difficulty swam back to the shore. Then they 
 all halted. 
 
 Madame d'Igomer continued to advance alone. The 
 bow of scarlet ribbon nodded in the wind and smiled to 
 the sun. 
 
 Suddenly her horse stumbled. One of his hind legs 
 sank up to the haunch. With a violent effort he tore him- 
 self out of the mire only to fall into a hole at the other 
 side. For an instant he struggled to regain the path he 
 had lost. Each strain plunged him deeper into the mire. 
 His hoofs beat the mud frantically, splashing it up into 
 the eyes of his mistress, till it almost blinded her. Then 
 the water reached to her knees. Despite her brave heart 
 she was terrified. 
 
 "Help! Help!" she screamed.
 
 246 WOLF AND SHE-WOLF 
 
 John of Werth set the example by plunging resolutely 
 into the marsh. Several of his men followed him. 
 
 But the frightened steed of Madame d'Igomer no 
 longer obeyed the bridle, and leaping and kicking madly 
 only dug deeper into the sinking earth. He reared sud- 
 denly, slipped and fell on his side. 
 
 "Help ! Help !" screamed Madame d'Igomer anew. 
 
 Buried up to her shoulders, her hands clutched wildly 
 at the bushes. The weight dragged them down, they 
 bent and the water reached up to her chin. She uttered 
 a piercing shriek, her arms beat the slimy waters con- 
 vulsively, and then she vanished beneath them. 
 
 John of Werth urged his horse straight ahead. He 
 was dumbstruck, and the pallor of death was on his brow. 
 When he reached the hole into which Madame d'Igomer 
 had been buried alive the green, greasy water was placid 
 as a mirror. A silk scarf, which he picked up on the 
 point of his sword, was the sole sign that a woman had 
 disappeared there. 
 
 For a moment John of Werth glanced at the edge of 
 the abyss, harrowed by the silence which succeeded the 
 struggle of youth against death. Two or three men who 
 had dismounted attempted, with him, to drag Madame 
 d'Igomer from her tomb, but the marsh-bed yielded not 
 its prey. 
 
 Convinced that they could do nothing and that if they 
 succeeded in discovering her body, it would not be the 
 only one to be borne back to the shore, John of Werth 
 remounted. 
 
 "Now let us avenge her!" he said. 
 
 Then, having regained the shore, he commanded a 
 part of his troop to speed along the north road while he, 
 at the head of the others, undertook to round the marsh. 
 
 The French had a great advance upon them, but cour- 
 iers sent in all directions could not fail to overtake them. 
 Their only care was not to mistake the route that had 
 been followed. 
 
 Towards evening one of the couriers returned to John 
 of Werth. He had discovered the tracks of the Hugue- 
 nots.
 
 WOLF AND SHE-WOLF 247 
 
 "Dead or alive, 1*11 have them," cried the baron, dig- 
 ging the spurs into his winded horse. 
 
 His mad chase carried him into a territory covered 
 with the corpses of men and horses. Far away a fleece 
 of white smoke blanched the crest of the heather. 
 
 "Curse them," roared John of Werth, "they have 
 passed here.'' and he spurred his horse anew. 
 
 In truth Armand-Louis and Renaud had just passed. 
 "When they reached this country they found a body of 
 cavalry, which barred their way at a chain of hills into 
 which opened a narrow defile. They had needs gain this 
 point with the utmost celerity. To parley meant the loss 
 of precious moments, and would have allowed the Im- 
 perialists to form ranks. Divided as they now were, the 
 Huguenots might break through their line almost with- 
 out striking a blow. 
 
 A rising ground enabled the Huguenots to arrive just 
 before the encampment. 
 
 "Let us trot now," said Armand-Louis. "When with- 
 in pistol range, gallop all together.'' 
 
 The sight of the squadron suddenly debouched on the 
 plain at first surprised the Imperialists. Some of them 
 leaped to their saddles; others prepared their arms while 
 remaining on foot. The attitude of the squadron ap- 
 proaching on an easy trot drove all mistrust from their 
 minds. Nevertheless two or three cavaliers were sent 
 out to reconnoitre them. 
 
 Armand-Louis advanced constantly. Adrienne and 
 Diana were in the midst of the troop, flanked by ten dra- 
 goons, chosen from the stoutest and best mounted of his 
 men. 
 
 They allowed the cavaliers to draw near. Then when 
 the latter summoned them to halt, at a sign from Ar- 
 maud-Louis, the Huguenots dashed madly upon the en- 
 campment, pistols in hand. 
 
 They were as a rushing torrent upon a field of ripe 
 corn. The hole they made was broad and bloody, and 
 hardly half the Imperialists had drawn sabre ere the 
 Huguenot! galloped towards the defile. 
 
 A few stray balls followed thi m as they attained the 
 foot of the hill-range.
 
 248 WOLF AND SHE-WOLF 
 
 John of Werth reached the spot as the Imperialists, 
 comparable to a flock of wild birds dispersed by the shot 
 of a hunter, were consulting as to what course they 
 should pursue. 
 
 The horse of the baron shuddered as he drew up and 
 dropped dead. 
 
 "You hesitate?" he cried, as he made known his 
 identity. 
 
 He flung a wounded cavalier from his saddle, and, tak- 
 ing his place, said : 
 
 "Forward ! Ten ducats of gold to the first man who 
 kills a Huguenot !" 
 
 An old officer took the baron's bridle in his hand and, 
 pointing before him, said : 
 
 "Behold, my lord !" 
 
 John of Werth looked and saw the dragoons heaving 
 great boulders of rock into the defile. The roar of the 
 massive rocks as they rolled down the mountain side 
 reached his ears. 
 
 "How many of us are there?" asked John of Werth. 
 
 "About a thousand." 
 
 "Good. Five hundred of us will fall and five hundred 
 will pass. Forward !" 
 
 The Imperialists, inspired by the voice of the baron, 
 galloped onward at a mad pace.
 
 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH 249 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH. 
 
 Armand-Louis, who had been observing the enemy, 
 collected his dragoons around him. 
 
 "Monsieur de Saint-Paer," he said, "you will take one 
 hundred men with you and ride straight ahead to the end 
 of the defile. Perhaps, and this is my hope, you will find 
 some Swedes at the other side of the mountain. Then 
 Mademoiselle de Pardaillan and Mademoiselle de Souv- 
 igny will be saved. Renaud and I and Monsieur Voltras 
 and Monsieur de Collonges will sustain the attack of the 
 Imperialists. Fifty men will suffice to guard this pas- 
 sage." 
 
 "Why do you not yourself remain with the young 
 ladies?" cried M. de Saint-Paer. "It is our part to fight, 
 your part to save them." 
 
 "If the Swedes are not on the other side of the moun- 
 tain, will not your mission be the more perilous? It is 
 with your sword that you must hew your way to them." 
 
 M. de Saint-Paer was about to reply. 
 
 "Have you not freely chosen me as your commander?'' 
 asked Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Then, sir, obey. It is no longer your friend who 
 speaks, it is your captain." 
 
 Then, as the brow of M. de Saine-Paer darkened sadly, 
 Armand-Louis took his hand, saying: 
 
 "You have two wounds, I know, sir. Give the others a 
 chance to show later such glorious scars." 
 
 Meanwhile, the Imperialists came galloping, mad with 
 a thirst for blood. The farewells of the dragoons were 
 hasty, sad, almost mute. Adrienne and Diana, who had 
 not heard the above conversation, set out. astonished at 
 not rinding Armand-I.cuis and Renaud at their side. At
 
 250 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH 
 
 the first turn which the defile made in the mountain, M. 
 de Saint-Paer heard a crash as of thunder behind him. 
 It was the beginning of the fusillade. 
 
 "Oh, God !" cried Adrienne, "they are fighting." As 
 she spoke, both she and Diana reined up their horses. 
 
 "Madame," said M. de Saint-Paer, "you are in my 
 charge. I have answered for your safety upon my 
 honor. Forward." 
 
 The two young women lowered their veils to hide their 
 tears, and as their steeds followed the pass of the defile, 
 the roar of the conflict gradually died in the distance be- 
 hind them. M. de Saint-Paer rode in the rear, with 
 bowed head. 
 
 It should be remembered that the boulders of rock cast 
 down by the Huguenots blocked the defile. But the 
 spaces between them allowed two or three men to pass at 
 the risk of life. 
 
 John of Werth, furious with rage, led the Imperialists 
 against this improvised rampart. 
 
 There was one thousand on one side, fifty on the other. 
 But the narrow road was full of windings. Scarcely two 
 men could march abreast, and every ball from the rocks 
 above felled one of them. A wall of corpses soon grew 
 up before the wall of stone. The Imperialists did not 
 count their dead ; but kept advancing constantly. 
 
 The dragoons were on foot, having hidden their horses 
 behind the angle of an enormous rock. When one of 
 them fell wounded, he sat up and ceased fighting only at 
 the last ebb of his life-blood. 
 
 At times a savage onslaught bore some of the Imperi- 
 alists up to the crest of the rocks, or gliding in between 
 masses which no effort could break. But then sword- 
 points or butt of muskets met them. Magnus and Car- 
 quefou had armed thmselves with long pikes, on which 
 they spitted the assailants. "This is an exercise which 
 recalls to me the siege of Berg-Op-Zoom," said Magnus, 
 "when with great lance blows we precipitated Spaniards 
 into ditches full of water." 
 
 "Alas," replied Carquefou, "these pike strokes make 
 me think of the kitchen of St. Wast Castle. But there
 
 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH 251 
 
 we spitted only honest capons. We had good appetites 
 there and no goose-flesh as now." 
 
 Evening fell. Then darkness rose from the depths of 
 the valley and enveloped the mountain. The blows be- 
 came less frequent and attacks less rapid. The Imperial- 
 ists seemed tired of making a pasture of the dead. A 
 final wave of men had been broken against the wall, be- 
 hind which the Huguenots were intrenched. Soon the 
 voices of the officers could be heard, commanding the 
 retreat. 
 
 "Where dost thou fancy the young ladies are now?" 
 Armand-Louis asked of Renaud. 
 
 "In the plain doubtless," replied the latter. 
 
 The order to mount passed softly from mouth to 
 mouth. Each dragoon in turn left his fighting post. 
 Armand-Louis, Renaud, Magnus and Carqucfou were 
 the last to stand up noiselessly. They sighed as they 
 looked at those who could never rise again. M. de Yoltras 
 and M. de Collonges were alone. The latter was bent 
 over in his saddle, his hand gripped on the pommel. The 
 other sat erect and smiling. 
 
 The horses of the dead were led by the bridle, and 
 Armand-Louis, who remained in the rear, gave the signal 
 to set out. 
 
 Only twenty men were there. Thirty slept in eternal 
 sleep, their faces upturned to heaven. 
 
 The dragoons left behind them a wall impassable to 
 cavalry ; but since night had fallen John of W'erth, who 
 suspected a flight similar to that which had saved them 
 once before, had a troop of determined men charge 
 against the barricade every quarter of an hour. He 
 judged of the presence of the Huguenots by the blows 
 with which they answered these attacks. 
 
 When the troop was scattered Armand-Louis signalled 
 \<> Renaud, Magnus and Carquefou; the four of them re- 
 turned to their tracks. They hid themselves in the fis- 
 sures <>f the rocks at the moment when a slight noise gave 
 them v> hi lieve that a new assault was being attempted. 
 
 Spying from their ambush they saw shadows moving 
 along the defile and silently approaching tin in.
 
 25 2 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH 
 
 "Fire!" cried Armand-Louis suddenly. Four shots 
 cracked on the air. Four shadows vanished. 
 
 Seizing the muskets of the men lying dead, the four 
 fired again. The assailants then retreated. 
 
 "They are still there," thought John of Werth. 
 
 Without losing a minute, Armand-Louis jumped into 
 saddle, and, followed by Renaud, Magnus and Carque- 
 fou, galloped upon the tracks of M. de Voltras and M. de 
 Collonges. Carquefou rubbed his hands the whole 
 length of his body and said to Magnus : 
 
 "Dost fancy that I am still alive?" 
 
 "Almost," replied the veteran. 
 
 "If thou swear it, I believe thee. But I am astonished 
 at it." 
 
 They soon regained their company, and together they 
 arrived at the extremity of the defile. New horizons 
 opened before their gaze. The rising sun disclosed a 
 peaceful country. In the distance they saw columns of 
 smoke, and at the edge of a large field the troop of M. de 
 St. Paer was awaiting in good order the coming of Ar- 
 mand-Louis. 
 
 "There they are!" cried M. de Collonges joyously, 
 who was the first to decry them. M. de Voltras, who for 
 the past hour had been riding with bowed head, smiled 
 and fell from his saddle. 
 
 "Farewell," he said, "at least the Imperialists will not 
 take me alive." 
 
 And he gave up his soul, his hand clutching his sword- 
 hilt. 
 
 While Armand-Louis and Renaud, broken with fatigue 
 and devoured with fever, seated themselves beside Ad- 
 rienne and Diana under the shade of a cluster of trees, 
 Carquefou and Magnus kept guard on either side. 
 
 Almost immediately one of them discerned a troop of 
 cavaliers in tremendous haste coming down the defile of 
 the mountain, which the Huguenots had just crossed, 
 and the other beheld far off in the plain a cloud of dust 
 streaked with a thousand flashes. 
 
 "Above there, John of Werth," said Carquefou. 
 
 "Below the unknown!" said Magnus. 
 
 "Everywhere nothing but blows ! Zounds but 'tis
 
 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH 253 
 
 pleasant this travelling in Germany,'' added Carquefou. 
 
 M. de Saint-Paer approached Armand-Louis. "Our 
 horses are exhausted." he said. "On this side there is a 
 curtain of trees, beyond the brook. Perhaps 'tis there 
 that we shall die." 
 
 Armand-Louis glanced towards the mountain. "John 
 of Werth can have but a handful of men with him. The 
 danger therefore lies not in his quarter," said he. "Let 
 us march upon this squadron which is coming towards 
 us, and, sword in hand, let us by a final effort conquer 
 some horses to replace those who are quivering under 
 our spurs." 
 
 The dragoons serried ranks. At Armand-Louis' ges- 
 ture, as he pointed his sword toward the plain, they all 
 knew what he expected from them. A shiver ran through 
 the valiant troop and they all nerved themselves to fall 
 in this supreme struggle. None hoped to come out of 
 it alive. 
 
 As they approached the brook indicated by M. de 
 Saint-Paer, a blast of wind brushed the dust-cloud which 
 enveloped the squadron. They could now distinguish 
 the men, the horses, the arms. 
 "The Swedes !" cried Magnus. 
 
 A trembling ran through the decimated ranks of the 
 La Guerche Dragoons. 
 
 "Long live King Gustavus Adolphus !" roared the im- 
 petuous voice of Armand-Louis. 
 
 And, as if the new-born ardor of the Huguenots had 
 passed from their souls to electrify the flanks of their 
 steeds, each horse, which had seemed almost foundered, 
 bounded off at a gallop. 
 
 The brook was crossed, the plain flew under the hoofs 
 and Armand-Louis flung himself into the astonished 
 arms of Arnold of Brahe. 
 
 Adricnne and Diana were kneeling on the ground be- 
 fore the whole regiment, and with hands uplifted were 
 rendering thanks to God. 
 
 The Swedes waved their flags and sabres. The dra- 
 goons had hung their hats on the point of their swords. 
 A deafening scries of roars rose to the heavens. 
 
 "Behold our Iliad at an end." cried Renaud, kissing in
 
 254 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH 
 
 transport Diana's hand. "Now that all's past I may 
 confess, that I have been mightily afraid." 
 
 "Three hundred of us set out and fifty return," said M. 
 de Saint Paer. 
 
 When the dragoons turned their attention again to 
 the Huguenots, they saw that John of Werth had wheeled 
 about and was marching along the foot of the mountain. 
 His sword hung in his scabbard. 
 
 For some time Armand-Louis followed him with his 
 eyes. 
 
 "Are you beating about the country, or are you the 
 advance guard of the army?" he at length asked Arnold 
 of Brahe. 
 
 "The king's army entire is near here," replied Arnold. 
 "One part lies on the left, the other behind us. That of 
 the Duke of Friedland occupies a formidable position on 
 the right. Gustavus Adolphus is going to meet it. Bat- 
 tle is imminent, and this battle between Sweden and Aus- 
 tria will decide the destiny of Germany." 
 
 "Ah," cried Renaud, "we arrive in good time." 
 "A little too soon perhaps," Carquefou murmured tim- 
 idly. 
 
 Renaud glared at him askance. 
 
 " 'Tis but a personal opinion," added Carquefou, "and 
 applies only to me." 
 
 Armand-Louis meanwhile kept his eyes on the little 
 band led by John of Werth. "The assurance of his 
 march, the direction he follows, both convince me that he 
 knows fully whither he is bound," he said at length. 
 
 "And you are not mistaken. Before this evening he 
 will be in the quarters of General Wallenstein at Lutzen." 
 Renaud, who had heard every word of this short dia- 
 logue, approached Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Captain," he said, "you are questioning Arnold of 
 Brahe as though you had a project in view." 
 
 "There's something missing from this hilt," answered 
 Armand-Louis, lightly touching his sword. 
 "A sword-knot perhaps?" 
 "Thou hast said it." 
 "And thou wilt seek it out?" 
 Armand-Louis nodded.
 
 A FIGHT TO THE DEATH 255 
 
 " 'Tis mad, but I'm with thee," replied Rcnaud. 
 
 "Now not a word," pursued Armand-Louis. "Four 
 eyes are watching us, four beautiful eyes, which read our 
 souls. Magnus and Carquefou will be of our company." 
 
 "Thou knowest well that the one goes nowhere with- 
 out the other."
 
 256 THE WOLF AT BAY 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 THE WOLF AT BAT. 
 
 One hour later, while Adrienne and Diana were being 
 taken to the camp of the king, under the escort of a 
 guard of honor, four well mounted men galloped on the 
 tracks of John of Werth. 
 
 Had any one met them they would have taken Ar- 
 mand-Louis, Renaud, Magnus and Carquefou for four 
 body guards of His Excellency the Duke of Friedland. 
 They wore his uniform, his arms and colors. Magnus 
 had secured a complete disguise and they spurred in- 
 trepidly onward towards the enemy's lines. 
 
 It was not long before they reached the outposts of the 
 Imperial army, where they declared themselves to be spe« 
 cial couriers. All opposition disappeared before their 
 uniforms. Some of the soldiers against whom they had 
 fought the evening before even told them where they 
 might best look for John of Werth, for whom, said Mag- 
 nus, they had important messages. They learned also 
 that all the companies scattered throughout the land had 
 received orders to join the grand army. 
 
 An aide-de-camp whom they met informed them that 
 during the night John of Werth had received a courier 
 from the commander-in-chief and that, despairing of ever 
 capturing the Huguenots, he thought now only of his of- 
 ficial duties. According to this message, he was pro- 
 visionally to halt in a village situated at the extreme left 
 of the base of operations, and here await further intsruc- 
 tions. 
 
 "I believe that it is just these instructions whicr we 
 are taking to him," Armand-Louis replied hardily. 
 
 "Make haste then. The Bavarian general may remain 
 only a few hours in the house where he is stopping." 
 Then the aide-de-camp saluted Armand-Louis and disap- 
 peared.
 
 THE WOLF AT BAY 257 
 
 "Zounds!" said Carquefou, "this village whither we 
 are being sent looks to be just like a cavern." 
 
 "That is why we must go to it," replied Renaud. 
 
 Armand-Louis always galloped ahead. When the four 
 cavaliers reached the village, night had quite fallen. They 
 rode through the streets, which were incumbered with 
 soldiers and arms, without molestation. In the middle 
 of the place they saw a large house resplendent with light. 
 Within was John of Werth. Four body guards stalled 
 their horses in a yard nearby and emptied a bag of oats 
 before them. The poor beasts were jaded. 
 
 Towards midnight Magnus, who never slept with more 
 than one eye, noticed a courier run up his foaming horse 
 before the house of the Bavarian general. This courier 
 bore the livery of Wallenstein. Magnus nudged Carque- 
 fou with his elbow. 
 
 "Get thou some flagons of old wine and two or three 
 jugs of brandy," said he, "while I go and keep guard be- 
 low there." 
 
 When Magnus spoke Carquefou had the habit to obey 
 unquestioningly. While Magnus directed his steps 
 towards the door which the courier had just entered, Car- 
 quefou hurried down a neighboring street, determined to 
 find flagons and jugs well filled even if he had to pillage 
 every inn cellar in the village. Soon afterwards Wallen- 
 sti in's courier came out of the house of John of Werth. 
 Magnus accosted him and, having invited him to refresh 
 himself, he conducted him to the spot where he had left 
 Carquefou. Carquefou had secured both the wine and 
 the brandy. 
 
 "Ah, comrade," said Magnus, breaking the neck of a 
 bottle, "a drink or two can do you no harm. You look 
 like a man who has ridden too fast not to be thirsty." 
 
 "My throat is as dry as a bit of old leather, and my 
 palate as hard as horn," replied the cavalier, seizing a 
 bottle and gluing it with both hands to his lips. 
 
 This fraternal reception disposed the courier to become 
 confidential. lie did not conceal from the two good fel- 
 lows who welcomed him so cordiallv that he was fagged 
 out after galloping all day, and that the prospect of serv-
 
 258 THE WOLF AT BAY 
 
 ing as guide to John of Werth in a new expedition 
 simply appalled him. 
 
 "I have had no sleep for the last three nights," he said. 
 
 "Bah !" interposed Magnus, handing him another bot- 
 tle, "the general will surely give you time to take a rest." 
 
 "Not at all. We must start out at once. The de- 
 spatches which I gave him are very urgent and he is not 
 the man to lose any time." 
 
 Magnus exchanged a wink with Carquefou. The cav- 
 alier drank, closed his eyes, drank again and yawned so 
 widely that he was in danger of dislocating his jaws. 
 
 "Baron John of Werth resembles somewhat the Duke 
 of Friedland," continued the cavaHer. "As the general, 
 so the lieutenant. With them a mar. must march straight 
 or die. That is what awaits me." 
 
 "You interest me, my friend," replied Magnus, "and if 
 the proposition be agreeable to you, I know somebody 
 who would perhaps take your place." 
 
 "Who?" 
 
 "Myself." 
 
 The cavalier opened wide his eyes in amazement. 
 
 "Whatever I do it is in goodness of heart," added Mag- 
 nus. "Is John of Werth going far?" 
 
 "To headquarters now, but he will pass through a 
 large town where there is some artillery. The roads are 
 bad, a bridge across a river is half broken. If I fall 
 asleep, good-night, I will break my neck." 
 
 "My dear friend," interposed Carquefou, "you must 
 not break anything." 
 
 "It is imprudent," added Magnus. "I who know the 
 roads will cross the bridge straight." 
 
 The courier could no longer see clearly. His leaden 
 head tossed from one shoulder to the other, but he still 
 had a ray of reason left. 
 
 "Yes," he replied, "you are very prompt to help people. 
 There have been wolves who have taken the skin of a 
 shepherd to devour the sheep." 
 
 Then Magnus said with an innocent air : 
 
 "You are not stupid, comrade. The truth is that, to- 
 gether with the desire to serve you there is a wish to 
 curry the good graces of the field marshal, Wallenstein.
 
 THE WOLF AT BAY 259 
 
 Our friend here, who will not leave you a drop of this 
 excellent wine if you do not be wary, has, like me, certain 
 peccadillos to be eased by performing some honest ser- 
 vice." 
 
 "One cannot be perfect," Carquefou commented, never 
 ceasing to fill the courier's bumper. 
 
 "That is why," added Magnus, "we desire to be the 
 ones that shall lead John of Werth in triumph to head- 
 quarters. This done, pardon will be ours." 
 
 "Pardon for you ; and for me, what ?" cried the cavalier. 
 
 "For you five ducats of gold. Behold them here !" 
 
 The courier took the five pieces, shook them in his 
 hand, laughed stupidly and replied with half-shut eyes: 
 
 "Ha! Ha! I am no gudgeon. I knew cursed well 
 that there was an eel under the rock. I'm a good devil; 
 so be off and break your back in my place. Good luck 
 attend you! Stay; don't tell this to the comrades whom 
 I left at the village gate. They would want a bite off 
 my cake." 
 
 As he spoke the courier slid the ducats into his pocket, 
 not without exceeding difficulty discovering this recep- 
 tacle. 
 
 The door of John of Werth's house was opened. Sev- 
 eral men came out and hurried towards the stables. 
 
 "Halloa !" mumbled the courier in a thick voice, 
 "Baron John of Werth is making ready to leave. He 
 does not know you, he may question you. If he says 
 'Prague,' answer 'Friedland.' " 
 
 The head of the courier dropped down on his breast 
 and he fell fast asleep. 
 
 "Make haste now!" murmured Magnus. 
 
 The courier had been cautiously laid on a bed of straw 
 and locked in the stable. Magnus and Carquefou de- 
 tailed their adventure to Armand-Louis and Renaud, and 
 the four hurriedly mounted and posted themselves at the 
 door of John of Werth. 
 
 The Bavarian appeared. As he leaped into his saddle 
 he cast a rapid glace at the four cavaliers. By the light 
 of a torch which was held by a groom, he recognized the 
 uniform of Wallenstein's body guard, but he did not see
 
 260 THE WOLF AT BAY 
 
 the man who had come into his presence a short while 
 before. 
 
 "Where's the courier?" he asked. 
 
 Magnus leaned over toward John of Werth and gave 
 the military salute, saying: 
 
 "We took care of him ; he is sleeping in there." 
 
 Then in a weak voice, and without the flutter of an 
 eyelid, under the stern glance of John of Werth, he 
 added in a mysterious tone : 
 
 "I am called 'Prague,' as he is called 'Friedland.' " 
 
 "Let's be off," said the Bavarian. 
 
 John of Werth took with him only one officer. 
 
 Magnus and Carquefou rode in advance, Armand- 
 Louis and Renaud remained in the rear, and the entire 
 company plunged into the open country, which lay 
 flooded in the light of the moon. 
 
 They cut through space, their heads above their steeds, 
 the skirts of their long cloaks floating in the breeze be- 
 hind them. They passed swift as shadows by trees, 
 houses and mills, challenged only by the snarling bark of 
 occasional dogs. John of Werth at times exchanged a 
 few words with his aide-de-camp. 
 
 At length a white line, broadening on the horizon, an- 
 nounced the coming of morning. The pale light de- 
 scending from the sky revealed a river in their path, and 
 across this river lay a stone bridge whose arches were 
 half broken. The church spire of a town stood up away 
 in the distance. At the moment when Magnus and Car- 
 quefou galloped on the bridge, the sound of a whistle 
 pierced the air. They both halted abruptly midway be- 
 tween the two shores. John of Werth and his aide-de- 
 camp mechanically reined up their horses. Armand- 
 Louis and Renaud were upon them in an instant. 
 
 "What's wrong?" cried John of Werth. 
 
 "I am Armand-Louis of La Guerche," said the Hugue- 
 not uncovering, "and here is my friend, the Marquis Re- 
 naud of Chaufontaine, who will be my witness." 
 
 John of Werth gazed about him. 
 
 "It boots naught to look for help," interposed Renaud. 
 "Magnus and Carquefou, whom I beg to introduce, keep 
 good guard there. Nobody is near. We are four and
 
 THE WOLF AT BAY 261 
 
 you are two. The simplest thing for you to do is to un- 
 sheath." 
 
 "Now if this duel be not to your taste," added Armand- 
 Louis, '*or if you do not care to run its chances, you can 
 avoid it by giving me that swordknot you wear." 
 
 John of Worth, smiling with a disdainful air, replied : 
 
 "I fancied I had to deal with a man of war, not with a 
 comedian. Near here are two armies which are to play 
 the game of battles for the crowns of two nations. Your 
 place is marked out for you on one side, as mine is for me 
 on the other. Let the quarrel between an emperor and a 
 king be settled and I swear to you on my word of a 
 gentleman that we will meet whenever your good pleas- 
 ure wills." 
 
 "I have you here," answered Armand-Louis, "and I'll 
 keep you. Only one of us must fall, and thus the armies 
 will be only one soldier less and they can fight." 
 
 The plain was deserted. Not a human being could be 
 seen on either side of the river. John of Werth's gaze 
 surveyed the horizon and it stopped at the spire of the 
 town to which the military mission, confided to him by 
 Wallenstein, summoned him. What would he not have 
 given to see a squadron come flying thence ! But Ar- 
 mand-Louis had already drawn his sword. 
 
 "You have said a duel," spoke John of Werth as he 
 drew his. "If I down you am I free? If I fall can Cap- 
 tain Steinwald, my escort, go upon his way?" 
 
 "I swear it to you," answered Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Then to arms !" 
 
 Armand-Louis and John of Werth leaped to the 
 ground, and, having chosen a spot at the middle of the 
 bridge, they crossed swords. 
 
 Renaud stood behind Armand-Louis, the statuesque 
 Captain Steinwald behind John of Werth. Magnus and 
 Carquefou kept guard at either end of the bridge. 
 
 Between the two combatants there was the same hate, 
 the same youth, the same ardor, the same strength. 
 Each sword-point sought the other's heart ; not a word, 
 not a cry, not a sigh. Naught was heard but the clash 
 of steel against steel. The chances looked equal. Neither
 
 262 THE WOLF AT DAY 
 
 one nor the other of the adversaries weakened ; neither 
 one nor the other recoiled. But Armand-Louis' duels 
 with Renaud and Count Pappenheim in the past had not 
 been in vain. No feint was strange to him, no trick was 
 there, no attack, that he did not know. 
 
 A flame of anger crossed the visage of John of Werth. 
 For an instant he fell off guard and the sword of Ar- 
 mand-Louis, swift as a dart, pierced his arm through. 
 The hand of the Bavarian opened and his weapon drop- 
 ped on the bridge. Armand-Louis leaped forward to 
 seize it, when John of Werth, snatching it up with his 
 unwounded hand, pitched it into the river. 
 
 "Perish the sword which betrayed me," he shouted. 
 "Perish the sword-knot !" 
 
 With one spring Armand-Louis leaped over the par- 
 apet after the sword. They saw him sink in the whirling 
 stream and then suddenly reappear, holding in his hand 
 the weapon with its sword-knot. With the other hand 
 he swam and soon reached the shore. 
 
 John of Werth, pale with rage, was holding his wound- 
 ed arm. 
 
 "You are free, sir," said Armand-Louis. 
 
 Then he leaped astride his horse, which Magnus had 
 brought to him, and they galloped off, leaving John of 
 Werth standing in the middle of the bridge. In his mad 
 course towards the Swedish line he pressed the wet 
 sword-knot to his heart, saying: 
 
 "Thank God, Adrienne is mine !" 
 
 When Armand-Louis and Renaud reached the camp 
 of Gustavus Adolphus, Arnold of Brahe had just pre- 
 ceded them with the two young ladies in charge. 
 
 The Marquis of Pardaillan was stronger than his sick- 
 ness and was in the presence of the king. Not having 
 heard from the two adventurers, nor from Adrienne and 
 Diana, his only hope now was to avenge them or die. 
 
 Suddenly a great noise was heard outside of his tent, 
 and the sound of those two loved voices made his heart 
 leap. As he stood up Adrienne and Diana fell into his 
 arms. 
 
 "Both still alive!" cried the old man, as the tears 
 streamed down his cheeks.
 
 THE WOLF AT BAY 263 
 
 "My Lord, Marquis," said Rcnaud, "I was not to re- 
 appear before you until I brought your daughter with 
 tne. Have I kept my word?" 
 
 "My son, embrace me !" said the old man. 
 
 "Sweet heaven !" exclaimed Renaud, his knees trem- 
 bling. But the father gave room to the gentleman and 
 the soldier immediately. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said the Marquis of Pardaillan, "the 
 affairs of Sweden must be prefered to the affairs of the 
 family. Let us give up these few hours to prayer and 
 rest To-morrow the God of war will decide the fate of 
 Gustavus Adolphus. I also will be ahorse."
 
 26a VAE VICTIS 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 VAE VICTIS. 
 
 The camp presented a scene of suppressed agitation. 
 The squadrons and battalions were taking their rank in 
 the order of battle. The men knew that on the morrow 
 the King of Sweden was to measure himself with Wal- 
 lenstein. The officers came and went giving orders. 
 Cannons were rolled in place and stalwart veterans ex- 
 amined their arms. 
 
 Armand-Louis hastened to the presence of Gustavus 
 Adolphus, who received him with open arms. He was 
 struck with the grave demeanor of the king. 
 
 "I bring back to you what is left of the La Guerche 
 Dragoons," said Armand-Louis after he had informed 
 the King in a few words of the state of his affairs. 
 
 "So much the better," answered Gustavus Adolphus. 
 "We cannot have too many good soldiers." 
 
 "Do you think, sir, that Wallenstein is more redoubt- 
 able than Count Tilly? The town of Lutzen will be an- 
 other Leipzic for Your Majesty. It will baptise a new 
 victory." 
 
 "God is master. Grant that He may hear you !" 
 
 Then with a firm hand Gustavus Adolphus traced to 
 Armand-Louis the plan of the positions occupied by the 
 two armies. 
 
 "I am not in a condition to wait till winter any more 
 than Wallenstein," explained the king. "I offer him 
 battle and he accepts, so as not to merit the reproach 
 which has been cast up to him since Nuremberg, that he 
 did not dare to measure arms with the King of Sweden. 
 Wallenstein is a great general. Every combination that 
 the genius of man can invent to assure victory to his flag 
 he will discover. How many who are alive to-day will 
 sleep in eternity to-morrow ! You will remain near me, 
 La Guerche." 

 
 VAE VICTIS 265 
 
 "That means I will be in the most dangerous place. I 
 thank you, sire, for this privilege." 
 
 Then, leaving the King's tent, Armand-Louis sought 
 Arnold of Brahe to have news of the Duke of Laucn- 
 bourg. 
 
 "He has been gone two days," Arnold said. 
 
 "God grant that he may never return," cried Armand- 
 Louis. 
 
 Some hours still separated the night from the moment 
 when the great battle should begin. Armand-Louis left 
 the camp to see Adrienne once more. As he was passing 
 from it he met Magnus. The veteran was shadowing a 
 man of gaunt appearance who was urging onward a 
 horse of thin and half-starved build. 
 
 "If Magnus is still the man I knew him to be," said the 
 old reiter. "it is my opinion that I saw the scowl of this 
 rascal in the inn where Lord Mattheus wore the cloak of 
 a monk." 
 
 "What matters it to thee?" said Armand-Louis. 
 
 "It is said in Africa that jackals go before hyenas in 
 search of prey. Master Innocent might well be the spy 
 of a bandit called Jacobus, whose angular profile and red 
 beard I fancied I recognized when you left to go to the 
 king. I want to talk with him about this." 
 
 But just when Magnus was about to turn, Master In- 
 nocent plied his spurs and the lean and half-starved horse 
 galloped away like a thunderbolt. In a few moments he 
 was quite out of reach. 
 
 "Ha!" murmured Magnus. "This serves to give my 
 suspicions bottom. We'll see the hyena after the jackal." 
 
 "Well," answered Armand-Louis, "are we not here to 
 receive him?" 
 
 While all in the Swedish camp was being made ready 
 for the decisive action of the morrow, Wallcnstein was 
 in conference with Duke Francis-Albert, who informed 
 him of the resolution of Gustavus Adolphus. 
 
 "Twice have I lost twenty-four hours in seeking you 
 in the mountains between Cambourg and Wcissenfels 
 and along the shores of the Saale. In your turn do not 
 lose an hour. The King of Sweden will be upon you to- 
 morrow."
 
 266 VAE VICTIS 
 
 "Are you quite sure of this ?" cried Wallenstein, leap- 
 ing to his feet. "Yesterday the king was marching on 
 Saxony." 
 
 "He has struck his camp at Naumbourg and is ad- 
 vancing by forced marches on Weissenfels." 
 
 "Is Count Kolloredo there?" 
 
 "He holds the fort, but that will not prevent the pass- 
 ing of King Gustavus Adolphus. Believe me, my lord, 
 the battle is inevitable." 
 
 "It will be inevitable only if I consent to accept it." 
 
 "And if Your Highness refuse, his enemies will be as- 
 sured that Your Highness does not dare meet the King 
 of Sweden in open country." 
 
 "They say that," cried Wallenstein, flushing. 
 
 "They who know you not, my lord, take a malicious 
 pleasure in spreading such calumnies." 
 
 "How many soldiers has Gustavus Adolphus in hand?" 
 
 "Twenty thousand." 
 
 "That is more than I have to oppose him." 
 
 "But you are Wallenstein and you command. Besides 
 you have the advantage of position. If you retreat, do 
 you not fear to lose by such a retreat the prestige of 
 twenty victories? The King of Sweden has attacked 
 you, it seems to me, in your entrenchments at Nurem- 
 berg. Has the conqueror of Tilly been able to inflict a 
 scratch upon you?" 
 
 " 'Tis true ; but consider my ill-luck. Yesterday by 
 my order and in the conviction that I was in a place 
 where the campaign was ended, Count Pappenheim left 
 me and marched on Mortzbourg." 
 
 "He must be called back in all haste. He cannot be 
 gone above seven or eight leagues." 
 
 "Will you undertake to reach him ?" 
 
 "Yes ; and when the Count has been brought back to 
 camp, I will hurry to rejoin the King of Sweden." 
 
 "Go then. There's the order, signed and sealed by 
 me. I will confer with my generals." 
 
 But it was less Count Kolloredo or Piccolimini that 
 the Duke of Friedland went to consult than the Astrolo- 
 ger Seni. 
 
 The conversation just held with the Duke of Lauen-
 
 VAE VICTIS 267 
 
 bourg was far from determining Wallenstein to accept 
 the battle threatened by Gustavus Adolphus. It was his 
 policy to temporize, and though moved by the arguments 
 by whose aid the astute Francis-Albert had pricked his 
 pride, he resolved to hang his resolution on the answer 
 of the stars. 
 
 The astrologer Seni occupied a house on the summit 
 of a terrace which had been built by the laborers of the 
 camp and a kind of tower in which the clever man lived 
 among his instruments. The walls were covered with 
 cabalistic figures and algebraic calculations. 
 
 When Wallenstein entered in the tower Seni was study- 
 ing the stars. At the sight of the firmament, resplendent 
 with stars, above all at the sight of the silent man, who 
 was tracing on a sheet of paper signs and figures, which 
 he could not understand, the general, whom one hundred 
 cannons discharged at one time could not make quiver, 
 trembled from head to foot. 
 
 "What say the planets?'' he asked, in a voice of emo- 
 tion. 
 
 Previously Seni had received a visit from Duke Fran- 
 cis-Albert, nevertheless he was not in the habit of com- 
 promising himself by giving categorical answers. 
 
 "Mars was very red to-night," he said. "The earth 
 will soon drink blood." 
 
 " 'Tis a dew which falls almost every eve in this tem- 
 pestuous weather. But have you cast your eyes upon the 
 star of the King of Sweden?" asked the Duke of Fried- 
 land. 
 
 "It was veiled yesterday ; this morning even more so. 
 But it was not entirely hidden. Saturn threatens it, also 
 Jupiter. I have made my calculations from the conjunc- 
 tion of those stars. A great event is at hand." 
 
 "Ah!" 
 
 "Behold your star, my lord ; what a brilliance it has 
 despite the approach of Mercury, the inimical star of 
 which, Sirius, who protects you, combats the evil influ- 
 ence. Truth is read in the heavens in characters of fire. 
 Behold that passing star, which dies. Lo, another dis- 
 appears! A third, more resplendent, springs from the 
 '!• pths of the firmament. In its course it skims the war-
 
 268 VAE VICTIS 
 
 like Lion and the Ram, friend of battles. Let him have 
 heed." 
 
 "Who? Explain!" cried Wallenstein breathlessly. 
 
 "The star which is the master of his life pales. The 
 heavens have said it and repeat it. The Ides of November 
 shall be fatal to Gustavus Adolphus !" 
 
 "And to-day is the first of November !" cried Wallen- 
 stein, his breast heaving. 
 
 Seni traced some figures and parabola on his papar. 
 Wallenstein stared at him with bated breath. 
 
 "Yes, fatal; exceeding fatal!" repeated Seni. "The 
 sun set in purple. How sombre wert thou then, star of 
 Gustavus Adolphus !" 
 
 As he left the house of Seni, Wallenstein, half con- 
 quered, yet still hesitating, met a man for whom he had 
 been searching. He recognized the equerry of Madame 
 d'Igomer. 
 
 "Ah, my lord," said this man, as he knelt and presented 
 to him a scarf still wet and soiled with mud. 
 
 "Good God ! Dead !" cried W^allenstein. 
 
 The equerry arose and with bared brow narrated to the 
 Duke of Friedland the manner in which the Baroness of 
 Igomer had lost her life. Only this bit of silk had the 
 cruel waters yielded. Now Thecla slept forevermore be- 
 neath the weeds and grasses of the marsh. 
 
 Wallenstein heard the equerry's recital with a sad and 
 grave attention. 
 
 "Ah !" he roared at length, "let the earth drink blood. 
 I've paid my holocaust!" 
 
 Then summoning the generals of the Imperial army, 
 Isolani, Kolloredo, Piccolimini and Terzki, he said: 
 
 "Gentlemen, to-morrow we fight Gustavus Adolphus." 
 
 All preparations were made within the few hours which 
 lay between now and daylight. Deep trenches, bristling 
 with stakes ran along each side of the road from Weissen- 
 fels to Leipzic between the two armies. The Imperial 
 troops, divided into five brigades, took position at three 
 hundred paces from this road, the left wing against the 
 canal which joins the Elster with the Saale, and the bat- 
 teries quickly established dressed their cannons all on ris- 
 ing ground.
 
 VAE VICTIS 269 
 
 Meanwhile the Duke of Lauenbourg and Captain 
 Jacobus were galloping in the night in the pursuit of 
 Count Pappenheim. A burning village, which cast sin- 
 ister flames athwert the heavens, served to light them. 
 They understood that the terrible general had passed 
 here. 
 
 At the first streaks of dawn Gustavus Adolphus leaped 
 into his saddle. Still suffering from an ill-healed wound, 
 he wore in lieu of his cuirass a close coat of buff and a 
 surtout of cloth. Pale, but with eye undimmed and brow 
 erect, he rode along the front of his army of warriors and 
 devotees. 
 
 At view of him a thousand cheers rent the air, which 
 reverberated even to the camp of Wallenstein. 
 
 "Soldiers!" cries the king, "lift your souls to God, the 
 giver of victory!" 
 
 He kneels on the ground, uncovers and prays. 
 
 The army kneels in a mass, and twenty thousand brave 
 voices intone a religious chant, which is accompanied by 
 the music of the regiment. A great fog covers the plain 
 and the prayer of these valiant men, half of whom are 
 going to their death, rises up in the mist. 
 
 Armand-Louis and the Marquis of Pardaillan, sudden- 
 ly animated by the fire of youth, followed the king. Ar- 
 mand-Louis looked everywhere for Renaud. He was not 
 to be seen in the ranks of the dragoons. 
 
 Armand-Louis questioned Magnus. 
 
 "This morning M. de Chaufontaine seemed very much 
 interested in a new buff coat, which he was trying," re- 
 plied Magnus. "Carquefou was trying one also of the 
 same form." 
 
 At this moment a ray of sunlight burst over the plain, 
 the fog rose like a curtain and the two armies beheld each 
 other separated by the highway. 
 
 A jet of flame shot out from a battery placed on a hill 
 in the midst of the Imperial army. 
 
 "God is with us!" cried the Swedes. 
 
 "Jesus and Mary !" replied the Imperialists. 
 
 The battle had begun. 
 
 While Gustavus Adolphus was pointing with his sword 
 to the battery, enveloped in smoke and flames, which
 
 270 VAE VICTIS 
 
 must be taken, Wallenstein was gazing in the direction 
 in which Count Pappenheim had ridden away the day 
 before. The road was white and naked even to the hor- 
 izon. 
 
 "Will he arrive in time ?" murmured the field marshal, 
 glancing now upon the masses of Swedes, who had al- 
 ready fought their way to the first trench along the road. 
 
 The muskets shrieked all along the line and the cannon 
 thundered. Balls and bullets dealt destruction in their 
 path. 
 
 The fury of the attack was equalled only by the ob- 
 stinacy of the defense. Neither army would yield. The 
 yards of ground conquered, foot by foot, by the Swedes, 
 were almost immediately retaken by the Imperialists. 
 Whole ranks fell in the carnage only to be replaced by 
 new combatants fighting like devils. Everywhere, when 
 a regiment wavered the captains rushed ahead and their 
 presence inspired new force and spirit in the men. The 
 dead were no longer counted. The road which separated 
 the two armies had been captured and lost three times. 
 
 While Gustavus Adolphus was directing his impetuous 
 charges from the centre to the left wing and from the left 
 wing to the right of his army, Armand-Louis, now alone 
 with Magnus, now with some dozens of dragoons, had 
 never left the king's side. Athwart the smoke he once 
 caught a glimpse of Renaud, who was issuing from the 
 midst of a Bavarian battalion he had routed. He fancied 
 he saw Gustavus Adolphus in person and behind this new 
 Gustavus Adolphus still another. The close coat and sur- 
 tout were exactly alike. 
 
 "What madness is this?" said Armand-Louis, while 
 the balls whistled around his head. 
 
 " 'Tis a trick," replied Renaud. "A deserter informed 
 me that certain captains of the Imperial army wished to 
 attack the king. Five or six of us have adopted his cos- 
 tume. If fortune wills it, I will be the one to fall." 
 
 Meanwhile the king aimed by a decisive blow to break 
 the centre of the enemy, where Wallenstein fought in per- 
 son. He gathered about him several Finland battalions 
 and, his sword aloft, he dashed them on to the charge. 
 
 All yielded before him and his rush makes him master
 
 VAE VICTIS 271 
 
 of the batteries that crest the road. Wallenstein, still im- 
 passive, retreats, surrounded by the vanquished. His line 
 of operation is broken, but so long- as one regiment lasts 
 he does not believe the battle lost. 
 
 Had Seni not said that the Ides of November would be 
 fatal to the King of Sweden ? 
 
 But now a fearful uproar bursts forth on the road. A 
 terrible confusion ensues in the ranks. The two armies 
 seem to be run over by a whirlwind, which annihilates the 
 Swedish lines. 
 
 Gustavus Adolphus pauses and looks into the distance. 
 A fearful shout tears the air, springing from the midst of 
 this whirlwind. 
 
 "Jesus and Mary !" 
 
 It is the cry of the Imperialists, and eight regiments of 
 cuirassiers appear dealing death in their path. 
 
 At the same instant a man covered with powder passes 
 near Wallenstein and flings forth these words : 
 
 "Count Pappenheim !" 
 
 Then, continuing his course, he attains the thick of the 
 Swedish squadrons and hastening to the side of the king, 
 he shouts : 
 
 "Sire, Count Pappenheim is arrived. Your left wing 
 is broken." 
 
 "Damn you !" mutters Armand-Louis, as he recognizes 
 Francis-Albert. 
 
 The king had signalled to Armand-Louis. 
 
 "Gallop," he said, "and fetch Duke Bernard of Weimar 
 with his reserve. He will find me before Pappenheim." 
 
 Armand-Louis leaps off in one direction, Gustavus 
 Adolphus in the other, and followed by the Duke of 
 Lauenbourg. 
 
 A sinister cavalier gallops in their shadow. If Carque- 
 fou should meet him he would recognize Captain Jacobus 
 despite the red cloak which he wears. 
 
 "At last, thou'rt here," said the king to the Duke of 
 Lauenbourg. "Why have I not seen thee for tun days?" 
 
 "Ah, Sire," replied the duke, "now I leave you no 
 more." 
 
 The flames had beaconed him the preceding night to 
 Halle, which General Pappenheim had consigned to fire.
 
 272 VAE VICTIS 
 
 Scarcely had he been made aware of the order, which 
 the sombre ally of the Imperialists bore, than the Grand- 
 Marshal had his drums beating and clarions sounding. 
 But cavalry and infantry were mad in the lust of pillage. 
 Only eight regiments of cuirassiers answered his sum- 
 mons, and at the head of these Pappenheim had galloped 
 to the battle. 
 
 It was lost. He arrives and wins it back. His sword 
 works prodigies and his cavalry, accustomed to conquer 
 with him, meet the Blue Regiment, the most staunch of 
 the Swedish infantry. 
 
 They formed a very living wall; a wall bristling with 
 pikes and muskets; but the cuirassiers ten times re- 
 pulsed are lashed back to the charge for the eleventh 
 time and the wall falls. 
 
 To the Blue Regiment succeeds the Yellow. The tor- 
 rent of cavaliers attack it and heap themselves on its 
 flanks without being able even to scratch it. Pappenheim 
 flings himself into the thickest of the conflict. His cava- 
 liers follow him and pass. 
 
 The Yellow Regiment is no more. 
 
 "Gustavus Adolphus, where art thou?" roars Pappen- 
 heim, brandishing his sword that flows with blood. 
 
 He perceives a cavalier who resembles the king and 
 charges upon him. A few terrific blows and the cavalier, 
 wounded to death, falls back on the crupper of his horse. 
 
 "Ah, 'tis not the king !" says Pappenheim disdainfully, 
 and he plunges forward, roaring, "Gustavus Adolphus, 
 where art thou ?" 
 
 On his way he ploughs the broken ranks of the Swed- 
 ish army as a mighty drill ploughs a field of brushwood. 
 
 This great tumult attracts the king, who from afar sees 
 the rout of his men and then apprehends that the Duke 
 of Friedland will retake the offensive. 
 
 The cavalier in the red cloak, who shadows him, ap- 
 proaches Francis-Albert. 
 
 "The army wavers. If the king dies it is beaten. Strike, 
 then," he mutters. 
 
 The Duke of Lauenbourg raises a heavy pistol. 
 
 "Ah, I dare not," he says. 
 
 At this juncture, Gustavus Adolphus, in his unbridled
 
 VAE VICTIS 273 
 
 course, passed near a platoon of Imperial musketeers. 
 Francis-Albert feigned to be carried away by his horse 
 and galloped along their front. 
 
 "The man riding ahead," he said, "is the king. Fire!" 
 
 Three muskets are raised and fire. One ball strikes 
 Gustavus Adolphus, breaking his left arm, which falls 
 limp to his side. 
 
 "God's curse !" muttered Francis-Albert, seeing that 
 the king did not fall. 
 
 Armand-Louis galloped up now and said to the king : 
 
 "Sire, Duke Bernard follows me." 
 
 "Forward !" replied the king. 
 
 A body of cuirassiers suddenly separates him from Ar- 
 mand-Louis, who charges on them with thirty dragoons. 
 
 Gustavus Adolphus strove to reach Count Pappenheim, 
 but pain and the loss of blood were weakening him. The 
 old ill-healed wound reopened. He grew pale and 
 swayed in his saddle. 
 
 "Oh, if at least my brave soldiers do not see me fall !" 
 he murmured. 
 
 "Strike now!" repeats Jacobus in the ear of the Duke 
 of Lauenbourg, as Gustavus Adolphus moves away 
 slowly. 
 
 Francis-Albert hesitates. 
 
 "Well," retorted the captain, "what you do not know 
 how to do, I will do." 
 
 Then raising his pistol, the dog fires. Gustavus Adol- 
 phus utters a cry. His trembling hand seeks to grip the 
 saddle, but he falls to earth. 
 
 "Brother," said the king to the duke, who stares at him 
 in terror, "I am ready to die. Preserve thy days !" 
 
 "Now, Sire, dost recognize me?" asked Jacobus, who 
 had just left his men, "thou didst degrade me. I kill 
 thee !" 
 
 A terrible cry causes him to raise his glance. Armand- 
 Louis had seen all and at the head of his cavaliers is 
 fighting frantically to come up with him. 
 
 "Help! Help!" cried Jacobus. "Gustavus Adolphus is 
 dead !" 
 
 One hundred cuirassiers and one hundred Imperial 
 musk( t' < n run hither. The cavaliers, whom Jacobus has
 
 274 VAE VICTIS 
 
 filled with rage, fling themselves ahead and a combat, in 
 which quarter is neither asked nor given, begins over the 
 corpse of Gustavus Adolphus. 
 
 Duke Bernard of Weimar, summoned by Armand- 
 Louis, had just met Count Pappenheim. To the Austrian 
 cuirassiers are opposed the cuirassiers of Finland. 
 
 The torrent, which seemed a few moments before irre- 
 sistible, recoils now. 
 
 The news that the king is dead spreads like a forest-fire 
 through the ranks of the Swedish army. An outburst of 
 rage is their reply, and like she-wolves from whom their 
 cubs have been ravished, the companies rally and dash 
 upon the enemy. 
 
 It is no longer a battle, but a duel; every man who 
 bears a pike, a sword, or a musket seems to have a per- 
 sonal injury to avenge. Cavalry and infantry vie with 
 each other in falling upon the Imperialists. 
 
 "Vengeance !" is now the army's cry. 
 
 Everything yields to this effort of desperation. 
 
 Wallenstein, leading the centre to the battle, jostled 
 against General Horn and his old regiments. 
 
 "Ah," said he, "the soul of Gustavus Adolphus is with 
 them." 
 
 This soul was incarnate in the manly visage of Duke 
 Bernard. While the Swedes fought to kill and die, he 
 urged them ahead to conquer, and mastering the batter- 
 ies, which had kept Gustavus Adolphus so long in check, 
 he thunderstruck the Imperial army. 
 
 Meanwhile the fury of the combat, which bloodied the 
 corner of ground on which lay the body of Gustavus 
 Adolphus, had not diminished in violence. Dead piled 
 upon dead, and the wounded fell around them. Above 
 this raging sea of the dying the head and arm of Pappen- 
 heim could be seen. He did not know that Gustavus 
 Adolphus had fallen and still sought him. 
 
 While an equal rage animated the Imperialists to effect 
 a breach in the soldiers of Armand-Louis and Renaud, 
 the one redoubled his blows to attain Captain Jacobus, 
 the other precipitated his in order to strike the Grand- 
 Marshal of the Empire. In spite of the waves of enemies
 
 VEA VICTIS 275 
 
 which flung themselves upon them, Carquefou had man- 
 aged to join his companions in arms. But his horse no 
 longer obeyed the bit. Deceived by the close-coat of buff 
 and the surtout of cloth Pappenheim dashed upon him. 
 
 "Here's my last hour !" murmured Carquefou, who 
 braced himself intrepidly for the ordeal. 
 
 Almost immediately the horse of the Grand-Marshal, 
 with its enormous breast-plate, dashed against the stag- 
 gering mount of his adversary and sent him flying ten 
 feet away. 
 
 "Hold on to thy saddle better," cried the German, 
 laughing as he recognized Carquefou and shot past him. 
 
 While Carquefou was picking up the Shiverer and leap- 
 ing to his feet the Marquis of Pardaillan charged upon 
 Count Pappenheim, crying: 
 
 "Raise your sword !*' 
 
 "Old man," replied the marshal, "the game is not 
 
 Itj 
 . 
 
 Then, with the velocity of a stone let fly from a sling 
 the blow he struck at the marquis tore the old man's 
 sword from his grasp and drove a great gash into his 
 arm. 
 
 "Where are the others? Get the wounded out of the 
 way I" roars the Grand-Marshal. 
 
 Now Renaud managed to break the formidable circle 
 of pistols and sabres which encompassed him and he rode 
 up like a lion to Count Pappenheim. 
 
 "At last !" said the Grand-Marshal, as he recognized 
 him. 
 
 They leap at each other like two bulls. Their swords 
 meet with the swiftness of the sledge striking the anvil ; 
 and blows are parried as fast as dealt. The strife is re- 
 markable in this, nevertheless, that the longer it lasts the 
 more assured becomes the coolness and address of Ren- 
 aud. Pappenheim, on the contrary, noting that his men 
 were wavering all about him, wished to rally them and 
 make himself known to animate them by his example. 
 For an instant his eyes leave Renaud and standing in his 
 stirrups, he cries : 
 
 "Close cuirassiers and forward !"
 
 276 VAE VIOTIS 
 
 His lips had not yet regained their tight shut expres- 
 sion ere the sword of Renaud had slipped under his arm 
 and pierced his shoulder. 
 
 A cry of rage burst from the throat of the Grand-Mar- 
 shal. He would keep up the fight. His leaden arm 
 makes a desperate effort to lift his weapon, but it falls 
 limp to his side. 
 
 "Surrender !" cries Renaud. 
 
 But the cuirassiers, seeing the peril of their chief, a 
 furious charge bears them between the combatants. The 
 men of Duke Bernard and the dragoons of Armand- 
 Louis fling themselves into the conflict. 
 
 What arquebuses, pistols and muskets still remained 
 belched forth fire and Pappenheim, who presisted in re- 
 fusing to retreat with his men, fell from his steed with 
 two balls in his breast. 
 
 A company of cuirassiers closed in around him, and 
 while they made a rampart of their bodies for their chief, 
 some bore the Grand-Marshal far from the strife. His 
 limp hand no longer held his sword. 
 
 "Ah, if he escapes me," cried Renaud, "this victory is 
 no victory !" 
 
 When Gustavus Adolphus, struck with a mortal blow, 
 fell from his saddle-bows, Duke Francis-Albert, seized by 
 a mad terror, had taken flight. His terrified horse bore 
 him up to the front of the Imperial army, and he shrieked 
 in a kind of frenzy : 
 
 "The king is dead ! The king is dead I" 
 
 Captain Jacobus, now afoot, sword in hand, raged 
 around his dying victim. 
 
 Here musketeers and lansquenets fought for the effects 
 of the king, his hat, riddled with bullets, his bloody close- 
 coat, his scarlet sword, his tattered cloak. 
 
 Armand-Louis, who was followed by Magnus, M. de 
 Saint-Paer, M. de Collonges and thirty dragoons, cut 
 great breaches in this moving circle. Captain Jacobus 
 caught sight of him and leaping astride of a horse, which 
 had wandered from its fallen rider, he waved his stalwart 
 arm in the air. 
 
 " 'Tis too late," he cried. "The king is dead."
 
 VAE VICTIS 377 
 
 Then like an adder, which glides through thorns and 
 brushwood, he launched into the thick of the Imperial 
 squadrons. 
 
 But these squadrons, divided and broke by the repeated 
 charges of the Swedes, wavered and opened on all sides. 
 Whither Captain Jacobus galloped Armand-Louis pur- 
 sued him. They shot like two arrows through the midst 
 of the dispensed battalions. Now the Huguenot had al- 
 most overtaken him, now the captain evaded him. Thrice 
 had the sword of Armand-Louis ploughed the crupper of 
 the captain's mount, thrice a chance separated them. 
 
 Thus they passed through the army and the chase 
 ceased not. 
 
 Beside a brook, fringed with willows. Captain Jacobus 
 perceived a bevy of eight or ten disbanded Croatians. 
 
 "There's a Swedish general," he cried, "ten ducats to 
 those who kill him." 
 
 The Croatians were about to charge upon Armand- 
 Louis, but they saw M. de Saint-Paer and M. de Collon- 
 g«s, flanked by five or six dragoons, galloping toward 
 him at a fearful speed. The Croatians turned bridle and 
 crossed the brook. Unhappily rapid as had been their 
 intervention, it had allowed Captain Jacobus to gain the 
 opposite bank. A thin, pale man came out of the shade 
 of the willows, holding by the bit a lank horse. Captain 
 Jacobus leaped upon this steed, abandoning his former 
 mount, while Master Innocent glided into the thick bush 
 which bordered the brook, wherein his stealthy flight left 
 no more trace than that of a fox. 
 
 Armand-Louis gave vent to a yell of rage and would 
 have kept on in pursuit of Captain Jacobus. 
 
 Magnus calmly stopped him and pointing with Bali- 
 verne to the fleeing rascal, he said: 
 
 "His horse has wings. Do not follow him. Yester- 
 day I discovered the abode of Master Innocent, Captain 
 Jacobus will certainly return to it. But as sure as Mag- 
 nus is a man and has never deceived you, he will bring 
 you face to face with that ruffian !" 
 
 "Thou promisest it?" 
 
 "I swear it!"
 
 27 8 VAE VICTIS 
 
 "Well, I swear in my turn that this hand will not touch 
 the hand of Adrienne before it has punished the mur- 
 derer of the king!" 
 
 Then, ramming his sword into its scabbard, Armand- 
 Louis turned bridle.
 
 THE KING'S AVENGED 279 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 THE KING'S AVENGED. 
 
 As he was slowly retracing his steps with the dragoons 
 grouped about M. de Saint-Paer and M. de Collonges, 
 Armand-Louis met Renaud, flanked by Carquefou. They 
 were galloping at the side of an officer in the uniform of 
 the Croatian cavalry and halted on the instant. 
 
 "This man has promised to conduct me to the abode 
 of Count Pappenheim," said Renaud. "If he keeps his 
 promise he will receive one hundred pistoles; if he fails, 
 the ball in this pistol will crack his skull." 
 
 "To thee the Grand-Marshal of the Empire," replied 
 Armand-Louis, "to me Captain Jacobus." 
 
 The two brothers in arms exchanged a vigorous grip 
 of the hands and their countenances glowed with the fire 
 of an irrefragable resolution. 
 
 "My horse is fresh," interposed M. de Collonges. "I 
 borrowed him from an officer of Wallenstein's body- 
 guard in exchange for a thrust of my sword. I will go 
 then and join my fortune with that of the Marquis of 
 Chaufontaine. M. de Saint-Paer will remain with our 
 chief. Thus each of us will have his share of the common 
 work." 
 
 The dragoons divided into two bands, the better 
 mounted men rallying around M. de Collonges. 
 
 "Farewell, Baliverne," said Carquefou to Magnus, "I 
 feel as though the Shiverer is in danger of death, but she 
 has also a little debt to pay. If we die in company on our 
 way forgive us in remembrance of the feelings that were 
 not stinted by us." 
 
 Shortly afterward Renaud's troop vanished in the dis- 
 tance. 
 
 When Armand-Louis reappeared on the field of battle 
 the day was ended. All to be discerned in the dubious
 
 280 THE KING'S AVENGED 
 
 light of evening was some of the wounded dragging 
 themselves over the ground to reach the ambulances. 
 
 Ten thousand slain lay upon the field. A funereal si- 
 lence enveloped this mighty multitude, such a brief while 
 before agitated by the storm-wind of all passions of vio- 
 lence. In the midst of the shadows, which grew more 
 dense every minute, Armand-Louis, M. de Saint-Paer 
 and Magnus searched for the body of the king. 
 
 While they were wandering silently in the confused 
 ranks of Imperialists and Swedes, they fancied they de- 
 scried a black figure which came and went in the night 
 like a phantom. 
 
 "Can that be Captain Jacobus already?" murmured 
 Magnus. 
 
 Armand-Louis approached the figure. A woman's 
 outlines loomed upon his gaze and raising her veil she 
 returned his regard. 
 
 "Do you not recognize me?" she said. 
 
 "Margaret!" 
 
 "Yes, Margaret who weeps and will not be comforted. 
 Everywhere the king went, I have gone. To Leipzic ; to 
 the passage of the Lech ; to Nuremberg ! He was at Lut- 
 zen this morning; I also was there. He fought, I prayed. 
 God has not willed that Germany should know the hero 
 who rescued her from slavery. But if his soul is above, 
 at least his mortal remains should be brought back to 
 Sweden." 
 
 " 'Tis an hour that I have been searching for him who 
 was Gustavus Adolphus. Alas, who can say what has 
 become of him?" 
 
 "Follow me. If you find him not, I shall find him." 
 
 Margaret pressed onward with a firm tread through the 
 holocaust of piled dead. Her face was hard and cold as 
 marble. 
 
 "Ah, to think that I have seen her happy and beauti- 
 ful !" thought Armand-Louis. 
 
 The daughter of Abraham Cabeliau at length reached 
 a mound of corpses grouped in a circle. The earth was 
 sodden with blood and covered with the fragments and 
 remains of arms. 
 
 It was a heap of cuirassiers and musketeers, riddled
 
 THE KING'S AVENGED 281 
 
 with wounds, mutilated, disembowelled, decapitated ; the 
 severed heads beside their trunks grinned in a final glare 
 of furious hate. 
 
 Margaret searched in this gruesome pile of unrecog- 
 nizable dead, torn by the hoofs of a thousand horses. 
 
 Suddenly she sank to her knees and lifting in her hands 
 a head cold and ghastly, she said: 
 
 " Tis here!" 
 
 So much of tears and anguish was in this cry that Mag- 
 nus turned away his gaze and wept. 
 
 Then Margaret stood up and thrusting back the long 
 black veil, which covered her like a shroud, her eyes 
 bathed in tears, her face on fire, she shrieked : 
 
 "And he who killed this hero lives perchance. God of 
 heaven, where is thy justice !" 
 
 "Yes, madam,'' said Armand-Louis, seizing her hand, 
 "this man lives. But by the soul of him, who hears me 
 no more, I swear to you that Gustavus Adolphus shall be 
 avenged !" 
 
 Magnus brushed away his tears shamefacedly. 
 
 "To work then!'' he cried. "Now that we have found 
 the king's body, let it remain here for an hour. You, 
 madam, go and pray under the shadow of those trees 
 torn by shot. You are a woman. You may be seen and 
 heard without exciting suspicion. How many widows 
 
 and mothers weep this night You, M. dc 
 
 Saint-Paer, will lie in ambush below there behind that 
 stretch of wall, where you may sec all without being 
 seen." 
 
 "What wilt thou do?" asked Armand-Louis. 
 
 "We are on the hunt. Let us snap the trap where the 
 tiger should be taken." 
 
 "Ah, I understand. But if he should not come?" 
 
 "If he come not? Do you know a corner of Germany 
 which the point of Baliverne cannot rummage? But be 
 assured. The tiger has smellcd blood. He will want to 
 know whether his victim is dead." 
 
 "Good, Magnus, good. I will wait there in the shelter 
 of that group of pines and twenty dragoons will wheel 
 around the plain so that he cannot approach unseen or 
 try to flee without being taken."
 
 282 THE KING'S AVENGED 
 
 "Above all, not a word, not a stir; all around you 
 great quarters of rock, trunks of felled trees, cottages in 
 ruin, ramparts of corpses. Let them be just so many re- 
 treats in which you remain buried. But when you shalJ 
 see me standing, and sword in hand, shouting, 'Gustavus 
 Adolphus,' then rise all of you !" 
 
 "Then let me kill him," cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 The dragoons moved away. Margaret knelt on a knoll 
 and all noise died on the plain. 
 
 Magnus, left alone, groped among the dead, and se- 
 lecting a cloak of the Imperial colors, he slung it across 
 his shoulders. He masked his features by rubbing pow- 
 der and blood upon them. He put a dinted helmet on 
 his head and, unrecognizable to every eye, the veteran 
 reiter trudged to the extreme limit of the field of battle. 
 
 Some few groans rose up from beneath him indicating 
 the little life that still struggled to survive. 
 
 We will forsake Armand-Louis and Magnus for a mo- 
 ment to rejoin Renaud, who with M. de Collonges, 
 launched in the pursuit of the Grand-Marshal of the Em- 
 pire. The marquis determined to take this man dead or 
 alive. 
 
 The Croatian, whose movements he scrutinized, gal- 
 loped toward Leipzic. Here and there at rare intervals 
 they passed groups of disbanded soldiers. Some of them 
 dropped their arms at sight of the Swedish dragoons and 
 scampered away, others flung themselves upon their 
 knees in terror and begged for mercy. Yet others, faith- 
 less to the defeated flag and deprived of their chief, ral- 
 lied around Renaud's escort, crying, "Long live Gustavus 
 Adolphus !" 
 
 A poor house, whose half smashed windows shone in 
 the darkness, appeared on one side of the road. 
 
 The Croatian stretched out his hand toward it. 
 
 "There it is," he said. 
 
 Shadows passed athwart the windows. 
 
 A group of bloody, mutilated, yet sword-bearing cuir- 
 assiers, kept guard around the house. At the approach 
 of Renaud they lined up before the door. 
 
 "Lower arms !" said Renaud. "You are ten and we are 
 thirty."
 
 THE KING'S AVENGED 283 
 
 A robust voice was heard from within, Renaud recog- 
 nizing it as that of Count Pappenheim. 
 
 "Let them enter!" he cried, "the enemy will see how 
 the Grand-Marshal of the German Empire can die!" 
 
 Solemn and mute, the cuirassiers parted from before 
 the door; and Renaud, followed by M. de Collonges, en- 
 tered. Carquefou, the Shiverer in his hand, glided after 
 them. 
 
 Count Pappenheim, without his cuirass, his head bare 
 and already covered with the shadows of death, lay upon 
 a miserable bed. Drops of blood oozed through the 
 cloak thrown over his wound and dropped to the floor. 
 His sword, broken through the middle, lay across his 
 coverlet. 
 
 At sight of Renaud he raised himself on his elbow and 
 saluted him with his hand, saying: 
 
 " Tis a long distance from La Grande Fortelle to 
 Leipzic. Since then we have met in some strange places. 
 Be welcome to the last house in which I shall dwell." 
 
 Renaud uncovered. Carquefou lowered the Shiverer's 
 point. 
 
 Then placing his hand upon the hilt of his broken 
 sword, which he still kept by him, the Grand-Marshal 
 added : 
 
 "If that is what you seek, wait a few moments, death 
 will come and take me." 
 
 A shade of anger and despair crossed his visage. 
 
 "You have met me on ten fields of battle," he con- 
 tinued, "in respect for death, which hovers here, forget 
 our long intimacy and answer as a soldier to him who 
 was The Soldier. Your presence here tells me clearly 
 enough that we have lost the battle. What remains of 
 the Imperial army?" 
 
 "A few routed companies, some scattered squadrons." 
 
 "And the Duke of Friedland, our commander?" 
 
 "He has fled." 
 
 "If he lives, nothing is lost." 
 
 Count Pappenheim pulled himself up with an effort, 
 not releasing the hilt of his sword. 
 
 "And Gustavus Adolphus?" he asked. 
 
 Renaud bowed his head and was silent.
 
 284 THE KING'S AVENGED 
 
 "And Gustavus Adolphus?" repeated the dying man, 
 sharply. 
 
 "He is dead," answered Renaud. 
 ^ "Dead !" cried the Grand-Marshal, "the King of 
 Sweden dead !" 
 
 Then lifting himself up, his hands all palsied and his 
 face transfigured, he shrieked : 
 
 "Blessed be the God who lets me learn before my last 
 hour that the implacable enemy of my religion and my 
 country has lost his life ! No ! The battle is not lost if 
 Gustavus Adolphus is dead! What matters it though 
 fifty regiments have been broken like this sword ! I die 
 content. With him dead, Austria is triumphant!" 
 
 A violent knocking at the door interrupted him; a 
 cuirassier entered followed by a courier who knelt on the 
 ground, saying: 
 
 "I arrive from Madrid and the king, my master, has 
 charged me to give this casket to the Grand-Marshal of 
 the Empire." 
 
 Count Pappenheim took the casket and opened it. 
 Soon the brilliant insignia of the famous Order of the 
 Golden Fleece glittered in his trembling fingers. A kind 
 of ecstacy illumined his countenance. 
 
 "At last !" he murmured. 
 
 A chill seized him. 
 
 "Farewell to glory! Farewell to earth!" he said. 
 
 A deathly pallor spread over his forehead ; the scarlet 
 cross appeared faintly between his eyebrows, then turn- 
 ing those eyes, in which the flame of life was flickering, 
 upon Renaud, he murmured : 
 
 "I have found you always a man of war, brave and gen- 
 erous. In memory of the days when our swords crossed, 
 allow my cuirassiers to bury me with these two souvenirs 
 of here below." 
 
 "Your wish shall be accomplished !" said Renaud. 
 
 "Now, let God summon me," cried the Grand-Marshal. 
 "I am ready." 
 
 Soon he yielded up his soul, holding under his cold 
 hands the necklace of the Golden Fleece and the hilt of 
 his sword." 
 
 "Yes, he was a soldier," murmured Renaud.
 
 THE KING'S AVENGED 285 
 
 "God grant me such a death," said M. de Collonges, 
 kneeling. 
 
 While these things were passing in the humble house, 
 under whose roof the chance of war had driven one of 
 the best warriors of the seventeenth century, to die, Ar- 
 mand-Louis, Magnus and M. de Saint-Paer were watch- 
 ing on the ghastly field of Lutzen. 
 
 The silence was profound ; a slight sough of wind com- 
 plained in the branches of the trees ; the moon, immobile 
 in a pure sky, cast its gleam upon that field where slept 
 the frozen multitude. 
 
 At times a wounded horse raised his head, uttered a 
 long neigh and then became silent. 
 
 Night was now well advanced. Armand-Louis began 
 to believe that Captain Jacobus would not come. About 
 this time, old Magnus, who was prowling along the edge 
 of the field, distinguished a man walking slowly and 
 glancing about him. His tall form cast a long shadow 
 on the ground. He held a sword in his hand. 
 
 " "Tis he!" murmured Magnus. 
 
 Then he directed his steps toward the captain, while 
 feigning to be seeking something along the ground. 
 
 The captain stopped, drew a pistol from his belt and 
 for a few minutes studied this unknown who was ram- 
 bling among the dead. 
 
 "A marauder," he said to himself at last, as he rammed 
 his pistol back in the folds of silk. 
 
 "Holloa, friend !" he cried. 
 
 Magnus raised his head, hesitated like one surprised 
 and discontent, then advanced toward the captain, his 
 hand on his swordhilt. 
 
 "Keep the toy in its place," quoth Captain Jacobus. 
 "Thou'rt pillaging corpses; I want to find only one. So, 
 let's not quarrel." 
 
 "Then, let's talk," replied Magnus, "but quickly. The 
 day is not far off and it won't be pleasant to meet a 
 Swedish patrol here." 
 
 "Hark thee! If thou aidcst me to find him, whom I 
 seek, there's more gold for you in this purse than you'll 
 find in the pockets of a hundred officers." 
 
 "Speak."
 
 286 THE KING'S AVENGED 
 
 "The man of whom I shall speak fell near a field of 
 wheat, not far from a group of trees at a spot where the 
 road makes a bend." 
 
 Magnus scratched his forehead. 
 
 "In a place something like that," he answered, "I s-aw 
 an extraordinary pile of corpses. They lay like the 
 strands of an unbound sheaf, one on top of the other. 
 One of them wore a close-coat of buff with a gorget of 
 steel ; his left arm had been broken by a ball." 
 
 "Go thither, I follow thee," said the captain, seizing 
 Magnus by the hand. 
 
 Without reply Magnus hastily took a path which cut 
 the battlefield diagonally. The captain walked in his 
 tracks at a sword's distance. His anxious glances sound- 
 ed on every side the dubious clearness of the night; but 
 naught stirred in the immense plain. 
 
 Further, the man walking before him had his sword in 
 his scabbard. 
 
 Thus they neared a field of wheat, which had been 
 trampled and torn by the ravages of the fearful struggle. 
 Magnus pointed out to Captain Jacobus a group of five 
 or six trees, and the road, whose white line bent here. 
 
 "Yes, 'tis there," murmured the adventurer. 
 
 A mass of bloody bodies carpeted the ground. Broken 
 swords and muskets were strewn everywhere, and every- 
 where pale faces stared up at Heaven. 
 
 Magnus crossed the first circle of corpses and in the 
 heart of this hecatomb he pointed to the body of the king. 
 Then uncovering and in a voice of thunder he roared : 
 
 "Gustavus Adolphus !" 
 
 A man sprang up at this cry, then a second, then ten, 
 then twenty and all, sword in hand, marched toward Mag- 
 nus. 
 
 "Traitor!" cried Captain Jacobus, as he pulled his pis- 
 tol and fired. 
 
 But the veteran had leaped aside and the ball passed 
 within a few inches of his brow. 
 
 "Too soon and too late," said Magnus, coldly. 
 
 Armand-Louis and M. de Saint-Paer were now beside 
 him, and around them a circle of dragoons. Escape was 
 impossible.
 
 THE KING'S AVENGED 287 
 
 Captain Jacobus recognized Armand-Louis and, stand- 
 ing behind him like a spectre, Margaret Cabeliau. 
 
 He flung his useless arms to the ground and crossing 
 his arms on his breast, he said : 
 
 "Ah, an ambush as at La Grande Fortelle. The gen- 
 tleman does the bandit's job." 
 
 Armand-Louis made a gesture, at which M. de Saint- 
 Paer and Magnus moved back. Then the Huguenot 
 faced the adventurer and said : 
 
 "1 shall believe my duty but half done if I don't kill 
 you. Raise your sword then, Captain Jacobus, and de- 
 fend your life, for as true as my name is Armand-Louis of 
 La Guerche, one of us will fall here never to rise." 
 
 The captain whipped out his rapier, then retreating a 
 step, he asked : 
 
 "Is it fair play?" 
 
 "Fair play. You against me. One to one." 
 
 "Without pity or mercy? With dirk and sword?" 
 
 "With dirk and sword. Without quarter or pardon." 
 
 "And if I kill you?" 
 
 "You shall be free, my faith of a gentleman." 
 
 M. de Saint-Paer made a move forward. 
 
 "Allow me," interposed Armand-Louis. "This man 
 belongs to me." 
 
 "Magnus is not a gentleman. He has promised noth- 
 ing," said Magnus. 
 
 Captain Jacobus bent his blade as he glanced at the 
 veteran and said with a disdainful air : 
 
 "Thou — thou'rt nothing." 
 
 "On guard and pray to God," cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 The steel crossed and the duel began. 
 
 Margaret on her knees held up the livid head of the 
 king and turned it toward the combatants, as if she willed 
 death to be the witness of this implacable struggle to 
 avenge it. 
 
 This time Armand-Louis had to do with the most for- 
 midable jouster he had ever met. No feint or trick but 
 Captain Jacobus knew it. He made of his sword and pon- 
 iard an apile and living shield, whence shot out a thousand 
 thrustfl prompt as thunderbolts. A mist passed before the 
 of Magnus, who gripped tight the hilt of Baliverne.
 
 288 THE KING'S AVENGED 
 
 But Armand-Louis parried every thrust and multiplied 
 his own with a speed and precision that increased by re- 
 sistance. 
 
 Naught was heard but the clash of steel and the short, 
 hard breathing of the two men. 
 
 According as the adversaries changed their positions, 
 Margaret turned the head of the dead king between her 
 knees so that its pallid face might ever be fixed on Cap- 
 tain Jacobus. 
 
 Once the eyes of the adventurer met this terrible vis- 
 age. He shuddered and the sword of Armand-Louis 
 caught him full in the breast ; but the blade met the fine 
 mail of a close-coat of steel under the buff doublet and 
 it snapped into pieces. 
 
 "Bandit!" cried Armand-Louis. 
 
 A snarl of ferocious joy answered him. 
 
 Magnus paled and brandished Baliverne; but at the 
 moment when Jacobus, sure of victory, lunged at Ar- 
 mand-Louis, Margaret handed the latter a bloody sword. 
 
 " 'Tis the sword of the king," she said, "kill that man !" 
 
 The arm of Captain Jacobus hesitated ; the thrust des- 
 tined for his foe was lost in space and almost immediately 
 the point of a blade, whose force he had once felt, threat- 
 ened him anew. 
 
 "Strike at his throat !" Magnus said in a sombre voice. 
 
 The duel recommenced more bitterly and stubbornly. 
 
 "Death of my life!" murmured the captain. "I must 
 make an end of this." 
 
 He crouched back like a tiger and his play became 
 more rapid and serried. They saw his white teeth gleam 
 through his red moustache. 
 
 Soon some drops of blood appeared on the clothes of 
 Armand-Louis, who had no steel armor to protect him. 
 Twice the captain had torn his doublet. A smile parted 
 his lips as he said : 
 
 "My sword is thirsty. Beware!" 
 
 He made a step and Magnus passed his hand across his 
 sweat-soaked brow. But suddenly the sword of Armand- 
 Louis shone like an arrow and pinked the adventurer in 
 the shoulder, where his cuirass joined. 
 
 "Hell I" roared Jacobus, falling back.
 
 THE KING'S AVENGED 289 
 
 Armand-Louis dropped his sword, leaped forward and 
 while with his right hand he seized the left arm of the 
 captain, with the swiftness of a lightning streak he plant- 
 ed his poniard full in the villain's throat with his left. 
 
 The shell of steel struck his gorget and a jet of black 
 blood leaped on the arm of the conqueror. 
 
 "Justice is done!" said Armand-Louis. 
 
 At daybreak two troops of cavalry met on the Leipzic 
 road. One was being conducted by Renaud of Chaufon- 
 taine, the other by Armand-Louis. The one had seen 
 Count Pappenheim die ; the other bore the body of King 
 Gustavus Adolphus. Not long afterward the two gentle- 
 men entered the abode of the Marquis of Pardaillan. 
 
 "Dost believe that the Shiverer may take some rest 
 now?" asked Carquefou. 
 
 "Who knows ! Baliverne is not tired," replied Mag- 
 nus. 
 
 Adrienne and Diana awaited their sweethearts. 
 
 "A man dared to look upon you," said Renaud. "He 
 is no more." 
 
 The Marquis of Pardaillan took Diana's hand and 
 placed it in that of Renaud. 
 
 "Madame," said Armand-Louis, "the swordknot with 
 which John of Werth adorned his blade is here on mine ; 
 and I have killed the man who raised his hand against the 
 ing. 
 
 "Madame de La Guerche," said the Marquis of Par- 
 daillan, "kiss your husband." 
 
 (THH END)
 
 E, E0LLE2 ZIC2ASDSP& 
 
 SURGEON, U. & (^
 
 A A 000 329 697 7