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diff --git a/old/33618-h.zip b/old/33618-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 75ff4ec..0000000 --- a/old/33618-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/33618-h/33618-h.htm b/old/33618-h/33618-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 57ed8d4..0000000 --- a/old/33618-h/33618-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,4714 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" -"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> - -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" xml:lang="en"> - <head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=iso-8859-1" /> -<title> - The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Branding Needle, by Eugene Sue. -</title> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/cover.jpg" /> -<style type="text/css"> - p {margin-top:.75em;text-align:justify;margin-bottom:.75em;text-indent:2%;} - -.c {text-align:center;text-indent:0%;} - -.nind {text-indent:0%;} - -.r {text-align:right;margin-right:5%;} - -.space {letter-spacing:3px;} - - h1,h2 {text-align:center;clear:both;} - - h3 {margin-top:15%;text-align:center;clear:both;font-family:courier new, serif;} - - h4 {text-align:center;clear:both;font-family:courier new, serif;} - -.top5 {margin-top:5%;} - -.top15 {margin-top:15%;} - - hr {width:50%;margin:2em auto 2em auto;clear:both;color:black;} - - table {margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;border:none;text-align:left;font-family:courier new, serif;font-weight:bold;} - - body{margin-left:10%;margin-right:10%;background:#fdfdfd;color:black;font-family:"Times New Roman", serif;font-size:medium;} - -a:link {background-color:#ffffff;color:blue;text-decoration:none;} - - link {background-color:#ffffff;color:blue;text-decoration:none;} - -a:visited {background-color:#ffffff;color:purple;text-decoration:none;} - -a:hover {background-color:#ffffff;color:#FF0000;text-decoration:underline;} - -.smcap {font-variant:small-caps;font-size:95%;} - -.sml {font-size:75%;} - -.blockquot {margin:5% auto 5% auto;} - -.boxseries {border:3px solid black;padding:2%;width:75%;margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;margin-top:15%;} - -.boxdouble {border: double 6px black;padding:2%;margin:4% 6% 4% 6%;} - -.box {border: solid 3px black;padding:2%;max-width:60%;margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto;margin-top:15%;max-height:800px;} - -.box2 {border: solid 3px black;padding:2%;} - -.full {text-align:center;text-indent:0%;font-size:150%;font-weight:bold;} - -td.part {font-size:125%;line-height:50px;} -</style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Branding Needle, or The Monastery of -Charolles, by Eugène Sue - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Branding Needle, or The Monastery of Charolles - A Tale of the First Communal Charter - -Author: Eugène Sue - -Translator: Daniel De Leon - -Release Date: September 3, 2010 [EBook #33618] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRANDING NEEDLE *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr /> - -<h3>THE BRANDING NEEDLE</h3> - -<div class="boxseries"> -<div class="boxdouble"> -<p class="full">THE FULL SERIES OF</p> - -<p class="c"><img src="images/ill_mysteries.png" -alt="The Mysteries of the People" -width="80%" -/> -</p> - -<p class="c">OR</p> - -<p class="c">History of a Proletarian Family<br />Across the Ages</p> - -<p class="c space">By EUGENE SUE</p> -</div> - -<p class="c"><i>Consisting of the Following Works:</i></p> - -<p class="nind"><b>THE GOLD SICKLE; or, <i>Hena the Virgin of the Isle of Sen</i>.<br /> -THE BRASS BELL; or, <i>The Chariot of Death</i>.<br /> -THE IRON COLLAR; or, <i>Faustine and Syomara</i>.<br /> -THE SILVER CROSS; or, <i>The Carpenter of Nazareth</i>.<br /> -THE CASQUE'S LARK; or, <i>Victoria, the Mother of the Camps</i>.<br /> -THE PONIARID'S HILT; or, <i>Karadeucq and Ronan</i>.<br /> -THE BRANDING NEEDLE; or, The <i>Monastery of Charolles</i>.<br /> -THE ABBATIAL CROSIER; or, <i>Bonaik and Septimine</i>.<br /> -THE CARLOVINGIAN COINS; or, <i>The Daughters of Charlemagne</i>.<br /> -THE IRON ARROW-HEAD; or, <i>The Buckler Maiden</i>.<br /> -THE INFANT'S SKULL; or, <i>The End of the World</i>.<br /> -THE PILGRIM'S SHELL; or, <i>Fergan the Quarryman</i>.<br /> -THE IRON PINCERS; or, <i>Mylio and Karvel</i>.<br /> -THE IRON TREVET; or <i>Jocelyn the Champion</i>.<br /> -THE EXECUTIONER'S KNIFE; or, <i>Joan of Arc</i>.<br /> -THE POCKET BIBLE; or, <i>Christian the Printer</i>.<br /> -THE BLACKSMITH'S HAMMER; or, <i>The Peasant Code</i>.<br /> -THE SWORD OF HONOR; or, <i>The Foundation of the French Republic</i>.<br /> -THE GALLEY SLAVE'S RING; or, <i>The Family Lebrenn</i>.</b></p> - -<div class="boxdouble space"> -<p class="c"><span class="sml">Published Uniform With This Volume By</span><br /> -THE NEW YORK LABOR NEWS CO.<br /> -<span class="sml">28 CITY HALL PLACE NEW YORK CITY</span></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><a name="page_001" id="page_001"></a></p> - -<div class="box"> -<div class="box2"> -<h1><span class="sml">THE</span><br />B<span class="sml">RANDING</span> N<span class="sml">EEDLE</span></h1> - -<p class="c"><b>: : : : OR : : : :</b></p> - -<h2>THE MONASTERY OF CHAROLLES</h2> - -<table summary="name" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" -style="border-bottom:6px double black; -letter-spacing:8px;font-size:125%;"> -<tr><td> - - - </td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c top15"><b>A Tale of the First Communal Charter</b></p> - -<table summary="name" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" -style="border-top:4px double black; -border-bottom:6px double black;"> -<tr><td class="space"><b> By EUGENE SUE </b></td></tr> -</table> - -<table summary="name" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" -style="border-bottom:6px double black; -letter-spacing:8px;font-size:125%;"> -<tr><td> - - - </td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c sml space"><b>TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL FRENCH BY</b></p> - -<p class="c"><b>DANIEL DE LEON</b></p> - -<p class="c sml space"><b>NEW YORK LABOR NEWS COMPANY, 1908</b></p> -</div> -</div> - -<p><a name="page_002" id="page_002"></a></p> - -<p class="c top5 sml"> -Copyright, 1908, by the<br /> -NEW YORK LABOR NEWS CO.<br /> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_003" id="page_003"></a></p> - -<h3>INDEX</h3> -<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td colspan="4" align="center" class="part"><a href="#PART_I">PART I. THE VALLEY OF CHAROLLES</a>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">CHAP.</td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_Ia">I.</a></td><td> THE SIGNAL</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_005">5</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IIa">II.</a></td><td> THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_015">15</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IIIa">III.</a></td><td> ON THE WATCH AT THE RIVER</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_024">24</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IVa">IV.</a></td><td> FREDEGONDE AND BRUNHILD</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_027">27</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_Va">V.</a></td><td> THE ASSAULT</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_033">33</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="4" align="center" class="part"><a href="#PART_II">PART II. THE CASTLE OF BRUNHILD</a>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">CHAP.</td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_Ib">I.</a></td><td> THE TOWER-ROOM</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_047">47</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IIb">II.</a></td><td> QUEEN AND CONFIDANTE</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_056">56</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IIIb">III.</a></td><td> THE ROYAL FAMILY</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_066">66</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IVb">IV.</a></td><td> QUEEN AND MAYOR OF THE PALACE</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_069">69</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_Vb">V.</a></td><td> LOYSIK AND BRUNHILD</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_079">79</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="4" align="center" class="part"><a href="#PART_III">PART III. THE CAMP OF CLOTAIRE II</a>.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">CHAP.</td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_Ic">I.</a></td><td> WEEDING KINGLETS</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_093">93</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IIc">II.</a></td><td> AT BAY</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_101">101</a></td></tr> -<tr><td align="left"> </td><td align="right"><a href="#CHAPTER_IIIc">III.</a></td><td> THE DEATH OF BRUNHILD</td><td align="right"><a href="#page_109">109</a></td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="2"> </td><td align="left"><a href="#EPILOGUE">EPILOGUE</a></td><td align="right"><a href="#page_120">120</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><a name="page_004" id="page_004"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_005" id="page_005"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="TRANSLATORS_PREFACE" id="TRANSLATORS_PREFACE"></a>TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE</h3> - -<p>Semiramis, Brunhild, Catherine of Medicis constitute a trinity of -historic women unique in their greatness. Their ambition was boundless, -their intellectual powers matchless, the depths of their immorality -unfathomable. As such they were the scourges of their respective ages. -Queen Brunhild, a central figure in this superb story, may be said to be -the Sixth Century heiress of the Semiramis of over ten centuries -earlier, and the progenitor of the Catherine of nearly ten centuries -later, who figures later in the sixteenth story of this series of Eugene -Sue's of historic novels named by him <i>The Mysteries of the People; or, -History of a Proletarian Family Across the Ages</i>.</p> - -<p>This story—<i>The Branding Needle; or The Monastery of Charolles</i>—is the -seventh of the series. Both in the tragic picture of Brunhild, and of -the rustic, industrial and peaceful picture of the settlement of -Charolles, the story constitutes a connecting link between the -turbulence of the previous story—<i>The Poniard's Hilt; or, Karadeucq and -Ronan</i>—and the renewed turbulence of the age depicted in the story that -follows—<i>The Abbatial Crosier; or, Bonaik and Septimine</i>.</p> - -<p>With much color of truth does Eugene Sue look upon the settlement of -Charolles as the remote yet initial step to the Communes which, a few -centuries later, constituted a marked feature of the history of France, -and ultimately led to historic events of world-wide importance. The -circumstances under which the royal charter of Charolles was granted, -described with historic accuracy, its perils and its vicissitudes, -unfold a page of history of no slight value to the student of history, -and of fascinating interest to the lover of historic narratives.</p> - -<p class="r smcap">Daniel de Leon.</p> - -<p>New York, February, 1908.</p> - -<p><a name="page_006" id="page_006"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_007" id="page_007"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="PART_I" id="PART_I"></a>PART I</h3> - -<h4>THE VALLEY OF CHAROLLES</h4> - -<p><a name="page_008" id="page_008"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_009" id="page_009"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_Ia" id="CHAPTER_Ia"></a>CHAPTER I.</h3> - -<h4>THE SIGNAL.</h4> - -<p>About fifty years have elapsed since King Clotaire had his son Chram -burned alive together with the latter's wife and daughters. Let us -forget the spectacle of desolation that conquered Gaul continues to -present under the descendants of Clovis for the last fifty years, and -rest our eyes upon the Valley of Charolles.</p> - -<p>Oh, the fathers of the happy inhabitants who people that corner of the -land did not bend their necks under the yoke of either Frankish -seigneurs or Gallic bishops. No, no—they proved the old Gallic blood -still flowed in their veins. The consequence is noticed in the picture -of dignified felicity that the valley offers. Behold on the slope of the -hill the cosy homes half shaded by vines, that carpet the walls and the -ripe maturity and luxuriant quality of which are attested by their -leaves and grapes that the autumn sun has reddened and gilt. Each of the -houses is surrounded by a garden of flowers with a clump of shade-giving -trees. Never did the eye of man dwell upon a more smiling village. A -village? No; it rather resembles a large borough. From at least six to -seven hundred houses are scattered on the slope of that hill, without -counting the vast thatched structures that are situated below on the -meadow, which is watered by a river that rises to the north of the -valley, crosses it and forms its boundary far away where the horizon -dips. Yonder the river parts in two arms; one flows eastward, the other -westward, after bathing in its course the feet of a forest of gigantic -chestnut trees from between the tops of which the<a name="page_010" id="page_010"></a> roof of a tall stone -building is perceived, surmounted by a cross of iron.</p> - -<p>No, never yet was promised land better calculated to reward industry -with abundance. Half way up the slope of the hill, the purple colored -vines; above the vineyards, the agricultural fields, on which the -stubble of rye and wheat left from the last harvest is here and there -seen burning. The fertile acreage stretches up to the skirts of the -forests that crown the surrounding eminences, within which the spacious -valley is locked. Below the vineyards are meadowlands watered by the -river. Numerous flocks of sheep and herds of horses browse and graze -upon the succulent pasture. The bells of the bulls and wethers are heard -tinkling their rural melody. Here and yonder carts drawn by oxen slowly -roll over the ground where the stubble was burned the day before, or -four-wheeled wagons slowly descend the slopes of the vineyards and wend -their way towards the common wine-presses, which, together with the -stables, the sheep-folds and the pig-sties, all alike common, are -located in the neighborhood of the river. Several workshops also lie -contiguous to the river; the wash and spinning houses, where the flax is -prepared and the wool washed preparatorily to being transformed into -warm clothing; there also are situated the tanneries, the forges, the -mills equipped with enormous grind-stones. Peace, security, contentment -and work are seen everywhere reflected in the valley. The sound of the -beetles of the washerwomen and the curriers, the clang of the -blacksmiths' hammers, the joyful cries of the men and women engaged at -the vintage, the rythmic chant of the husbandmen keeping time to the -even and slow gait of the draft-oxen, the rustic flute of the -shepherds,—all these sounds, including the hum of the swarming bees, -another set of indefatigable toilers, who are busily gathering the honey -from the last autumnal flowers,—all these different sounds, from the -furthest and vaguest to the nearest and loudest, mingle into one<a name="page_011" id="page_011"></a> -harmony that is at once sweet and imposing; it is the voice of labor and -happiness rising heavenward as a continuous thanksgiving.</p> - -<p>What is it that is going on in yonder house, which, although constructed -like all the others, nevertheless, being nearest to the crest of the -hill, seems to be the culminating point of the settlement, and commands -a full view of the valley? Dressed in festive garb, the dwellers of that -house are seen going in and out. They are seen heaping dry vine twigs in -a sort of pyre at a goodly distance from the door. Young girls and -children are seen and heard merrily bringing in their arms their -contributions of dry wood, and running off again for more combustibles. -A short old woman, with hair as white as silver, dainty, comely and -still quick despite her advanced age, superintends the preparation of -the pyre. As all old women are apt to do, she finds fault and -sermonizes—but not in anger, on the contrary. Listen to her:</p> - -<p>"Oh, those young girls, those young girls! Always giddy-headed! Work -more and laugh less; the pyre is not yet high enough. What does it avail -that you rose at early dawn in order to finish your daily tasks before -your companions, if you now only frolic instead of hastening the work on -the pyre? I am quite sure that more than one impatient look is being -cast up here from the valley below, and that more than one voice is -saying: 'What may they be up to on the hill that they do not yet give us -the signal? Can they be asleep as in winter?' I am certain such are the -serious suspicions that you are exposing yourselves to, you eternal -gigglers! Such are the pranks of your age. I know it, I should not blame -you; but remember that the days are short at this season; before our -good men shall have had time to lead the cattle back from the fields, -stalled the draft-oxen and the wagons, and put on their holiday clothes, -the sun will be down. We shall not be able to reach the monastery<a name="page_012" id="page_012"></a> until -after dark, and the community expects the signal from us before sunset."</p> - -<p>"A few more armfuls of dry wood, dame Odille, and all that will be left -to do will be to set it on fire," answered a handsome lassie of sixteen -years with blue eyes and black hair; "I shall take charge of lighting -the pyre; you will see how bold I can be!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, Fulvia, your grandmother, my old friend the Bishopess, is right, -indeed, when she says that you are a dare-devil."</p> - -<p>"My good grandmother is like yourself, dame Odille; her scoldings are -but caresses; she loves all that is young and gay."</p> - -<p>"And I presume you act so crazily merely in order to please her?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, dame Odille; because you must know that it costs me a good deal, -it is awfully hard for me to be gay! Alas! Alas!"</p> - -<p>And the lass punctuated each exclamation with such a hearty outburst of -laughter and droll action, that the good little old woman could not -refrain from following the example. Whereupon she said:</p> - -<p>"As true as this is the fiftieth time that we celebrate the anniversary -of our settling in the Valley of Charolles, I never saw a girl of a more -unalterably happy disposition than yours, my lovely Fulvia."</p> - -<p>"Fifty years! How awfully long that is, dame Odille. It seems to me I -could never live to see fifty years!"</p> - -<p>"It looks that way at your charming age of sixteen; but to me, Fulvia, -these fifty years of peace and happiness have sped like a dream—except, -of course, the evil year when I saw Ronan's father die, and lost my -first-born son."</p> - -<p>"Look, dame Odille! There are your consolations, now coming up from the -field!"</p> - -<p>These "consolations" were her husband Ronan himself and his second son -Gregory, a man now of mature age who was, in turn, accompanied by his -two children, Guenek, a strapping lad<a name="page_013" id="page_013"></a> of twenty, and Asilyk, a handsome -girl of eighteen. Despite his white hair and beard, and despite his -seventy-five years, Ronan the Vagre was still quick of motion, vigorous -and frolicsome as ever.</p> - -<p>"Good evening," he called out to his wife as he embraced her; "good -evening, little Odille."</p> - -<p>And after him it was the turn of Gregory and his children to embrace the -dame.</p> - -<p>"Good evening, dear mother."</p> - -<p>"Good evening, dear grandmother."</p> - -<p>"Do you hear them?" put in Ronan's wife with that smile that sits so -charming on the lips of happy elderly people. "Do you hear them? To -these two I am 'grandmother,' and for this one here I am 'Little -Odille.'"</p> - -<p>"Even when you will be a hundred years old, and you will surely reach -that age, by the faith of Ronan! I shall always call you 'Little Odille' -just as, my little Odille, I shall always call these two friends who are -approaching the 'Master of the Hounds' and the 'Bishopess.'"</p> - -<p>Just then the Master of the Hounds and his wife joined the group where -Ronan stood; the heads of both the new arrivals had been whitened with -age, but their faces beamed with happiness.</p> - -<p>"Ho! Ho! How fine you look, my old companion, with your new blouse and -embroidered cap! And you, beautiful Bishopess, you are no less -gorgeously arrayed!"</p> - -<p>"Ronan, by the faith of an old Vagre!" said the Master of the Hounds, "I -love my Fulvia, in the matron's dress that she now wears, with her brown -robe and her coif as white as her hair, as much as I did when she wore -her orange skirt, blue sash, gold necklace and silver embroidered red -stockings. Do you remember, Ronan? Do you?"</p> - -<p>"Odille, if my husband and yours begin to talk about olden<a name="page_014" id="page_014"></a> days, we -shall not arrive at the monastery until to-morrow morning. But Loysik is -waiting for us. Let us start."</p> - -<p>"Beautiful and wise Bishopess, we shall hearken unto you," merrily -replied Ronan. "Come, Gregory; come, my children; let us start, that -will take us all the quicker to my good brother Loysik."</p> - -<p>A minute later, Fulvia, the grandchild of the Bishopess, came out of the -house with several of her girl friends, with a lighted brand in her -hand, wherewith she set the pyre on fire. The gladsome cries of the -girls and children greeted the bright and sparkling column of fire that -mounted heavenward. At the signal, the people down in the valley who -were still at work in the fields, started homeward, and an hour later -they marched in a body, men, women and children, the old and the young, -in festive groups to the monastery of Charolles.<a name="page_015" id="page_015"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIa" id="CHAPTER_IIa"></a>CHAPTER II.</h3> - -<h4>THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION.</h4> - -<p>The monastic establishment of Charolles was a large sized and solid -stone building, without any ornamentation whatever. Besides the cells of -the monks, it contained within its precincts a granary, a chapel, a -hospital for the male patients of the valley, and a school for young -children. During the fifty years of the existence of the settlement, the -monk laborers re-elected Loysik every year their superior, and, a -strange thing in these days, they all remained lay, Loysik having ever -warned them against rashly binding themselves by eternal vows and -confounding themselves with the clergy. The monks of the monastery of -Charolles lived under rules which they established for themselves and -rigorously observed. The discipline of the Order of St. Benoit, which -was adopted by a large number of the monasteries of Gaul, seemed to -Loysik, by reason of some of its statutes, to either annihilate or at -least, degrade human conscience, reason and dignity. If, for instance, -the superior ordered a monk to do a thing that was physically -impossible, then the monk, after having humbly informed his chief of the -impossibility of what was demanded of him, was in duty bound to bow -before the order. Another of the statutes provided literally: "It is not -allowed to a monk to have his own body and will under his own command." -Worst of all it was formally forbidden a monk "to either defend or -protect his fellow monk, even though they be united by the bonds of -consanguinity." Such a voluntary renunciation of the tenderest and -self-respecting impulses; such an abnegation of conscience and of human -reason, carried to the point of imbecility; such passive obedience, -which turns man into a soulless machine, a species<a name="page_016" id="page_016"></a> of corpse, seemed -too absurd to Loysik, and he resisted the invasion of Charolles by the -rules of the Order of St. Benoit, however generally accepted they -otherwise were in Gaul.</p> - -<p>Loysik presided over the labors of the monastery, and himself took part -in them until with old age his strength no longer permitted him to do -so. He tended the sick, and assisted by several other brothers he taught -the children of the inhabitants of the valley. In the evening, after the -hard work of the day, he gathered the brothers around him; in summer, -under the vault of the gallery that surrounded the inside yard of the -cloister; in winter, in the refectory. There, faithful to the traditions -of his family, he narrated to his brothers the glories of ancient Gaul, -and the deeds of the valiant heroes of olden times, thus keeping alive -in the hearts of all the sacred cult of the fatherland, and combating -the feeling of discouragement that often seized upon the firmest spirits -at the sight of the abject plight in which all the Gallic provinces -subject to Frankish rule found themselves.</p> - -<p>The community had thus lived peacefully and industriously for many years -under the direction of Loysik. Rarely had he occasion to restore harmony -among the brothers. Nevertheless, a few ferments of fleeting dissension, -speedily, however, allayed by the ascendency of the aged monk laborer, -manifested themselves ever and anon. The following was the source of -these untoward events:</p> - -<p>Although absolutely free and independent in all that concerned its -internal regulations, the election of its superior, the disposition of -the yield of the land which it cultivated, nevertheless the monastery of -Charolles was subject to the jurisdiction of the diocese of the bishop; -moreover, the prelate had the right to place at the monastery the -priests of his own choice to read mass, administer communion and the -other sacraments, and officiate in the chapel of the monastery which was -also the place of religious worship for the other inhabitants of the<a name="page_017" id="page_017"></a> -Valley of Charolles. Loysik submitted to these requirements which the -times imposed, in order to insure the tranquility of his brothers and of -the other inhabitants of the Valley. But the priests, who thus entered -the bosom of the lay cloister, sought more than once to sow discord -among the monk laborers, saying to some that they devoted too little -time to prayer, urging others to enter the church and become -ecclesiastical monks, and thus share the power of the clergy. More than -once did these underhanded manoeuvres reach the ears of Loysik who would -then firmly address these concocters of dissension in these terms:</p> - -<p>"Who labors prays. Jesus of Nazareth severely condemns the do-nothings -who will not move with one of their fingers the heavy burdens and -grievous to be borne which they lay on their brothers' shoulders and for -a pretence make long prayers. We want no idlers here. We are all -brothers, and the children of one God. Whether a monk be lay or -ecclesiastic they are all alike, provided they live Christian lives. If -any there be who, having done his full share in the work of the -cloister, chooses to employ in prayer the leisure that man needs after -work, he is free to do so—as free as are other members of our community -to employ their leisure in the cultivation of flowers, in reading, in -conversation with their friends, in fishing, in promenading, in singing, -in designing manuscripts, or in any other accomplishment, including the -exercise of arms, seeing that we live in days when it is often necessary -to repel force with force, and defend one's own life and the lives of -his family against violence. Accordingly, in my eyes, he who, after -work, seeks honest recreation, is as worthy as he who employs his -leisure in prayer. Only idlers are impious! We despise all those who -refuse to work."</p> - -<p>Loysik was so universally venerated and the community was so happy and -thriving that the outside priests never succeeded in permanently -disturbing its quiet and harmony. Moreover,<a name="page_018" id="page_018"></a> Loysik owned both the land -and the buildings of the monastery by virtue of an authentic charter -issued to him by King Clotaire. Accordingly, the prelates of Chalon -found themselves obliged to respect his rights, while they never -desisted from pursuing their ends through perfidious means.</p> - -<p>On this day the colony and community of Charolles had a holiday. The -monk laborers strove to give the best possible reception to their -friends of the Valley, who, agreeable to a long established custom, came -to thank Loysik for the happy life that they owed him, these descendants -of Vagres, brave devils whom the monk's word had converted. Only once a -year was the freely adopted rule suspended that interdicted the -admittance of women to the cloister. The monks were setting up long -tables wherever any could be placed, in the refectory, in the halls -where they worked at several manual industries, under the open galleries -that ran around the inner courtyard, and even in the yard itself, which, -on such solemn and festive occasions, was over-roofed by sheets of linen -held fast with cords. In fact, there were tables even in the hall of -arms. What! An arsenal in a monastery? Yes. The arms of the Vagres, the -founders of the colony and the community, had all been deposited -there—a wise measure, advised by Loysik, and which the monk laborers -and colonists appreciated at the time when the troops of Chram attacked -the Valley. No similar occurrence had happened again since then, but the -arsenal was carefully kept and increased. Twice each month, both in the -village and the community, the men exercised themselves in the handling -of arms, an ever useful precaution in these days, Loysik would say, when -one might from one moment to another be called upon to repel some armed -band of the Frankish seigneurs.</p> - -<p>The monk laborers were engaged setting up tables everywhere. On the -tables they placed with innocent pride the fruits of their labors—good -wheat bread made of wheat of their own harvesting, generous wine yielded -by their own vineyard, quarters<a name="page_019" id="page_019"></a> of beef and mutton coming from their -own cattle yards, fruits and vegetables raised in their own gardens, -milk of their own cows, honey from their own hives. They owed this -abundance to their daily labor; they now enjoyed its sight and the -comfort it afforded both them and their friends. Nothing more -legitimate! Besides, the monks experienced profound satisfaction in -proving to their old friends of the Valley that they also were good -husbandmen, skilful vintners, experienced horticulturists and competent -shepherds.</p> - -<p>Occasionally it would also befall—the devil ever is at his wicked -work—that at some of these anniversary celebrations, when the women and -maids were admitted to the otherwise forbidden precincts of the -monastery, some monk laborer discovered, by the impression produced upon -him by some pretty girl, that his fondness for the austere freedom of -celibacy was rather premature. On such occasions the swain would open -his heart to Loysik. The latter always insisted upon three months of -reflection on the part of the brother, and in the event of his -persisting in his conjugal vocation Loysik was speedily seen strolling -into the village leaning upon his cane. There he would converse with the -parents of the maid upon the advisability of the match; and it rarely -happened but that a few months later the colony numbered one more -household and the community one brother less, while Loysik would say: -"Here is one more evidence of my being right in not accepting eternal -vows from my monks."</p> - -<p>The preparations for the reception had long been finished in the -interior of the monastery, and the sun was on the point of setting when -the laborer monks heard a loud noise outside. The whole colony was -arriving. At the head of the crowd marched Ronan and the Master of the -Hounds, Odille and the Bishopess. They were the four oldest inhabitants -of the Valley. A few old Vagres, but younger than these followed behind -them;<a name="page_020" id="page_020"></a> then came the children, the grandchildren, the -great-grandchildren of that once so disorderly and so redoubted Vagrery.</p> - -<p>Informed of the approach of his friends, Loysik stepped to the gate of -the monastery to receive them. Like all the other brothers of the -community, the venerable monk was clad in a robe of coarse brown wool, -held around his waist by a leather belt. His head was now completely -bald; his long snow-white beard fell upon his chest; his bearing was -still erect, his eyes clear, although he was beyond eighty; only his -venerable hands were slightly agitated by a tremor. The crowd halted; -Ronan approached, took his brother's hand, and addressed to him these -words:</p> - -<p>"Loysik, it is to-day fifty-one years ago that a troop of determined -Vagres stood awaiting your arrival on the border of Burgundy. You came -to us; you spoke wise words to us; you preached to us the virile virtues -of labor and of the domestic hearth; and you thereupon put us in -condition to put those virtues into practice by offering to our troop -the free enjoyment of this valley. A year later, that is now fifty years -ago, our budding colony celebrated the first anniversary of its -foundation in this region; and to-day we come—we, our children and the -children of our children—once again to say to you through my mouth: 'We -are happy, thanks to you, brother; eternal gratitude and friendship to -Loysik!'"</p> - -<p>"Yes, yes!" echoed the crowd. "Eternal acknowledgment to Loysik—respect -and gratitude for our friend, our good father!"</p> - -<p>The old monk laborer was deeply moved; sweet tears rolled down from his -eyes; he made a sign that he wished to speak; and in the midst of -profound silence he uttered these words:</p> - -<p>"Thanks to you, my friends, my brothers, to those of you who lived fifty -years ago, and to you others who have not known the frightful times that -we older ones have experienced, except from the accounts given to you by -your parents—thanks for<a name="page_021" id="page_021"></a> the joy that you afford me this day. After -having made themselves feared by their valor, the founders of this -colony have made themselves beloved and respected by approving -themselves men and women who loved work, were peaceful and honored the -family. A happy accident willed it that, in the very midst of the -disasters of civil war that for so many years have been desolating our -country, Burgundy should be spared these misfortunes, the fruits of a -murderous conquest. Let us bless the name of God, who allows us to live -here in peace and freedom. But, alas! everywhere else in Gaul, even in -this province, our brothers continue under the yoke of slavery. Never -forget that. While awaiting the still distant day of the ultimate -enfranchisement of our brothers, your savings, together with the savings -of the community, have this year also enabled us to ransom a few slave -families. Here they are. Love them as we love one another. They also are -children of Gaul, disinherited, as we ourselves were fifty-one years -ago."</p> - -<p>When Loysik finished saying these words, several families, consisting of -men, women, children, together with a few aged couples, issued from the -monastery weeping with joy. The colonists were emulous of one another as -to which of them should harbor the new arrivals until they could provide -for themselves. It required Loysik's intervention, always respected, in -order to calm the kind and zealous rivalry of the colonists in the -tender of their services. With his wonted wisdom he distributed the new -colonists among the older ones.</p> - -<p>Every year and shortly before these annual celebrations, Loysik left the -colony with a sum more or less large, the fruit of the joint savings of -the colonists and the community set aside for the ransom of slaves. A -few resolute and well-armed monk laborers would then accompany Loysik to -Chalon-on-the-Saone, where, towards the beginning of the autumn, a large -market of human Gallic flesh was held under the presidency of the count -and the bishop of that city, the capital of Burgundy.<a name="page_022" id="page_022"></a> From the market -place the splendid palace of Queen Brunhild could be seen. Loysik would -buy as many slaves as the money that he carried with him would permit, -but always regretting to find that the ecclesiastical slaves were too -high for his purse. The bishops always sold them at double the price of -any other. Occasionally, thanks to his persuasive eloquence, Loysik -would obtain from some Frankish and less barbarous seigneur than his -fellows the gift of a few slaves, and thus increased still more the -number of his new colonists, who, the moment they touched the soil of -the Valley of Charolles, received a hearty welcome, enjoyed the -opportunity to work together with the well-being that flows therefrom, -and, above all, regained their freedom.</p> - -<p>After the newly enfranchised slaves were distributed among the -inhabitants of the Valley, monk laborers and colonists, men, women and -children went to table. What a banquet!</p> - -<p>"Our feasts in Vagrery were nothing compared with this!" exclaimed -Ronan. "Not so, Master of the Hounds?"</p> - -<p>"Do you remember, among others of our then sumptuous repasts, the famous -supper at our lair in the defile of Allange?"</p> - -<p>"Where Bishop Cautin officiated as our cook?"</p> - -<p>"Odille, do you remember that strange night when I saw you for the first -time, on the occasion of the burning down of the villa of my then -husband, the bishop?"</p> - -<p>"Certainly, Fulvia, I do remember it; and also the open-handedness with -which the Vagres distributed the booty among the poor."</p> - -<p>"Loysik, it was during that night that I first learned that you and I -were brothers."</p> - -<p>"Ah, Ronan, how very brave was not our father Karadeucq! What courage -did he not display together with our friend the Master of the Hounds in -order to liberate us from the ergastula in the burg of Count Neroweg!"</p> - -<p>"Do you remember? Do you all remember?"—once that subject was broached, -these questions flew inexhaustible from<a name="page_023" id="page_023"></a> the lips of the old friends. -Thus Ronan, Loysik, the Master of the Hounds, Odille, the Bishopess, all -of whom sat together at a table, chatted merrily, while the younger -guests enjoyed chattering about the present. The joy was great and -general on that evening at the monastery of Charolles.</p> - -<p>In the middle of the celebration one of the monk laborers said to a -companion:</p> - -<p>"What has become of our two priests, Placidus and Felibien? Their -absence alarms me."</p> - -<p>"Those pious men found, perhaps, the feast too profane. They offered the -two men on guard at the lodge where the punt lands to take their places -this evening, in order that our brothers might assist at the -celebration."</p> - -<p>"Somehow, I mistrust that breed!"<a name="page_024" id="page_024"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIIa" id="CHAPTER_IIIa"></a>CHAPTER III.</h3> - -<h4>ON THE WATCH AT THE RIVER.</h4> - -<p>The river that rose in the Valley of Charolles crossed it in its full -length, then parted into two arms, and thus served both for boundary and -natural defense to the territory of the colony. As a matter of -precaution, Loysik ordered a punt that served as the only means of -communication with the opposite territory, belonging to the diocese of -Chalon, to be beached every evening and tied on the Charolles side of -the stream. A little lodge, where two brothers of the community always -were on guard, was constructed near the landing place of the punt.</p> - -<p>The limpid waters of the stream, which was at its widest at that point, -reflected that night the mellow light of the moon at its fullest; the -two priests who fraternally offered to take the places of the monks and -mount guard in their stead walked uneasily up and down near the lodge.</p> - -<p>"Placidus, do you see anything? Do you hear anything?" his companion -inquired.</p> - -<p>"Nothing. I see and hear nothing."</p> - -<p>"And yet the moon is high—it must be nearly midnight—and no one yet."</p> - -<p>"Let us not lose hope, Felibien."</p> - -<p>"It will be a great misfortune if they break their appointment. It will -be long before we have another such opportunity to install ourselves as -the watchmen of the punt."</p> - -<p>"It is only on such a night that the monastery could be safely -attacked."</p> - -<p>"And yet no one comes."</p> - -<p>"Listen—listen—"</p> - -<p>"Do you hear anything?"<a name="page_025" id="page_025"></a></p> - -<p>"No, I was mistaken—it is the rippling of the water on the pebbles of -the river bank."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps our bishop renounced his project of attacking the monastery."</p> - -<p>"That is not likely, seeing that he obtained the consent of Queen -Brunhild."</p> - -<p>"Listen—listen—this time I am not mistaken. Look yonder, on the -opposite bank—do you notice anything sparkling?"</p> - -<p>"It is the reflection of the moon on the armor of the warriors."</p> - -<p>"Now they are coming! Do you hear the three bugle blasts?"</p> - -<p>"It is the signal agreed upon. Quick, now, quick! Let us unfasten the -punt and cross over to the other side."</p> - -<p>The ropes were unfastened; pushed by Placidus and Felibien by means of -long poles the punt arrived at the opposite bank. Mounted on a mule a -man awaited them on the opposite shore. He was a Catholic priest. His -face was hard and imperious. At his side was a Frankish chief on -horseback and escorted by about a score of riders cased in iron. A wagon -filled with baggage, drawn by four oxen and followed by several slaves -on foot attended the Frankish chief.</p> - -<p>"Reverend archdeacon," said Placidus to the man on horseback and in the -black robe, "we began to despair of your arrival; but you are still on -time. The whole colony—men, women, girls and children—is assembled at -the monastery, and only God knows the abominations that are taking place -there under the very eyes of Loysik, who incites these sacrilegious -excesses!"</p> - -<p>"These scandals are about to come to an end and to receive condign -punishment, my sons. Can the horses of these riders and the wagon that -carries my baggage be risked in that punt?"</p> - -<p>"Reverend archdeacon, the cavalry is too numerous for one trip; we shall -have to make three or four passages before they can all be transported -to the opposite bank."</p> - -<p>"Gondowald," said the archdeacon to the Frankish chief,<a name="page_026" id="page_026"></a> "how would it -be if we leave your horses and my mule and wagon temporarily on this -side of the river? We could march straight upon the monastery with your -horsemen following you on foot."</p> - -<p>"Whether on foot or on horseback, they will be enough to execute the -orders of my glorious mistress, Queen Brunhild, and to dust with the -shafts of their lances the backs of those monks of Satan and of those -rustic plebs if they dare offer any resistance."</p> - -<p>"Reverend archdeacon, we who know what the monks and people of the -Valley are capable of, we are of the opinion that, should they -rebelliously resist the orders of our holy bishop of Chalon, twenty -warriors will not suffice to overpower them."</p> - -<p>Gondowald cast a disdainful look at the priest, and did not even consent -to make an answer.</p> - -<p>"I do not share your fears, my dear sons; and I have good reasons for my -opinion," answered the archdeacon haughtily. "Here we are all in the -punt—push off!"</p> - -<p>A short while later the archdeacon, Gondowald the chamberlain of Queen -Brunhild, and the Queen's twenty warriors landed on the Valley shore, -casqued, cuirassed and armed with lances and swords. From their -shoulders hung their gilt and painted bucklers.</p> - -<p>"Is the distance long from here to the monastery?" inquired the -archdeacon as he set foot on land.</p> - -<p>"No, father; it is at the most a half hour's walk if we move briskly."</p> - -<p>"Lead the way, my dear sons—we will follow."</p> - -<p>"Oh, father, the impious people of this community little dream at this -hour that the punishment of heaven is ready to descend upon their -heads!"</p> - -<p>"Move quickly, my sons—justice will soon be done."</p> - -<p>"Hermanfred," said the chief of the warriors turning to one<a name="page_027" id="page_027"></a> of the men -in his troop, "have you with you the rope and iron manacles?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, seigneur Gondowald."</p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IVa" id="CHAPTER_IVa"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h3> - -<h4>BRUNHILD AND FREDEGONDE.</h4> - -<p>At the monastery the banquet was in full swing. Convivial cordiality -presided over the celebration. At the table where Loysik, Ronan, the -Master of the Hounds and their respective families were seated, the -conversation continued animated and lively. At this moment the subject -was the atrocities that took place in the gloomy palace of Queen -Brunhild. The happy inhabitants of the Valley listened to the horrible -account with the greedy, uneasy and shuddering curiosity that is often -felt at night when, seated by a peaceful hearth, one hears some -awe-inspiring history. Happy, humble and unknown, the listeners feel -certain they will never find themselves concerned in any adventure of -the frightful nature of the one that causes them to shudder; they fear -and yet they like to hear the end of the tale.</p> - -<p>"In order to unravel the sanguinary tangle, and seeing that Brunhild, -the present ruler of Burgundy, is the theme, let us first sum up the -facts in a few words. Clotaire died not long after he had his son Chram, -together with the latter's wife and daughter, burned alive. That was -about fifty-three years ago. Is it not so?" Ronan was saying.</p> - -<p>"Yes, father," answered Gregory; "we are now in the year 613."</p> - -<p>"Clotaire left four sons—Charibert reigned in Paris, Gontran<a name="page_028" id="page_028"></a> was King -of Orleans and Bourges, Sigebert was King of Austrasia and resided in -Metz, and Chilperic was left King of Neustria, occupying the royal -residence of Soissons, our conquerors, as you know, having given the -names of Neustria and Austrasia to the provinces of the north and the -east of Gaul."</p> - -<p>"Did you say Chilperic, father?" asked Ronan's son. "Chilperic, the Nero -of Gaul, one of whose edicts closed with these words: 'Let whomsoever -refuses obedience to this law have his eyes put out!'"</p> - -<p>"Yes, we were speaking of him and of his brother Sigebert. Let us leave -the other two aside, seeing that both Charibert and Gontran died -childless, the former in 566, the latter in 593. Although they both -showed themselves worthy descendants of Clovis, they need not now occupy -us."</p> - -<p>"Father, the account that we wish to hear is that of Brunhild and -Fredegonde. These two names seem to be inseparable and are both steeped -in blood—"</p> - -<p>"I am coming to the history of these two monsters and of their two -husbands, Chilperic and Sigebert—the two she-wolves have each her wolf, -and, what is still worse for Gaul, her whelps. Although married to -Andowere, Chilperic had among his numerous concubines a Frankish female -slave, a woman of dazzling beauty, and endowed, it is said, with an -irresistible power of seduction. Her name was Fredegonde. He became so -fascinated with her that, in order to enjoy the company of the slave -with utter freedom, he cast off his wife Andowere, who soon thereupon -died, in a convent. But Chilperic presently tired of Fredegonde also, -and, anxious to emulate his brother Sigebert, who married a princess of -royal blood named Brunhild, the daughter of Athanagild, a King of -Germanic stock like the Franks, and whose ancestors conquered Spain as -Clovis did Gaul, he asked and obtained the hand of Brunhild's sister, -Galeswinthe. It is said that nothing was comparable with the sweetness -of the face of this princess, while the goodness of her<a name="page_029" id="page_029"></a> heart matched -the angelic qualities of her face. When she was about to leave Spain to -come to Gaul and marry Chilperic, the unhappy soul had sad presentiments -of a speedy death. Nor did her presentiments deceive her. Six years -after her marriage she was smothered to death in her bed by her own -husband."</p> - -<p>"Like Wisigarde, the fourth wife of Neroweg, who was strangled to death -by that Frankish count, whose family still lives in Auvergne," remarked -Gregory. "The Frankish kings and seigneurs all follow the same custom."</p> - -<p>"Poor Galeswinthe! But why did her husband Chilperic indulge such -ferocity toward her?"</p> - -<p>"For the reason that the passion which once drew him to Fredegonde and -which had cooled for a time, resumed the upper hand with him more hotly -than before. He put his second wife out of the way in order to marry the -concubine. Thus Fredegonde was married to Chilperic after the murder of -Galeswinthe, and became one of the queens of Gaul. At times odd -contrasts are seen in the same family. Galeswinthe was an angel, her -sister Brunhild, married to Sigebert, was an infernal being. Of -exceptional beauty, gifted with an iron will, vindictive to the point of -ferocity, animated by an insatiable ambition, and endowed with an -intelligence of such high grade that it would have equalled genius had -she only not applied her extraordinary faculties to the blackest -deeds—Brunhild could not choose but create for herself a fame at which -the world grows pale. She first set her cap to revenge Galeswinthe, who -was strangled to death by Chilperic at the instigation of Fredegonde. A -frightful feud broke out, accordingly, between the two women who now -were mortal enemies, and each of whom reigned with her husband over a -part of Gaul: poison, the assassin's dagger, conflagrations, civil war, -wholesale butcheries, conflicts between fathers and sons, brothers and -brothers—such were the means that the two furies employed against each -other. The people<a name="page_030" id="page_030"></a> of Gaul did not, of course, escape the devastating -storm. The provinces that were subject to Sigebert and Brunhild were -pitilessly ravaged by Chilperic, while the possessions of the latter -were in turn laid waste by Sigebert. Thus driven by the fury of their -wives, the two brothers fought each other until they were both -assassinated."</p> - -<p>"Oh, if only Gallic blood did not have to flow in torrents, if only -these frightful disasters did not heap fresh ills upon our unhappy -country, I would be ready to see in the conflict between those two -women, who thus blasted the families that they joined, a positive -punishment sent down by heaven," observed Loysik. "But, alas, what ills, -what frightful sufferings do not these royal hatreds afflict our own -people with!"</p> - -<p>"And did the two female monsters ever find ready tools for their -vengeance?"</p> - -<p>"The murders that they did not themselves commit with the aid of poison, -they caused to be committed with the dagger. Fredegonde, whose depravity -surpassed Messalina's of old, surrounded herself with young pages; she -intoxicated them with unspeakable voluptuousness; she threw their -reasoning into disorder by means of philters that she herself concocted; -by means of these she rendered them frenetic, and then she would hurl -them against the appointed victims. It was by such means that she -contrived the assassination of King Sigebert, Brunhild's husband, and -that she succeeded in poisoning their son Childebert. It was by such -means that she caused a large number of her enemies to be despatched -with the dagger and, if the chronicles are to be trusted, her own -husband Chilperic was numbered among her victims."</p> - -<p>"So, then, that veritable fury spewed out of hell—Fredegonde—spared -not even her own husband?"</p> - -<p>"Some historians, at least, lay his murder to her door; others charge it -to Brunhild. Both theories may be correct; the one Queen, as well as the -other, had an interest in putting<a name="page_031" id="page_031"></a> Chilperic out of the way—Brunhild in -order to avenge her sister Galeswinthe, Fredegonde in order to escape -the punishment that she feared for the depravity of her life."</p> - -<p>"And did punishment finally overtake the abominable woman?"</p> - -<p>"Queen Fredegonde died peaceably in her bed in the year 597 at the age -of fifty-five years. Her funeral was pompously celebrated by the -Catholic priests and she was buried in consecrated ground in the -basilica of St. Germain-des-Pres at Paris. In the language of the -panegyrists of our Kings, 'Fredegonde reigned long, happy and ably.' At -her death she left her kingdom intact to her son Clotaire the younger."</p> - -<p>A shudder of horror passed over the hearers of this shocking history. -The royal abominations stood in such strong contrast to the morals of -the inhabitants of the Valley, that these good people imagined they had -heard the narrative of some frightful dream, the fabric of the delusion -of a fever.</p> - -<p>Gregory was the first to break the silence that ensued:</p> - -<p>"Accordingly, Clotaire the younger, son of Fredegonde and Chilperic, is -the grandson of Clotaire the elder, the slayer of his little nephews, -and is great-grandson to Clovis?"</p> - -<p>"Yes—and how worthy of his stock he is proving himself you may judge, -my son, by the era of new crimes that follows. His mother Fredegonde -bequeathed to him the implacable hatred with which she was herself -animated against Brunhild. Accordingly, the mortal duel continued -unabated between the latter and the son of her enemy."</p> - -<p>"Alas, fresh disasters will befall Gaul, with the renewal of the -sanguinary conflict!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, indeed frightful disasters—frightful—because the crimes of -Fredegonde pale before those of Brunhild, our present Queen, the Queen -of the people of Burgundy."</p> - -<p>"Father, can the crimes of Brunhild surpass Fredegonde's?"</p> - -<p>"Ronan," said Odille carrying both her hands to her temples.<a name="page_032" id="page_032"></a> "This mass -of murders, all committed in the same family, makes one's head reel with -dizziness. One's mind feels over-burdened and tires in the effort to -follow the bloody thread that alone can lead through the maze of such -unnamable crimes. Great God, in what times do we live! What sights may -yet be reserved for our children!"</p> - -<p>"Unless the demons themselves step next out of hell, little Odille, our -children will see nothing that could surpass what is happening now. As I -said to you, the crimes of Fredegonde are as naught beside Brunhild's. -If you only knew what is going on at this very hour in the magnificent -castle of Chalon-on-the-Saone, where the old Queen—the daughter, wife -and mother of kings—holds her own great-grandchildren under her -tutelage—but no—I dare not—my lips refuse to narrate the shocking -incidents—"</p> - -<p>"Ronan is right. Shocking things, that language is unable to render, -take place to-day in the castle of Queen Brunhild," replied Loysik with -a shudder; but turning to his brother he proceeded to say: "Ronan, out -of respect for these young families, out of respect for humanity at -large, break off your narrative at where you now are."</p> - -<p>"You are right, Loysik; I am bound to stop before the impossibility of -narrating the misdeeds of Queen Brunhild, who, nevertheless, is one of -God's creatures, and belongs to the human species."</p> - -<p>At that moment one of the monk laborers approached Loysik and notified -him that someone was knocking at the outer gate of the monastery, and -that a voice from without announced a message from the bishop of Chalon -and from Queen Brunhild.<a name="page_033" id="page_033"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_Va" id="CHAPTER_Va"></a>CHAPTER V.</h3> - -<h4>THE ASSAULT.</h4> - -<p>The name of the female fiend who then ruled Burgundy pronounced at that -moment, produced a profound sensation among the assembled colonists. -They were amazed, and a vague sense of apprehension ran over the -assembly.</p> - -<p>"A message from the bishop and the Queen?" repeated Loysik rising and -proceeding to the outward gate. "That is strange. The punt is tied every -evening on this side of the river, and the watchers have imperative -orders not to cross the stream at night. The messenger must have taken a -boat at Noisan and rowed up the river."</p> - -<p>With these thoughts running in his mind the superior of the community -approached the massive gate bolted from within. Several monks bearing -torches followed the venerable head of their establishment. Ronan, the -Master of the Hounds, and several other colonists also accompanied -Loysik. He made a sign. The heavy gate was unbolted and turned upon its -hinges. It exposed to view, brightly lighted by the moon, the archdeacon -and Gondowald, the Queen's chamberlain. Behind them the armed men stood -ranged in single file, casqued, cuirassed, their bucklers on their arms, -lances in hand, and swords by their sides.</p> - -<p>"There is some treachery in this," said Loysik in a low voice to Ronan; -and turning to one of the monks he asked: "Who is keeping watch to-night -at the lodge of the punt?"</p> - -<p>"The two priests—they volunteered to take the places of the two -brothers whose turn it was to mount guard to-night."</p> - -<p>"I see it all," replied Loysik with bitterness, and stepping forward he -addressed the archdeacon, who had also stepped forward but stopped at -the threshold of the gate together with<a name="page_034" id="page_034"></a> Gondowald, while their escort -of soldiers remained where they were posted.</p> - -<p>"Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded.</p> - -<p>"My name is Salvien, archdeacon of the church of Chalon and nephew of -the venerable Sidoine, bishop of this diocese. I am the bearer of orders -from your spiritual chief."</p> - -<p>"And I, Gondowald, chamberlain of our glorious Queen Brunhild, am -commissioned by her to give the bishop's envoy my own and my men's -support."</p> - -<p>"Here is a letter for you from my uncle," said the archdeacon handing a -parchment to Loysik. "I wish you to inform yourself of its contents."</p> - -<p>"My years have made my eyes too weak to read; one of my brothers will -read the letter aloud to me."</p> - -<p>"The letter may contain secret matters," observed the archdeacon; "I -recommend to you that you have it read in a low voice."</p> - -<p>"We keep no secrets here from one another—read aloud, brother."</p> - -<p>And Loysik passed the missive to one of the members of the community, -who proceeded to do as ordered by his superior.</p> - -<p>The letter was to the effect that Sidoine, bishop of Chalon, instituted -his archdeacon Salvien as abbot of the monastery of Charolles, wishing -thereby to put an end to the scandals and enormities that for so many -years afflicted Christianity by the example of this community; the same -was thenceforth to be rigorously subject to the rules of St. Benoit, as -were almost all the other monasteries of Gaul. The lay monks who, by -their virtue and humble submission to the orders of their new abbot, -should merit the favor, the entirely Christian favor, would be allowed -to enter the clergy and become Roman monks. Furthermore, by virtue of -the seventh canon of the council of Orleans, held two years previous (in -the year 611), and which decreed that "the ownership of the domains, -lands, vineyards,<a name="page_035" id="page_035"></a> slaves and cattle, that may be donated to a parish, -shall be vested in the bishop," all the goods of the monastery and of -the colony, which, properly speaking, constitute the parish of -Charolles, were thenceforth to be vested in the bishop of Chalon, who -commissioned his nephew, archdeacon Salvien, to administer said goods. -The prelate closed his missive with an order to his beloved son in -Christ, Loysik, to proceed upon the spot to the city of Chalon, and -there receive the reproof of his bishop and spiritual father, and humbly -undergo the punishment or penance that was to be inflicted upon him. -Finally, seeing that it might happen that brother Loysik, listening to -some diabolical suggestion, might commit the enormity of contemning the -orders of his spiritual father, the noble Gondowald, chamberlain of the -glorious Queen Brunhild, was commissioned by the illustrious princess to -cause the orders of the bishop of Chalon to be carried out, by force, if -need be, through the armed men that he would carry with him.</p> - -<p>Hardly had the monk laborer finished reading the missive than Gondowald -added with a haughty and threatening air:</p> - -<p>"I, the chamberlain of the glorious Queen Brunhild, our very excellent -and very redoubtable mistress, am commissioned by her to inform you that -if you and yours should have the audacity to disobey the orders of the -bishop, as may happen, judging from the insolent murmurs that I have -just heard, I shall have you and the most recalcitrant of your fellows -tied to the tails of the horses of my riders, and shall thus take you to -Chalon, quickening your steps with the shafts of our lances over your -backs."</p> - -<p>In fact, the reading of the bishop's missive was several times -interrupted by the murmurs of the monk laborers and of the colonists, -and these murmurs swelled to such proportions that the intervention of -Loysik became necessary in order to hear the bishop's letter to the end. -But when the Frank Gondowald defiantly uttered his insolent threats, the -crowd answered with<a name="page_036" id="page_036"></a> an explosion of furious cries intermixed with jeers -and sneers.</p> - -<p>Ronan, the Master of the Hounds and several other old time Vagres were -not among the last to murmur against the usurpatory pretensions of the -Bishop of Chalon, who proposed to appropriate to himself the goods of -the monk laborers and the colonists, and trample down their every right. -Although age had whitened their heads and paled their faces, the Vagres -felt their old fighting blood boil in their veins. Ever a man of action, -Ronan quickly reverted to his early profession and whispered to the -Master of the Hounds:</p> - -<p>"Pick out thirty resolute men, take them to the arsenal, arm yourselves -and run to the punt so as to cut off the retreat of the Franks. I shall -take charge of what is to be done here. By the faith of a Vagre, I feel -myself grown younger by fifty years!"</p> - -<p>"And I, Ronan, while the insolent missive was being read, and especially -when the valet of that infamous Queen dared to threaten us, my hand -looked for a sword at my side."</p> - -<p>Immediately the two old Vagres started to work among the crowd of -colonists and monks; they moved hither and thither, whispering in the -ears of the men whom they were choosing, and each of whom vanished -successively amidst the increasing uproar, that Loysik's firm and -sonorous voice was hardly able to dominate as he answered the -archdeacon:</p> - -<p>"The Bishop of Chalon has no right to impose upon this community either -special rules or an abbot. We elect our chiefs ourselves and of our free -will, in the same manner that we adopt such rules as we are willing to -follow, provided they be Christian. Such was the former and original law -that presided at the foundation of all the cloisters of Gaul. The -bishops exercise over us only the spiritual jurisdiction that they -exercise upon all other lay members. We are here the masters of our -goods and of our persons, by virtue of a charter of the late King -Clotaire, which expressly forbids his dukes, counts and bishops<a name="page_037" id="page_037"></a> to -incommode us. You speak of councils. One can find anything he wants in -those councils, good and evil, what is just and what is unjust. My -memory has not yet left me. This is what the council of 611 says upon -this very subject:</p> - -<p>"'We have learned that certain bishops wrongfully establish their own -relatives or favorites as abbots in monasteries, and procure for them -iniquitous advantages, in order to acquire through violence all that can -be extracted from the monastery by the agent whom they have placed -there.'"</p> - -<p>The archdeacon bit his lips, and a volley of hisses drowned his voice as -he attempted to make answer.</p> - -<p>"That language, the language I have quoted to you as held by that -council of 611, is the language of justice," Loysik proceeded to say; -"and I recognize in no council, in no prelate, in no King, in no Pope -the right to dispossess honorable and industrious people of their goods, -their lands and their freedom, all of which they hold by virtue of their -natural rights, which are anterior and superior to all authority."</p> - -<p>"I say that your monastery is a new Babylon, a modern Gomorrah!" cried -the archdeacon. "The Bishop of Chalon was so informed; I wished to -convince myself by personal observation. I see women and young girls in -this place which should be consecrated to austerity, to prayer and to -seclusion. I see all the evidences of an unclean orgy, which was -doubtlessly intended to be prolonged until morning—under your own eyes, -in this monastery!"</p> - -<p>"Enough!" cried Loysik in turn and indignantly. "I, as the head of this -community, forbid you to soil the ears of these wives and young girls, -who are here assembled with their families in order peacefully to -celebrate the anniversary of our settlement upon this free soil!"</p> - -<p>"Archdeacon, we have had a surfeit of words," put in Gondowald -haughtily. "To what purpose reason with these dogs—have you not my men -here, ready to enforce obedience?"<a name="page_038" id="page_038"></a></p> - -<p>"I wish to make one last effort to open the eyes of these unhappy blind -people," answered the archdeacon. "This unworthy Loysik keeps them under -his infernal magic. All of you who hear my voice, tremble if you resist -the orders of our bishop!"</p> - -<p>"Salvien," said Loysik, "these words are idle, your threats will be -unavailing before our firm resolution to uphold the justice of our -cause. We reject you as abbot of this monastery. These monk laborers and -the inhabitants of this colony owe no one an account of their goods. -This useless debate is wearisome; let us put an end to it. The door of -this monastery is open to those who present themselves as friends, but -it closes in the face of those who present themselves as enemies or -masters, in the name of iniquitous pretensions. Withdraw from these -premises!"</p> - -<p>"Be gone, archdeacon of the devil!" yelled several voices. "Try not to -disturb our celebration! You might be sorry for it!"</p> - -<p>"Rebellion! Threats!" cried the archdeacon, and stepping aside to make -room for the Frankish warriors to enter the courtyard, he added: -"Gondowald, carry out the Queen's orders!"</p> - -<p>"But for your delays, her orders would long ago have been executed! -Forward, my soldiers; bind the old monk, and exterminate the plebs if it -offers resistance!"</p> - -<p>"Forward, my boys! Down with these Franks, and long live old Gaul!"</p> - -<p>Whose voice was that? It was the voice of old Ronan, close upon whose -heels followed about thirty monk laborers and colonists, all picked men, -resolute and strong, and fully armed with lances, axes and swords. These -doughty men had noiselessly passed out of the precincts of the monastery -through the yard of the stables and rounded the outside buildings till -they reached a corner of the wall that surrounded the main building. -There they halted, silent and in ambush, until the moment when -Gondowald<a name="page_039" id="page_039"></a> summoned his soldiers. Ronan's men immediately and -unexpectedly fell thereupon on the Franks. At the same moment and -accompanied by an equally determined, strong and well armed body of men, -Gregory was seen issuing from the interior buildings of the monastery, -pushed his way through the crowd that now filled the courtyard and -advanced in good order upon the enemy. The archdeacon, Gondowald and the -twenty soldiers that constituted his escort, found themselves suddenly -surrounded by over sixty determined men, in justice to whom be it said -all of them were animated with evil intentions towards the Franks. The -latter were not long in perceiving the hopelessness of their situation -and the feelings entertained towards them. They offered no serious -resistance; after a few passes they surrendered. Despite, however, the -rapidity with which the manoeuvre was executed, Gondowald, who in his -first impulse of surprise and rage had raised his sword over Loysik's -head and wounded one of the monks who covered the aged superior with his -body—Gondowald, for all that he rejoiced in the office of chamberlain -to the glorious Queen Brunhild, was thrown to the ground and soundly -drubbed before his disarmed men. Thanks to Loysik's intervention, no -blood flowed in the rapid melee other than that of the monk who was -slightly wounded by Gondowald. As a matter of precaution, the noble -chamberlain was bound fast and handcuffed with the identical rope and -manacles that, with a foresight for which old Ronan felt duly grateful, -he had intended for Loysik.</p> - -<p>"In the name of the Holy Roman and Apostolic Church, I excommunicate you -all!" cried the archdeacon livid with rage. "Anathema upon whosoever -should dare to lift a sacrilegious hand against a priest of the Church, -an anointed of the Lord!"</p> - -<p>"Tempt me not, archdeacon of Satan! By the faith of a Vagre, old as I -am, I have a good mind to deserve your anathema by letting loose upon -your sacred back a shower of blows with the scabbard of my sword."<a name="page_040" id="page_040"></a></p> - -<p>"Ronan, Ronan, no violence!" said Loysik. "These strangers came here as -enemies; they were the first to shed blood; you have disarmed them; that -was just—"</p> - -<p>"And their arms will enrich our arsenal," Ronan broke in saying. "Come, -boys, gather in that goodly harvest of iron. By my faith, we shall now -be armed like royal warriors!"</p> - -<p>"Take those soldiers and their chief into one of the halls of the -monastery," Loysik ordered. "They are to be kept locked up; armed monks -shall mount guard at the doors and windows. We shall later decide upon -what is to be done."</p> - -<p>"To dare hold me a prisoner, me, an officer of Queen Brunhild's -household!" cried Gondowald grinding his teeth and struggling to free -himself from his bonds. "Oh, you will pay dearly for such audacity, -insolent monk! The Queen will take revenge for me upon your old hide!"</p> - -<p>"Queen Brunhild has acted in defiance of law and justice by sending -hither armed men to support with force the message of the Bishop of -Chalon. She did wrong, even if his pretensions were as just as they are -iniquitous," Loysik answered Gondowald; and turning to his monks he -proceeded: "Take away those men; above all guard against any injury -being done to them; if they need food, let them be supplied. Let us -prove ourselves merciful."</p> - -<p>The monks led away the Frankish soldiers and their chief, the latter of -whom had to be carried in their arms, seeing that he wrathfully refused -to walk. This being done, Loysik said to the archdeacon, who snarled out -of breath with rage like a fox caught in a trap:</p> - -<p>"Salvien, before aught else I must insure the safety and tranquility of -this colony and community. I am, consequently, compelled to order you to -remain a prisoner in this monastery. Fear not; you will be treated with -consideration; your prison will be the precinct of the monastery. Within -three or four<a name="page_041" id="page_041"></a> days at the latest—when I shall be back here—you will -be set free to return to Chalon."</p> - -<p>After the archdeacon was removed from their presence, Ronan said to -Loysik:</p> - -<p>"Brother, you spoke of your return; are you going away? Where to?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I depart this instant. I am going to Chalon, to speak with the -bishop and the Queen."</p> - -<p>"What, Loysik!" cried Ronan with painful anxiety. "You leave us? You -propose to face Brunhild? Do you forget that that name spells -'Implacable Vengeance,' Loysik? You would be running to your perdition! -No—no! You shall not undertake such a journey!"</p> - -<p>The monk laborers as well as the rest of the colonists shared the -apprehensions of Ronan, and began to ply Loysik with tender and pressing -entreaties, in order to draw him from his foolhardy project. The old -monk was not to be moved. While one of the brothers who was to accompany -him hastily made the preparations for the journey, he repaired to his -own cell in order to take the charter of King Clotaire, which he kept -there. Ronan and his family followed Loysik, still seeking to dissuade -him from his project. He answered them sadly:</p> - -<p>"Our situation is beset with perils. Not the fate of the monastery alone -but of the whole colony is at stake. You could easily prevail over a -handful of soldiers; but we cannot think of resisting Brunhild by force. -To attempt any such thing would be to invite the utter ruin of the -Valley, the slaughter of its inhabitants and slavery for the survivors. -Clotaire's charter establishes our rights; but what is law or right to -Brunhild?"</p> - -<p>"But that being so, what do you purpose to do at Chalon, in the very den -of the she-wolf?"</p> - -<p>"To demand justice of her!"</p> - -<p>"But you just said yourself 'What is law or justice to Brunhild!'"<a name="page_042" id="page_042"></a></p> - -<p>"She sports with justice as she does with the lives of her men; and yet -I entertain some slight hope. I wish you to keep the archdeacon and his -soldiers prisoners—first, because in their fury they certainly would -have me waylaid and killed on the road; I cling to life in order to lead -to a successful issue the business that I now have in hand; secondly, -because, rather than have the archdeacon and the chamberlain precede me -in making the report of to-night's occurrence, I prefer myself to inform -the bishop and Brunhild of the resistance that we offered."</p> - -<p>"But, brother, suppose justice is refused you; suppose the implacable -Queen orders you to be slain—as she has done with so many other victims -of her injustice!"</p> - -<p>"In that event the iniquity will be accomplished. In that event, if -their purpose is not only to subject your goods and persons to the -tyranny and exactions of the Church, but also to despoil you forcibly of -the soil and the liberty that you have reconquered and which a royal -charter guarantees to you, in that event you will be forced to take a -supreme resolution. Call together a solemn council, as our fathers of -yore were in the habit of doing whenever the safety of the land was in -peril. Let the mothers and wives take part in that council, as was the -ancient custom of Gaul, because the fate of their husbands and children -is to be determined upon. You will then with calmness, wisdom and -firmness decide upon one of these three alternatives—the only ones, -alas! left to you: Whether to submit to the pretensions of the Bishop of -Chalon, and accept a disguised servitude that will soon transform our -free Valley into a domain of the Church, to be exploited for his -benefit; whether you will bow before the will of the Queen if she -tramples your rights under foot, tears up the charter of Clotaire, and -declares our Valley a domain of the royal fisc, which will mean to you -spoliation, misery, slavery and shame; or, finally, whether, strong in -your own right, but certain of being crushed by superior numbers, to -make protest against the royal or episcopal iniquity<a name="page_043" id="page_043"></a> by a heroic -defense, and bury yourselves and your families under the ruins of your -homes. You will have to decide upon one of these three measures."</p> - -<p>"All of us, without exception, men, women and children, will know how to -fight and die like our ancestors, Loysik! And perhaps it may happen that -the bloody lesson and example may shake the surrounding populations from -their torpor. But, brother—brother—to think of your starting alone, -and alone confronting a danger that I cannot share with you!"</p> - -<p>"Come, Ronan, no weakness. See to it that all the fortified posts of the -Valley be occupied as was done fifty years ago at the time of the -invasion of Burgundy by Chram. The old military experience that you and -the Master of the Hounds have acquired will now be of great service. For -the rest, there will be no fear of any attack during the next four or -five days. It will take me two days to reach Chalon, and an equally long -time for the Queen's troops to reach the Valley, in the event of her -resolving upon violence. Until the moment of my arrival at Chalon, both -the bishop and Brunhild will be in the dark as to whether their orders -were enforced or not. They can receive no tidings seeing that the -archdeacon and the chamberlain, together with their troops, remain -prisoners in the Valley and under safe surveillance."</p> - -<p>"And in case of need they will serve as hostages."</p> - -<p>"It is the law of war. If the insane bishop, if the implacable Queen -wish war, we must also keep as prisoners the two priests, the infamous -hypocrites, who treacherously brought the archdeacon into the Valley."</p> - -<p>"I overheard the monks argue upon the lesson that they should administer -to the two spies—they spoke of a strapping."</p> - -<p>"I expressly forbid any act of violence towards the two priests!" said -Loysik in a tone of severe reproof, addressing two monk laborers who -happened to be at the time in the cell.<a name="page_044" id="page_044"></a> "Those clerks are but the -creatures of the bishop; they merely obeyed his orders. I repeat it—no -violence, my children!"</p> - -<p>"Good father Loysik, seeing you so order it, no harm shall be done -them."</p> - -<p>Heartrending was the leave-taking between Loysik and both the -inhabitants of the colony and the members of the community. Many tears -flowed; many childish hands clung to the monk's robe. Vain were the -recurring entreaties not to depart on his errand. He took his leave, -accompanied as far as the punt by Ronan and his family. At the landing -of the punt they found the Master of the Hounds and his posse ready -posted to cut off the retreat of the Franks. As he took his post, the -Master of the Hounds noticed on the other side of the river a number of -slaves guarding the mounts of the warriors and the archdeacon's baggage. -The Master of the Hounds considered it prudent to seize both men and -animals. Leaving one-half of his companions at the lodge, he crossed the -river at the head of the rest. The slaves offered no resistance, and -three trips sufficed to transport the men, the animals and the wagons to -the opposite shore. Loysik approved the manoeuvre of the Master of the -Hounds. Seeing that neither the archdeacon nor Gondowald returned, the -slaves might have run back to Chalon and given the alarm. It was -important to the project upon which the monk was bent that the recent -occurrences at the monastery remained a secret. Considering his advanced -age and the long road that he had to travel, Loysik decided to use the -archdeacon's mule for the journey. The animal was re-embarked on the -punt, which Ronan and his son Gregory decided themselves to take to the -other shore, so as to remain a few minutes longer with Loysik. The craft -touched ground; the old monk laborer embraced Ronan and his son once -more, mounted his mule, and, accompanied by a young brother of the -community, who followed him on foot, took the road to -Chalon-on-the-Saone, the residence of the redoubted Queen Brunhild.<a name="page_045" id="page_045"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="PART_II" id="PART_II"></a>PART II.</h3> - -<h4>THE CASTLE OF BRUNHILD</h4> - -<p><a name="page_046" id="page_046"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_047" id="page_047"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_Ib" id="CHAPTER_Ib"></a>CHAPTER I.</h3> - -<h4>IN THE TOWER-ROOM.</h4> - -<p>"Long live he who loves the Franks! May Christ uphold their empire! May -He enlighten their chiefs and fill them with grace! May He protect the -army, may He fortify the faith, may He grant peace and happiness to -those who govern them under the auspices of our Lord Jesus Christ!"</p> - -<p>By the faith of a Vagre! That passage from the prelude to the Salic Law -always recurs to the mind when Frankish kings or queens are on the -tapis. Let us enter the lair of Brunhild—splendid lair! Not rustic is -this burg, like Neroweg's, the large burg that we old Vagres reduced to -ashes! No; this great Queen has a refined taste. One of her passions is -for architecture. The noble woman loves the ancient arts of Greece and -Italy. Aye, she loves art! Regale your sight with the magnificent castle -that she built at Chalon-on-the-Saone, the capital of Burgundy. -Magnificent as are all her other castles, none, not even that of -Bourcheresse, can compare with her royal residence, the superb gardens -of which stretch to the very banks of the Saone. It is a palace at once -gorgeous and martial. In these days of incessant feuds, kings and -seigneurs always turn their homes into fortifications. So also did -Brunhild. Her palace is girt by thick walls, flanked with massive -towers. One only entrance—a vaulted passage closed at its two -extremities by enormous iron-barred doors—leads within. Night and day -Brunhild's men-at-arms mount guard in the vault. In the inside -courtyards are numerous other lodges for horsemen and footmen. The halls -of the palace are vast; they are paved in marble or in mosaics, and are -ornamented with colonnades of jasper,<a name="page_048" id="page_048"></a> porphyry and alabaster surmounted -with capitals of gilded bronze. These architectural wonders, -masterpieces of art, the spoils of the temples and palaces of Gaul, were -transported with the help of an immense number of relays of slaves and -beasts of burden from their original and distant sites to the palace of -the Queen. These vast and gorgeous halls, which are furthermore stored -with massive ivory, gold and silver furniture, with exquisitely wrought -pagan statues, with precious vases and tripods, are but vestibules to -the private chamber of Brunhild. The sun has just risen. The spacious -halls are filling with the Queen's domestic slaves, with officers of her -troops, with high dignitaries of her establishment—chamberlains, -equerries, stewards, constables—all coming to receive their mistress's -orders.</p> - -<p>A circular apartment, contrived into one of the towers of the palace, -connects with the chamber that the Queen habitually inhabits. The walls -are pierced by three doors—one leads to the hall where the officers of -the palace are in waiting; another into Brunhild's bedroom; the third, a -simple bay closed by a curtain of gilded leather, opens upon a spiral -staircase that is built into the hollow of the wall itself. The Queen's -chamber is sumptuously furnished. Upon a table, covered with a richly -embroidered tapestry, lie rolls of white parchment beside a solid coffer -studded with precious stones. Around the table a number of chairs are -arranged, all of which are furnished with soft purple cushions. Here and -there the shafts of pillars serve as pedestals for vases of jasper, of -onyx, or of Corinthian bronze, a material more precious than gold or red -alabaster. Upon an antique green plinth rests a group exquisitely -wrought in Parisian marble and representing the pagan god of Love -caressing Venus. Not far from that group, two statues of bronze that age -has turned green represent the obscene figures of a fawn and a nymph. -Between these two masterpieces of pagan art, a picture painted upon wood -and brought at great expense from Byzantium, represents the infant -Christ and John the Baptist, the<a name="page_049" id="page_049"></a> latter also as a child. This picture -of holiness indicates that Queen Brunhild is a fervent Catholic. Does -she not carry on a regular correspondence with the Pope of Rome, the -pious Gregory, who can not bestow too many blessings upon his holy -daughter in Christ? Further away, upon yonder ivory stand, is an -elaborately carved case in which large Roman and Gallic medals of silver -and gold are displayed. Among these medals is one of bronze, the only -one of that metal in the collection. What does it represent?</p> - -<p>What! Here! In a place like this! That august, that venerated face! O, -profanation!</p> - -<p>Oh, never was the place or time more opportune for a miracle than here -and now, in order to terrify evildoers! That bronze effigy should -shudder with horror at the place in which it finds itself.</p> - -<p>An elderly and richly clad woman, of stony, cynic and wily countenance, -steps from Brunhild's bedroom and enters the apartment in the tower. The -woman, of noble Frankish extraction and Chrotechilde by name, has long -been the confidante in all the Queen's crimes and debaucheries. She -steps to a bell, rings it and waits. Shortly after, another old woman -appears at the door that opens upon the spiral staircase in the wall. -Her extremely simple costume announces that she is of inferior rank.</p> - -<p>"I heard you ring, noble dame Chrotechilde, at your orders."</p> - -<p>"Did Samuel, the slave merchant, come as ordered?"</p> - -<p>"He has been waiting below for over an hour with two young girls, and -also an old man with a long white beard."</p> - -<p>"Who is that old man?"</p> - -<p>"A slave, I suppose, that the Jew is to take somewhere else, after his -business is done here."</p> - -<p>"Order Samuel to bring up the two young girls, immediately."</p> - -<p>The old woman bowed and vanished behind the curtain. Almost<a name="page_050" id="page_050"></a> at the same -moment Brunhild stepped out of her bedroom.</p> - -<p>The Queen was sixty-seven years of age; the lines on her face still -preserved the traces of exceptional beauty. Her wan and wrinkled face -was illumined by the somber brilliancy of her two large but sunken eyes, -which were surrounded with deep, dark circles. They were black, like her -long eyelashes; only her hair was white. A front of brass, cruel lips, -penetrating eyes, a head haughtily poised, proud and lofty carriage, -seeing that she had preserved a straight and supple waist—such was -Brunhild. She had hardly stepped into the apartment, when she stopped, -listened and said to Chrotechilde:</p> - -<p>"Who is coming up the little stairs?"</p> - -<p>"The slave merchant; he has two young girls with him."</p> - -<p>"Let him in—let him in!"</p> - -<p>"Madam, whom do you intend to present with the two slave girls that he -brings?"</p> - -<p>"I shall tell you later. But I am in a hurry to examine the two -creatures. The choice is important."</p> - -<p>"Madam, here is Samuel."</p> - -<p>The dealer in Gallic flesh, a Jew by extraction like most of the men who -devoted themselves to such traffic, entered, followed by the two slaves -whom he brought with him. They were wrapped in long white veils, that -were transparent enough to enable them to walk unassisted.</p> - -<p>"Illustrious Queen," said the Jew dropping on one knee and bowing so low -that his forehead almost touched the floor, "I am here obedient to your -orders; here are two young female slaves; they are veritable treasures -of beauty, of sweetness, of gracefulness, of gentleness and above all of -maidenliness. Your excellency knows that old Samuel has but one -quality—that of being an honest trader."</p> - -<p>"Rise—rise!" commanded Brunhild, addressing the two girls, who, at the -sight of the redoubted Queen, had fallen on<a name="page_051" id="page_051"></a> their knees at the -threshold of the door near the merchant. "Let the girls rise, and remove -their veils."</p> - -<p>The two slaves hastened to obey the Queen. They rose. To the end of -enhancing the value of his merchandise, the Jew had clad the two young -girls in short-sleeved tunics, the skirt of which hardly reached their -knees, while the cut of their corsage left their bosoms and shoulders -half exposed. One of the two slaves, a tall and lithesome girl, wore a -white tunic; her eyes were blue; a strand of corals wound itself in the -braids of her black hair; eighteen or twenty years was the utmost age -that she could be taken for. The girl's face, touchingly beautiful and -open, was bathed in tears. Steeped in sorrow and shame, and trembling at -every limb, she dared not raise her tear-dimmed eyes out of fear to -encounter Brunhild's. After long and attentively contemplating the girl, -whom she ordered to turn around in order to have a view of her from all -sides, the old Queen exchanged a look of approval with Chrotechilde, who -had been no less attentively examining the slave. Addressing the latter -she asked:</p> - -<p>"Of what country are you?"</p> - -<p>"I am from the city of Toul," answered the girl in a tremulous voice.</p> - -<p>"Aurelie! Aurelie!" cried Samuel stamping on the ground with his foot. -"Is that the way you remember my lessons? You should answer: 'Glorious -Queen, I am from the city of Toul.'" And turning towards Brunhild, -"Kindly pardon her, madam, but she is so childish, so simple—"</p> - -<p>Brunhild cut off the Jew's flow of words and proceeded with her -interrogatory:</p> - -<p>"Where were you taken?"</p> - -<p>"At Toul, madam, when the city was sacked by the King of Burgundy."</p> - -<p>"Were you free or slave?"</p> - -<p>"I was free—my father was a master armorer."<a name="page_052" id="page_052"></a></p> - -<p>"Can you read and write? Have you pleasing accomplishments? Can you sing -and play?"</p> - -<p>"I can read and write, and my mother taught me to play upon the archlute -and to sing."</p> - -<p>When she said that she could sing, the unhappy girl was unable to -repress the sobs that suffocated her. She must have thought of her -mother.</p> - -<p>"Weep, and weep again!" Samuel cried, angrily scolding the girl. "You -can do that better than anything else. But, as you know, great Queen, -one has a certain supply of tears, after the supply has run out the bag -is empty."</p> - -<p>"Do you really believe so, Jew? Fortunately you are merely slandering -the human race," observed the Queen with a cruel smile, and proceeded to -interrogate the young girl:</p> - -<p>"Have you ever been a slave before now?"</p> - -<p>"By the faith of Samuel, illustrious Queen, she is as new to slavery as -a child in the womb of its mother!" cried the Jew as he saw the young -Gallic slave breaking out anew into sobs, and unable to make answer. "I -bought Aurelie on the very day of the battle of Toul, and since then my -wife Rebecca and I have watched over the girl as if she were our own -child, hoping that we might realize a fair price for her. We guarantee -that she is a maiden."</p> - -<p>After another look over the girl, who now hid her face in her hands, -Brunhild said to Samuel:</p> - -<p>"Return her veil to her; let her stop whimpering; bring forth the other -one."</p> - -<p>Aurelie received her veil from the hands of the Jew like an act of -kindness, and hastened to wrap herself up in its folds in order to -conceal her grief, her shame and her tears. At the Queen's order, the -other slave hastened to step forward. Dainty and fresh as a Hebe, she -might be sixteen years of age. A string of pearls wound itself in the -stout braids of her bright blonde hair; her large hazel eyes sparkled -with mischief and fire; her<a name="page_053" id="page_053"></a> thin and slightly upturned nose, her rosy -and palpitating nostrils, her ruby but rather fleshy lips, her little -enamel teeth, her dimpled cheeks and chin, imparted to this girl the -liveliest, gayest and most impudent look imaginable. Her tunic of green -silk added luster to the whiteness of her bosom and shoulders. Oh! the -Jew had no need of telling this one to turn around, and turn again, in -order that the aged Queen might obtain a good view of her charming -shape. She raised her head, arched her neck, rose on the tips of her -feet, folded her arms gracefully, and at all points played the coquette -before Brunhild and Chrotechilde, who again exchanged looks of approval, -while the Jew, who was now made to feel as uneasy by the audacity of -this slave as before by the sorrowful deportment of the other, whispered -to her:</p> - -<p>"Keep quiet, Blandine—do not shake your legs and wave your arms quite -so much. A little more decorum, my girl, in the presence of our -illustrious and beloved Queen! One would think you had quicksilver in -your veins! May your excellence excuse her, illustrious princess. She is -so young, so gay, so giddy-headed—all she wants is to fly from her cage -and display her plumage and voice. Lower your eyes, Blandine! You -audacious girl! How dare you look our august Queen in the face!"</p> - -<p>Indeed, instead of avoiding the penetrating eyes of Brunhild, Blandine -sought to catch and mischievously to challenge them, all the while -smiling with a confident mien. The Queen, accordingly, after an equally -long and minute survey, said to her:</p> - -<p>"Slavery does not seem to sadden you?"</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, glorious Queen, to me slavery has been freedom."</p> - -<p>"How is that, impudent lass?"</p> - -<p>"I had a peevish, cross, quarrelsome step-mother. She made me spend upon -the cold stone porches of the basilicas all the time that I was not -engaged plying my needle. The old fury used to<a name="page_054" id="page_054"></a> beat me whenever I -unfortunately took my nose off my sewing and smiled at some lad at the -window. Accordingly, great Queen, what a sad lot was mine! Ill fed, I -who am so fond of dainties; ill clad, I who am so coquettish; on my feet -at the first crow of the cock, I who am so fond of snoozing in my bed! -And so it happens that great was my joy when your invincible grandson -and his brave army, Queen, illustrious Queen, drew, last year, near -Tolbiac, where I lived."</p> - -<p>"Why so?"</p> - -<p>"Because, glorious Queen, I knew that Frankish warriors never kill young -girls. I said to myself: 'Perhaps I may be captured by some baron of -Burgundy, a count, or perhaps even a duke, and once I am a slave, if I -know myself, I shall become a mistress—because there have been female -slaves known—"</p> - -<p>"To become Queens, like Fredegonde, not so, my little one?"</p> - -<p>"And why not, if they are pretty!" impudently answered the minx without -lowering her eyes before Brunhild, who listened to and contemplated her -with a pensive air. "But, alas," Blandine proceeded saying with a half -suppressed sigh, "I did not then have the fortune of falling into the -hands of a seigneur. An old leude, with long white moustaches and not a -bit amorous, had me for his share of the booty, and he immediately after -sold me to seigneur Samuel. But perhaps it is not yet too late, and a -lucky chance may come my way. But what is this that I am saying!" added -Blandine smiling her sweetest at Brunhild, "is it not a great, an -unexpected piece of good luck that has brought me to your presence, -illustrious Queen?"</p> - -<p>After a moment's reflection, Brunhild said to the merchant:</p> - -<p>"Jew, I shall buy one of these two slaves from you."</p> - -<p>"Illustrious Queen, which of the two do you prefer, Aurelie or -Blandine?"</p> - -<p>"I am not yet decided—leave them at the palace until this evening—they -shall be taken to my women's apartment."</p> - -<p>At a nod from the Queen, Chrotechilde rang the bell; the<a name="page_055" id="page_055"></a> second old -woman again appeared; Brunhild's confidante said to her:</p> - -<p>"Take these two slaves with you."</p> - -<p>"Illustrious Queen," said Blandine turning once more to Brunhild, while -the Jew was carefully wrapping the devilish girl in her veil. "Queen, -choose me, glorious Queen—you will thereby do a good work—I would so -much like to stay at court."</p> - -<p>"Keep still, impudent thing!" said Samuel in a low voice while gently -pushing Blandine towards the Queen's bedroom, at the door of which -Chrotechilde pointed her finger. "Too much is too much; such -familiarities may displease our illustrious sovereign!"</p> - -<p>The two young girls, one of whom was brimming over with happiness while -the other staggered under the weight of her grief, stepped into the -Queen's apartment. The Jew humbly bowed before Brunhild, left by the -same door that he had entered, and closed behind him the leather curtain -that masked the issue to the spiral staircase.</p> - -<p>Brunhild and her confidante were left alone.<a name="page_056" id="page_056"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIb" id="CHAPTER_IIb"></a>CHAPTER II.</h3> - -<h4>QUEEN AND CONFIDANTE.</h4> - -<p>"Madam," said Chrotechilde to Brunhild, "for whom do you intend the one -of the two female slaves whom you expect to buy?"</p> - -<p>"You really ask me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madam—"</p> - -<p>"Chrotechilde, age seems to dull your powers of penetration—perhaps I -may have to look for some other confidante."</p> - -<p>"Madam, please explain yourself—"</p> - -<p>"I mean to test how far the present dullness that seems to have come -over you may go."</p> - -<p>"Truly, madam, I am at a loss to understand you—"</p> - -<p>"Tell me, Chrotechilde, did not my son Childebert, when he died -assassinated by Fredegonde, leave me the guardianship of his two sons, -my grandchildren, Thierry and Theudebert?"</p> - -<p>"Yes—madam—but I was speaking of the two female slaves—and not of -your children."</p> - -<p>"At what age was my grandson Theudebert a father?"</p> - -<p>"At thirteen—at that age he had a son from Bilichilde, the -dark-complexioned slave with green eyes, for whom you paid a big price. -I still see her wild looks, as uncommon as her style of beauty. For the -rest, she had a nymph's waist, and wavy and jet-black hair that reached -the floor. I never in my life saw such hair. But why do you look so -somber?"</p> - -<p>"The vile slave! Did not that miserable Bilichilde gain a fatal -ascendency over my grandson Theudebert, despite the many other -concubines that we furnished him?"</p> - -<p>"Indeed, madam! So fatal was the ascendency that she<a name="page_057" id="page_057"></a> gained over him, -that she caused us to be driven out of Metz, both you and me, and led -prisoners as far as Arcis-on-the-Aube, the boundary of Burgundy, the -kingdom of your other grandson, Thierry. But all that is an old story, -madam, that is dead and should be forgotten, together with the principal -actors in it. Bilichilde is no more; she was last year strangled to -death by your grandson, the savage idiot Theudebert himself, who passed -from love to hatred; afterwards, beaten at the battle of Tolbiac by his -brother, whom you hurled at his head, he was himself shorn of his hair -and stabbed to death; finally, his five-year-old son had his skull -broken against a stone. Accordingly, that score was thoroughly settled. -Were you not amply revenged?"</p> - -<p>"No; with me, hatred survives vengeance, it survives death itself, as -the dagger survives the murder. No; my vengeance is not yet complete."</p> - -<p>"You are not reasonable. To hate beyond the grave is childish at your -age."</p> - -<p>"And is your mind not yet enlightened by what we have just said?"</p> - -<p>"With regard to the two handsome slaves?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, with regard to the two pretty girls."</p> - -<p>"No, madam, I cannot yet fathom your thoughts."</p> - -<p>"Let us, then, proceed, seeing that you have become so obtuse. Tell me, -what was the nature of Theudebert, before we gave him Bilichilde for -companion?"</p> - -<p>"Violent, active, resolute, head-strong and above all proud. At eleven -years he already felt the proud ardor of his royal blood. He used to say -loftily: 'I am the King of Austrasia! I am master!'"</p> - -<p>"And two years after he possessed the dark-complexioned slave with the -green eyes and curly hair, whom you so judiciously chose for him, what -was then the nature of my grandson? Answer me, Chrotechilde."</p> - -<p>"Oh, madam, Theudebert was unrecognizable. Unnerved,<a name="page_058" id="page_058"></a> irresolute and -languid, he had no will except to go from his bed to table, and from -table to bed with his concubines. He hardly had enough spirit to hunt -with falcons, a woman's amusement; the hunt of wild animals he could not -think of, it was too tiring. I was not at all surprised at the change. -From being robust, pert and loving noisy games since his early -childhood, he became sickly, weak, puny, dreamy, and preferred darkened -rooms as if the light of the sun hurt his eyes. In short, he had given -promise of becoming a man of large size, but he died stunted and almost -beardless."</p> - -<p>"It was that I aimed at, Chrotechilde. Precocious debauchery unnerves -the soul as much as it does the body. Accordingly Theudebert's issue was -not born with vitality enough to survive."</p> - -<p>"True enough; I never saw such puny children—but what else could be -expected from a dwarfish and almost imbecile father?"</p> - -<p>"And yet, as early as his twelfth year, Theudebert used to say -haughtily: 'I am the King of Austrasia! I am master!'"</p> - -<p>"Yes, but afterwards, whenever you sought to converse with him upon -matters of state, and you called his attention to his being King, the -boy would regularly answer you in his languid voice and with his eyes -half shut: 'Grandmother, I am King of my women, of my amphoras of old -wine and of my falcons! Reign in my stead, grandmother; reign in my -name, if you please!'"</p> - -<p>"And it did please me, Chrotechilde. I reigned in Austrasia for my -grandson Theudebert until the day when that vile slave Bilichilde, -availing herself of her influence over the imbecile King, drove me from -Metz—drove out me—Brunhild!"</p> - -<p>"Ever the remembrance of that occurrence! Again does the storm gather -over your forehead! Again your eyes shoot lightning! But, by the -heavens, madam; the slave has been strangled, the imbecile and his son -are both dead—they have<a name="page_059" id="page_059"></a> both been killed and lie in their graves. I -even forgot that, in order to complete the hecatomb of those malefic -animals, Quintio, the stewart of the palace and Duke of Champagne, who -took an improper part in the affair of Metz, was put to death upon your -orders. What more can you wish? Besides, in exchange for the Austrasia -that you lost, did you not gain a Burgundy? If Theudebert drove you from -Metz, did you not take refuge here, in Chalon, near your other grandson -Thierry? Enervated and besotted through overindulgence with the women -that we furnished him with, did you not drive him to undertake a -merciless war against his own brother, whom he overcame at Toul and -Tolbiac, and who, after these defeats, was himself, together with his -son put to death, as I reminded you a minute ago? Thus revenged for -being exiled from Metz, have you not ever since held sway over Thierry -and actually reigned in his stead? When Aegila, the stewart of the -palace, made you apprehensive by reason of his growing influence over -your grandson, you promptly rid yourself of Aegila, and you substituted -him with your lover Protade, who thereupon became the mayor of the -palace—"</p> - -<p>"But they killed him, Chrotechilde—they killed him—they killed my -lover, my Protade!"</p> - -<p>"Come, madam; we are here among ourselves; admit that a Queen never -suffers any dearth of lovers. You need only choose among the handsomest, -the youngest, the most appetizing nobles of the court. Moreover, madam, -without meaning to make you any reproaches on that score, if they did -kill your Protade, did you not in turn kill their Bishop Didier?"</p> - -<p>"Perchance he did not merit his fate?"</p> - -<p>"Never was punishment more condign! The wily prelate! He schemed to -supplant us in our amorous manoeuvres! Why, the fellow plotted the -marriage of your grandson to the Spanish princess, in order to snatch -him from the voluptuous life in which we kept him, and thereby withdraw -him from your domination!<a name="page_060" id="page_060"></a> And what happened to the tonsured schemer? -The current of the Chalaronne washed his corpse down the stream, while -the Spanish woman, upon whom he reckoned in order to evict you and, by -means of her, to rule Thierry and through Thierry Burgundy, that Spanish -woman has been repudiated by your grandson, she went back to her own -country only six months after her wedding, and we have appropriated her -dower. Finally, Thierry died this year of a dysentery," added the hag -with a horrid smile, "and so you now are absolute mistress and sovereign -Queen of this country of Burgundy, seeing that Sigebert, the eldest son -of Thierry, your great-grandson, is now only eleven years old. We must -prevent these kinglets from dying out, else Fredegonde's surviving son -would fall heir to their kingdoms. All that is needed is that they -vegetate, in order that you may reign in their stead. Well, madam, they -vegetate. But all this takes us far away from the young female slave -whom you wish to buy from Samuel."</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, Chrotechilde, the review leads us directly to the -slave."</p> - -<p>"In what manner?"</p> - -<p>"There can no longer be any doubt about it; age is softening your -brains; formerly so quick to grasp my purposes, it is now fully a -quarter of an hour that you have been giving me distressful proofs of -your waning intellect."</p> - -<p>"I, madam?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; in former days, instead of asking me what I intended doing with -one of Samuel's slaves, you would have guessed on the spot. I have been -able to convince myself at leisure of the senility of your -understanding—it is sad, Chrotechilde."</p> - -<p>"As sad to me as to you, madam. But deign to explain yourself, I pray -you. For me to hear is to obey."</p> - -<p>"What! Dullard! You know that I have the guardianship of my -great-grandchildren, and yet you stupidly ask me what<a name="page_061" id="page_061"></a> I propose to do -with one of the two pretty slaves! Do you now understand?"</p> - -<p>"Oh! Yes! I now begin to understand, madam; but yet your reproaches were -unmerited. You forget that Sigebert is not yet eleven."</p> - -<p>"All the better! The debauch will begin so much earlier."</p> - -<p>"That is true," remarked the other monster with a horrid peal of -laughter. "That is true; all the better. The debauch will start so much -sooner."</p> - -<p>During this shocking conversation the august bronze effigy remained -motionless in the case of medals on the ivory stand; it never once as -much as winked, nor did its metal mouth utter a cry of malediction to -shake the walls of the apartment like a trumpet blast of the day of -judgment.</p> - -<p>The conversation between the two matrons proceeded.</p> - -<p>"You mean to furnish a concubine to your great-grandson, Sigebert," said -Chrotechilde to the Queen, "although he is not yet eleven."</p> - -<p>"Yes," repeated Brunhild; "but what happened with Bilichilde makes me -pause: I do not know which of the two slaves to take. What is your -opinion, in view of your experience?"</p> - -<p>"The tall brunette who weeps constantly will never be dangerous; she is -mild, candid, and stupid as a sheep. There is no fear that the silly -thing will ever instil Sigebert with evil thoughts against you."</p> - -<p>"I also am strongly inclined in favor of the weepful one; the other girl -seems to me rather too bold a piece. The impudent thing never once -lowered her eyes before mine, that terrify the otherwise firmest and -most daring men."</p> - -<p>"It is quite possible, madam, that the frisky little imp may have too -large a measure of what the tall one has too little—there may be profit -in that. Let us look at things as they are. Sigebert is not yet eleven, -he is very childish, thinks only of his top and huckle-bones; besides, -he is quiet and timid, a veritable<a name="page_062" id="page_062"></a> lamb. Now, then, if the tall silly -thing associates with him like a sheep—you understand me, madam? On the -other hand, the little gay imp might set our lamb afire. I always -remember the fear of Theudebert at the sight of the girl with the green -eyes and curly hair. The matter requires careful consideration, madam. -Let us first study the nature of the two girls. Moreover, there is no -great hurry in the matter. Sigebert is now in Germany with Duke -Warnachaire, the mayor of the palace of Burgundy."</p> - -<p>"They may be back any moment. I should not be surprised to see them back -to-day. Moreover, I am in all the greater hurry to procure a slave girl -for Sigebert, seeing that I fear Warnachaire may have gained some -influence over him during this journey into Germany. If so, whatever -influence Warnachaire may have gained over the boy will be speedily lost -in his experiences with love."</p> - -<p>"But, madam, if you mistrust the duke, why did you confide Sigebert to -him?"</p> - -<p>"Was it not absolutely necessary for Sigebert to be a part of the -embassy? The sight of the royal child, with his sweet face, was certain -to interest in his behalf the German tribes on the other side of the -Rhine whose alliance Warnachaire was to secure for me. Their troops will -double my army. Oh, in this last supreme effort, in this merciless war -that will now break out between me and Clotaire II, this son of -Fredegonde will be ground to dust—it must be—it must be—my vengeance -must be complete."</p> - -<p>"And it will be, madam. Until now, your enemies have all fallen under -your blows. The death of Fredegonde's son will crown the work. I must, -nevertheless, admit that this Duke Warnachaire makes me feel uneasy. -Madam, these mayors of the palaces, who, forty-five or fifty years ago, -under the reign of the sons of old Clotaire, began with being the -intendants of the royal palaces, and who, ever since, have by little and -little<a name="page_063" id="page_063"></a> become the actual governors of the people, I fear me that these -mayors of the palaces will end by swallowing up the kings, if the kings -do not suppress them. These able folks say to the princes: 'Keep -concubines, drink, play, hunt, sleep, squander the money that we fill -your treasuries with, enjoy your lives, bother not with matters of -government, we shall take charge of that burden.' These are dangerous -and wicked proceedings, madam. That a mother, a grandmother should act -in that manner towards her sons and grandsons, that is allowable; but -with mayors of the palace it becomes usurpation; and this Warnachaire, -whom you allowed to retain his office of mayor after Thierry's death is -bent, it seems to me, upon dominating Sigebert and ousting you, madam. I -know that with the tall or the short slave we shall be able to hold our -own against the duke—but never forget your exile from Metz, madam!"</p> - -<p>"You are preaching to one already converted. I recently wrote to Aimoin, -who returns with Warnachaire, to kill him on the way back."</p> - -<p>"Oh, glorious Queen, why did you not say so before! I would have spared -you my rhetoric."</p> - -<p>"But unfortunately Aimoin failed to carry out my orders. Warnachaire is -still alive."</p> - -<p>"Why did he not obey?"</p> - -<p>"I do not yet know; I may learn the reason to-day."</p> - -<p>"At any rate we should not be hasty in thinking ill of Aimoin. Perhaps -no favorable opportunity presented itself; who knows but you may yet see -him return alone with Sigebert. And if not, once Warnachaire is back at -Chalon, in this castle, his fate, madam, will be in the hollow of your -hand—and you should not hesitate to strike. Oh, these mayors of the -palaces, these mayors of the palaces! I look upon them as the gravest -danger to the royal family. You may be certain, madam, that the royal -family will never enjoy safety until it will have rid itself of these -daily more dangerous rivals."<a name="page_064" id="page_064"></a></p> - -<p>"We need time to overthrow their power. They have drawn around them all -the beneficiary seigneurs whom the royal generosity enriched. Oh! Time! -Time! Oh, how short is life. I need time; combined with it, will-power -and force can do all. The time that I need is a long reign; I shall have -it. The barbarian tribes on the other side of the Rhine have responded -to our call; they will join our army. Thanks to their reinforcements, -the troops of Clotaire will be crushed, and the son of Fredegonde will -fall into my power! Oh! To inflict upon the son a slow death under the -protracted tortures that I prepared for his mother! To avenge by his -agony the murder of my sister Galeswinthe, and of my husband Sigebert! -To take possession of Clotaire's kingdom and reign alone, the undisputed -mistress of all Gaul for many a long year! That is my aim. And it will -be reached. I feel myself full of life, strength and will-power!"</p> - -<p>"You will live a hundred years and more."</p> - -<p>"I believe it. I feel it. Aye, I feel within me indomitable will and -vitality. To reign! the ambition of great souls! To reign like the -Emperors of Rome! I wish to emulate them in all their sovereign -omnipotence! I wish to count by the millions the instruments of my will! -I wish, by a mere gesture, to cause the power of my arms to be felt from -one confine of the world to the other! I wish to increase my kingdom to -an infinite extent! I wish to be able to say: 'All these countries, from -the nearest to the most distant, belong to me! I wish to concentrate the -forces of all nations into my own hands and to cause all the peoples of -the earth to bend under my yoke! I wish to raise in all parts of Gaul -the marvels of art that now cover Burgundy—fortified castles, -magnificent palaces, gold-naved basilicas, wide and interminable -highways, prodigious monuments, all of which will in all the centuries -to come re-echo the name of Brunhild! Should I allow vulgar scruples to -stay my hand, having such grand designs in view? No! No! Could<a name="page_065" id="page_065"></a> these -children whom I unman, could these men whom I kill because they hinder -my progress—could they or any of them as much as conceive my gigantic -designs? Of what value to the world is the life of these obscure -victims? Their bones will have turned to dust, their names will be -buried in oblivion, when my name, repeated from age to age, will -continue to amaze posterity!"</p> - -<p>"And these will be valid reasons for the priests and bishops, who -besiege you with applications for grants of land and money, to pardon -your crimes."</p> - -<p>"I forbid you to say an evil word against the priests; it is they who -draw my triumphal car—"</p> - -<p>"The team is rather ruinous."</p> - -<p>"Not to me. Do the gifts that I bestow upon them impoverish me? Is not -that which I give them, the overflow of my overflow? Moreover, they will -aid me in restoring the imposts formerly decreed by the emperors, and -thereby to replenish my coffers. Here, take this key; open the little -coffer yonder on the table, and look for a roll of parchment tied in a -purple ribbon."</p> - -<p>"Here it is, madam."</p> - -<p>"Kiss the parchment, it is written on by the hand of the representative -of God on earth, a Pope—the pious Gregory himself—"</p> - -<p>"And does the sovereign pontiff, the successor of St. Peter, as he -claims, he who holds in his hands the keys of paradise, promise to open -them wide for you?"</p> - -<p>"It is but just. Have I not amply gilded those keys of paradise? Read -over again to me what the parchment contains."</p> - -<p>"'Gregory to Brunhild, Queen of the Franks. The manner in which you -govern the kingdom and preside over the education of your son give -witness to the virtues of your Excellency, virtues that must be praised -and that are pleasing to God. You did not content yourself with leaving -intact to your son the<a name="page_066" id="page_066"></a> glory of temporal things, you also laid up for -him the great riches of eternal life by causing, with pious maternal -solicitude the germs of the true faith to take root in his soul.'"</p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIIb" id="CHAPTER_IIIb"></a>CHAPTER III.</h3> - -<h4>THE ROYAL FAMILY.</h4> - -<p>The reading of the papal epistle was interrupted at this point by the -noise of many children's laughter that proceeded from the contiguous -chamber. Almost immediately thereupon the three younger brothers of -Sigebert, who was then absent on the journey to Germany, rushed in, -followed by their governesses. The little ones ran to their -great-grandmother. Childebert, the eldest of the three, was ten years of -age; Corbe nine, and Merovee, the youngest, six. The poor children, born -of a father who was almost worn out, even before adolescence, through -all manner of early excesses, were delicate, frail, dreamy, and painful -to behold. Even their mirth had a saddening effect. Their cheeks were -hollow, they were sicklied over by a pallor that betrayed ill health, -and that rendered their eyes exceptionally large and weird. Their long -hair, the symbol of Frankish royalty, fell thin upon their shoulders. -They wore short dalmaticas of gold and silver thread. The governesses -respectfully bent their knees at the entrance of the hall and remained -at the door, while the children ran forward and surrounded their -great-grandmother. Childebert remained standing near her; Corbe and -Merovee, the two youngest, climbed upon her knees, as she said to them:</p> - -<p>"You seem to be in good spirits this morning, my dear children! What is -the reason of your joy?"<a name="page_067" id="page_067"></a></p> - -<p>"Grandmother, it is our brother Corbe, who made us laugh."</p> - -<p>"What did Corbe do that was so funny?"</p> - -<p>"He plucked all the feathers off his white turtle dove—and she -screeched so—she screeched—"</p> - -<p>"And you laughed—you laughed—you little imps!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, grandmother, but our little brother Merovee wept."</p> - -<p>"Did he laugh so hard that he cried?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, no; I wept because the bird bled."</p> - -<p>"And I thereupon told Merovee: 'You have no courage, if blood frightens -you! And when we go to battle, will you weep there also at the sight of -blood?'"</p> - -<p>"And while Corbe was saying so to Merovee, I took a knife and cut the -dove's head off. Oh, I am not afraid of blood; not I; and when I am a -big man I shall go to war, not so grandmother?"</p> - -<p>"Ah, children! You know not what you are wishing. It is easy to amuse -yourselves cutting off the heads of doves, without feeling obliged some -day to go to war. To make war means to ride day and night, suffer -hunger, heat and cold, to sleep under tents, and what is worst of all, -run the risk of being wounded and killed, all of which causes great -pain. Is it not far better, dear children, to promenade quietly in a -cart or a litter, to lie down in a soft bed, eat dainties, have fun all -day long, and please your whims? The blood of royal families is too -precious a thing to expose it recklessly, my pretty little kinglets. You -have your leudes to go to war and fight the enemy in battle, your -servants to kill the people who may displease or offend you; your -priests to order the people to obey you. So, you see, all you have to do -is to amuse yourselves, to enjoy the delights of life, happy children -that you are, having nothing to say but 'I will.' Do you understand -these words well, my dear little ones? Answer, Childebert, you being the -eldest and therefore most intelligent."</p> - -<p>"Oh, yes, grandmother; I am no more anxious than other<a name="page_068" id="page_068"></a> people to go to -war in search of lance-thrusts; I prefer to amuse myself, and do what I -please. But why, then, did our brother Sigebert go away on horseback, -followed by armed men, and accompanied by Warnachaire?"</p> - -<p>"Your brother is ailing; the physicians have advised letting him -undertake a long trip for the good of his health."</p> - -<p>"Will he be back soon?"</p> - -<p>"To-morrow, perhaps—perhaps even to-day."</p> - -<p>"Oh, so much the better, grandmother! So much the better! His place will -not then be empty in our room—we miss him—"</p> - -<p>"Be not too glad on that score, my little kinglets. Henceforth, Sigebert -will inhabit his own royal mansion, he will have his own servants and -his separate room. Oh, he will be like a little man!"</p> - -<p>"But he is only one year older than I!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, oh! In a year you also will be a little man, my little Childebert," -replied Brunhild exchanging a diabolical glance with Chrotechilde; "you -will then also have your royal establishment and your separate -room—your chamberlains, your equerries, your slaves, all of them -submissive to your every whim, like dogs to the switch."</p> - -<p>"Oh, how I would like to be a year older, so as to have all those things -that you promise me!"</p> - -<p>"And so would I like to see you older—and Corbe also—and also Merovee, -I would like to see you all of the age of Sigebert."</p> - -<p>"Patience, madam," said Chrotechilde again exchanging infernal glances -with Brunhild; "patience; it will all come about—but what noise is that -in the large hall? I hear numerous steps approaching—it must be -seigneur Warnachaire!"<a name="page_069" id="page_069"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IVb" id="CHAPTER_IVb"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h3> - -<h4>QUEEN AND MAYOR OF THE PALACE.</h4> - -<p>Chrotechilde was not mistaken. The mayor of the palace of Burgundy had -arrived, and now stepped, accompanied by Sigebert, into the chamber -where Brunhild and her confidante were conversing with the kinglets, and -anticipating the future with diabolical foresight.</p> - -<p>Sigebert, a boy of barely eleven, was like his brothers, frail, sickly -and pale. Nevertheless, what with the excitement of the journey and the -joy at seeing his brothers, a slight flush suffused his sweet, wan face, -which not all the execrable precepts of his grandmother had succeeded in -depriving of its angelic appearance. He ran to embrace the aged Queen -and then joyfully reciprocated the caresses and answered the volley of -questions of his little brothers, who crowded around him. To each he -handed some slight presents, which he brought from his journey and were -locked in a small coffer that he took from the hands of one of his -suite, and impulsively opened in order to give his brothers a token of -remembrance. Chrotechilde availed herself of a favorable moment, and -approaching the Queen said in a low voice:</p> - -<p>"Madam, if you will take my advice, keep the two slaves until -evening—between now and then we shall have time to make up our minds."</p> - -<p>"Yes, that will be the best thing to do," answered Brunhild; and -addressing the child: "You should now retire for rest, and you can talk -with your brothers about your journey. I have matters of importance to -consider with Duke Warnachaire."</p> - -<p>Chrotechilde led away the children, and the Queen remained alone with -the mayor of the palace of Burgundy, a man of tall<a name="page_070" id="page_070"></a> stature, and face -cold, impenetrable, resolute. He wore a rich steel armor trimmed with -gold after the Roman fashion. His long sword hung from his side, his -long dagger was in his belt. After attaching a long and scrutinizing -look upon Warnachaire who, however, remained impassible, Brunhild -motioned him to a seat near the table, and let herself down into one -opposite, saying:</p> - -<p>"What tidings do you bring?"</p> - -<p>"Good—and bad, madam—"</p> - -<p>"First the bad."</p> - -<p>"The treason of Dukes Arnolfe and Pepin, as well as the defection of -several great seigneurs of Austrasia, is no longer a matter of doubt. -They have deserted our colors and passed over to the camp of Clotaire II -with all their men; they are now preparing to march against your army."</p> - -<p>"I have long expected their treason. Oh, seigneurs, enriched and made -powerful by the bounty of the Kings, you are yet able to carry -ingratitude to such lengths! Very well! I prefer open war to -subterraneous manoeuvres. The domains, Salic lands and benefices of the -traitors will all return to my fisc. Proceed."</p> - -<p>"Clotaire II raised his camp at Andernach, and has penetrated to the -heart of Austrasia. Being summoned to respect the kingdoms of his -nephews, whose guardian you are, he answered that he would submit only -to the judgment of the grandees of Austrasia and of Burgundy -themselves."</p> - -<p>"Fredegonde's son expects to raise the people and seigneurs of my -kingdoms in rebellion against me. He deceives himself. Prompt and -terrible examples will terrify all would-be traitors."</p> - -<p>"Well said, madam!"</p> - -<p>"All the traitors—whatever their rank may be, whatever their power, -whatever the mask that they assume! Do you hear, Warnachaire, mayor of -the palace of Burgundy?"<a name="page_071" id="page_071"></a></p> - -<p>"I hear even what you do not say to me—but I bow before my Queen."</p> - -<p>"Do you read my thoughts?"</p> - -<p>"You take me for a traitor. You consider me your enemy, especially since -your recent return from Worms."</p> - -<p>"I am on my guard against everybody."</p> - -<p>"Your suspicions, madam, have become certitude. You told Aimoin, one of -our men, to stab me to death."</p> - -<p>"I order only my enemies to be despatched."</p> - -<p>"Accordingly, I am an enemy to you, madam, at least you look upon me as -such. Here are the fragments of the letter, written in your own hand, -and ordering Aimoin to kill me."</p> - -<p>And the duke deposited several fragments of parchment upon the table; -the Queen looked defiantly at the mayor of the palace.</p> - -<p>"Did Aimoin give you that letter?"</p> - -<p>"No, madam; accident placed these fragments into my hands."</p> - -<p>"And yet you return to the palace?"</p> - -<p>"In order to prove to you the injustice of your suspicions; that is the -reason I have returned to the place where you are sovereign."</p> - -<p>"Or perhaps you come to betray me."</p> - -<p>"Madam, if I had wished to betray you, I would have repaired, as so many -other seigneurs of Burgundy have done, not hither, but to the camp of -Clotaire II. I would have placed your grandson as a hostage in his -hands, and I would have remained in your enemy's camp, together with the -tribes that I brought with me from Germany."</p> - -<p>"Those tribes are devoted to my interests; they would have refused to -follow you; they have come for the purpose of reinforcing my army."</p> - -<p>"Those tribes, madam, have come for the purpose of pillage, and little -do they care whether they be indulged as auxiliaries<a name="page_072" id="page_072"></a> of Brunhild or of -Clotaire II, whether it be against the country of Soissons, of Burgundy -or of Austrasia. These Franks have no predilections, provided only that, -after they shall have fought bravely and helped in winning the victory, -they will be free to ravage the vanquished country, gather a large -booty, and lead numerous slaves back with them to the other side of the -Rhine—such are the Franks whom I have brought."</p> - -<p>"And I tell you that the sight of my grandson, the infant King, asking -through your mouth the assistance of the Germans, interested the -barbarians in his cause, and secured the success of your mission."</p> - -<p>"Had you not expressly promised the Franks the pillage of the vanquished -territories, they would have remained unaffected by the youth of -Sigebert; they are as savage as were our fathers, the first companions -of Clovis. It was with no little trouble that I succeeded in preventing -them from ravaging all the districts that we traversed on our route; in -their impatience of savages they imagined themselves already in -vanquished territory. Every day their chiefs called upon me at the top -of their voices to deliver battle, in order that they might begin the -plundering and return laden with booty to Germany, before the winter -season sets in."</p> - -<p>"Where are the Franks now?"</p> - -<p>"I left them near Montsarran."</p> - -<p>"Why so far from Chalon?"</p> - -<p>"Despite all I could do to prevent it, those savages killed and stole on -their passage. To bring them here to the center of Burgundy, and then -send them out again in some other direction, according as the -requirements of the war may demand or the facilities for provisioning -may require, would be to expose the territories that may have to be -traversed to untold and unnecessary disasters. Such afflictions may fan -the spark of rebellion among our people—because, as you know, madam, -the<a name="page_073" id="page_073"></a> people are growing restive even on this side of the frontier of -Burgundy."</p> - -<p>"Yes—at the instigation of the traitors who have gone over to -Fredegonde's son, there are some seigneurs who are seeking to raise the -people in rebellion against me—against the 'Romish Woman,' as they call -me. Oh, seigneurs and people will feel the weight of Brunhild's arm!"</p> - -<p>"The enemies of Brunhild will always tremble before her; nevertheless, I -fear to increase their number by exposing our people to be victimized by -the barbarism of our new allies. I doubt not that the territory where I -have had those troops encamp will be laid waste, but the evil effect of -their conduct will be at least limited to the spot. Moreover, the -location is central enough to enable us to expedite these auxiliaries in -whatever direction the movements of Clotaire II may render necessary. As -you see, I have acted with foresight."</p> - -<p>"What is the temper of the army?"</p> - -<p>"It is full of ardor; it only asks to be led to battle. The remembrance -of the last two victories of Toul and Tolbiac, above all, of the immense -booty, the large number of slaves that the troops carried away—all that -fires them with the desire to fight the son of Fredegonde. These, madam, -are the good tidings that counterbalance the evil ones. Is Brunhild -still of the opinion that Warnachaire has conducted himself like a -traitor, and does she still entertain the idea of having him stabbed to -death?"</p> - -<p>"A man whom one has sought to do away with, who learns the fact, and who -still comes back—Oh, Warnachaire, that needs careful attention!"</p> - -<p>"Brunhild is quick to suspect and to punish, but she is magnificent -towards those who serve her faithfully."</p> - -<p>"You have, then, a favor to ask of me?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, madam; but only after the war is ended, or, rather,<a name="page_074" id="page_074"></a> I expect it -after the victory that I shall win over Clotaire II, when I deliver him -to you tied hands and feet."</p> - -<p>"Warnachaire!" cried the Queen thrilling with wild delight at the -thought of having Fredegonde's son in her power; "if you deliver -Clotaire a prisoner in my hands, I shall challenge you to express a wish -that Brunhild will not gratify, and—" but recollecting herself, she -suddenly stopped short, cast a somber, scrutinizing glance at the mayor -of the palace and proceeded: "Can it be your purpose to spread a snare -for me and lull my suspicions? Warnachaire, if your purpose is to betray -me—"</p> - -<p>"Madam, you look upon me as a traitor. If you but ring that bell, -instantly your chamberlains and equerries will rush in and kill me -before your very eyes. So that you may consider me dead. But who is the -man whom you do not suspect? Whom will you take for your general? Duke -Alethee, perchance, or Duke Roccon?"</p> - -<p>"No! Neither the one nor the other!"</p> - -<p>"Sigowald, perhaps?"</p> - -<p>"You are mocking! He is my personal enemy."</p> - -<p>"Perhaps Eubelan?"</p> - -<p>"I have not yet forgotten his criminal relations with Arnolfe and -Pepin—the two traitors! He no doubt is considering how to follow their -example, and to go over to the enemy. No; I will not trust Eubelan! He -also is an enemy."</p> - -<p>"Yet, madam, they are all capable of captaining the army; they are all -experienced and brave chiefs."</p> - -<p>"Yes, but I have not proposed to kill them—at least they do not know -that I had any such intention—while, as to you, I have ordered your -death, and what is more to the purpose, you are aware of it."</p> - -<p>"You think me animated with a sentiment of revenge towards you because I -know that you meant to have me stabbed to death. If it is the hope of -vengeance that has brought me back to you,<a name="page_075" id="page_075"></a> what is there to prevent me -from laying my hand upon this bell, and depriving you of the means to -give the alarm?"</p> - -<p>And the duke did what he said.</p> - -<p>"What prevents me from drawing this dagger?"</p> - -<p>And the duke held the glistening weapon before the eyes of Brunhild, -whose first impulse was to throw herself back and her arms forward.</p> - -<p>"What, in short, prevents me from killing you with one blow of this -dagger, which is poisoned as were the daggers of Fredegonde's pages?"</p> - -<p>And as he uttered these words, Warnachaire drew so close to Brunhild -that he could strike her before she was able to utter a single cry. -Excepting a first movement of surprise, the Queen did not even wink her -eyes; her indomitable orbs remained resolutely fixed upon those of the -mayor of the palace. With a look of disdain she pushed aside the -dagger's blade, remained pensive for an instant, and then observed -regretfully:</p> - -<p>"One is bound to put faith in something. You could have killed me—that -is true; you have not done so—I can not deny the fact. Your purpose is -not to take revenge upon me—unless you mean to reserve me for a fate -more terrible than death. But that is not likely. The man who hates does -not resort to such hazardous and refined schemes. The future belongs to -none. If the opportunity offers to strike an enemy, the blow is dealt -hard and firmly. I therefore conclude that you are not animated by -secret hatred toward me. You shall keep the command of the army. Listen, -Warnachaire, Brunhild is implacable in her suspicions and her hatred, -but she is magnificent towards those who serve her faithfully. Let -Fredegonde's son fall into my hands, and my favor will transcend your -expectations. Let us forget the past, let us be friends."</p> - -<p>"The past is forgotten, madam, as far as I am concerned."</p> - -<p>"Now let us argue calmly, Warnachaire. Let us sift things to the bottom. -I did mean to have you killed—that is true! I<a name="page_076" id="page_076"></a> have had so many others -killed! But it never was out of taste for blood. My sister Galeswinthe -was killed, my husband was killed, my son was killed, my most faithful -servants were killed. Single-handed have I been compelled to defend the -kingdom of my son and grandsons against the kings who are bent upon my -destruction. Whatever weapon was available was good to me; and after -all, I have won brilliant victories, I have accomplished great things. -All this notwithstanding I am hated; the Frankish seigneurs envy me; the -vile Gallic plebs, whether slave or free, is silently resentful towards -me, and would rebel if it were not curbed by the terror I inspire it -with. But look! Look at that man! Who is he?" cried Brunhild breaking -off her sentence in the middle, and, precipitately rising, she pointed -at Loysik, who stood at the door connecting with the secret spiral -staircase, and who was pushing aside with one arm the leather curtain -that had until then hid him from the eyes of the Queen and the mayor of -the palace of Burgundy. Warnachaire took a few steps towards the aged -hermit laborer, who advanced slowly into the chamber, and said to him:</p> - -<p>"Monk, how come you here? Great is your audacity to dare to introduce -yourself into the Queen's apartment—who are you?"</p> - -<p>"I am the superior of the monastery of the Valley of Charolles."</p> - -<p>"You lie!" broke in Brunhild. "One of my chamberlains is at the abbey at -this hour to seize the superior, and bring him to me in irons."</p> - -<p>"Your chamberlain," replied the monk, "your chamberlain, together with -the archdeacon and all their armed men, is at this hour a prisoner in -the monastery."</p> - -<p>To announce such news, no less improbable than offensive to the pride of -Brunhild; to announce it to that implacable woman, and thus to expose -himself to certain death—the action seemed so exorbitant that the Queen -did not believe the<a name="page_077" id="page_077"></a> monk's words; she shrugged her shoulders with a -look of disdainful pity, and said to the major of the palace:</p> - -<p>"Duke, that old man is out of his senses. But how did he contrive to -enter the palace?"</p> - -<p>Other circumstances soon combined to confirm Brunhild's belief in the -monk's insanity. Loysik had continued to advance slowly towards the -Queen, but despite his spirit's firmness, of which he had given so many -a proof during his long life, in the measure that he drew nearer to the -horror-inspiring woman, his self-possession gradually forsook him, his -mind became troubled, he felt his knees trembling under him, and he was -constrained to lean against an ivory stand that was within his reach. -The profound, unconquerable emotion was caused by the horror that the -Queen inspired in the venerable monk, together with the consciousness of -the terrible position in which he found himself.</p> - -<p>With his head drooping upon his chest, he sought to collect himself and -to gather his thoughts. His eyes wandered over the medal-case that lay -upon the ivory stand against which he leaned. The large bronze medal -that lay among the others drew to itself the monk's attention all the -more readily, seeing that it was the only one of a vulgar metal, all the -others being of either gold or silver. At first Loysik contemplated it -mechanically, but being presently attracted towards it by an undefinable -interest, he stooped over, looked at it more closely, approached his -head nearer in order better to see the imprint, and deciphered the -inscription that was under the august profile, that seemed to stand out -lustrous from the bronze. A thrill ran over the frame of the aged man; a -sudden, an extraordinary feeling seized him, a feeling in which -enthusiasm, stupor and hope were mingled into one. The confusion into -which his mind was thrown an instant before ceased; he felt reassured -and strengthened as if he had encountered a support as unexpected as it -was powerful; in short, it seemed to him a providential circumstance<a name="page_078" id="page_078"></a> to -encounter—<i>the image of Victoria in the palace of Brunhild</i>.</p> - -<p>Loysik had bent down in order to contemplate more closely the features -of the Gallic heroine; as he recognized them, he bowed a knee and -stretching his arms towards the august effigy, he murmured:</p> - -<p>"O, Victoria—holy woman-warrior in behalf of Gaul! Your presence in -this horrid place fortifies my soul; it seems to impart to me the -necessary strength to save the descendants of Schanvoch, of the faithful -soldier whom you called your brother, and who was one of my ancestors!"<a name="page_079" id="page_079"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_Vb" id="CHAPTER_Vb"></a>CHAPTER V.</h3> - -<h4>LOYSIK AND BRUNHILD.</h4> - -<p>Astonished at the oddity of the appearance and conduct of the old monk, -Brunhild and Warnachaire now followed him with their eyes, now looked at -each other in silence during the short instants that Loysik recognized -and contemplated the image of Victoria. More and more convinced that the -monk was out of his mind, the Queen lost all patience, stamped with her -foot on the floor and cried:</p> - -<p>"Duke, call in my pages; let them drive out of this room with their -switches this crazy man who pretends to be the abbot of the monastery of -Charolles, and who kneels before my antique medals."</p> - -<p>Brunhild was still issuing these orders when one of the pages entered by -the door that connected with the large hall, and bending a knee said to -her:</p> - -<p>"Glorious Queen, a messenger has just arrived from the army; he brings -pressing despatches for seigneur Warnachaire."</p> - -<p>"That is of greater importance, duke. Receive the messenger and return -quickly to inform me of the tidings that he brings;" and then, -addressing the page and pointing to Loysik, who, with head erect and -firm steps was now advancing toward her, she proceeded: "Fetch in some -of your assistants and drive out that dotard with your switches; the -loss of his senses saves him from a more severe punishment." Saying -this, the Queen rose from her seat, and stepping towards her bedchamber, -once more urged the mayor of the palace: "Warnachaire, return as soon as -possible and let me know what tidings the messenger bears. You will read -me the despatches."<a name="page_080" id="page_080"></a></p> - -<p>"I shall go, madam, and receive him instantly. But what of this crazy -man? What is to be done with him?"</p> - -<p>"Leave that to my pages!"</p> - -<p>The mayor of the palace withdrew. Through the door, left open by him, -and without stepping out of the apartment, the page called out to -several of his companions who stood in waiting in the contiguous hall. -Loysik, on his part, seeing that, without taking any more notice of him -than of an insane man, the Queen was returning to her bedchamber, ran -towards Brunhild, and holding before her a parchment scroll that he drew -from his robe, said to her in a firm and collected voice:</p> - -<p>"I am not crazy. This charter signed by the late King Clotaire will -prove to you that I am the superior of the monastery of Charolles, where -your chamberlain and his soldiers are, at this hour, retained prisoners -by my orders."</p> - -<p>"Loysik!" exclaimed one of the young pages who entered the apartment in -response to the call of their companion. "Brother Loysik here?"</p> - -<p>"What! This monk!" cried Brunhild stupefied. "Is he Loysik, the abbot of -the monastery of Charolles?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, glorious Queen. He is the venerable abbot."</p> - -<p>"How come you to know him?"</p> - -<p>"He was pointed out to me at the last slave market. The worthy abbot was -buying slaves to set them free. I saw him again this morning crossing -one of the courtyards of the palace in the company of Samuel and two -young girls."</p> - -<p>For a moment Brunhild remained thoughtful, and then ordering the other -pages out of the chamber with a wafture of her hand she addressed the -one who had first come in.</p> - -<p>"Go to Pog and tell him to get himself and his assistants ready in the -cave. Let him light his fires and wait for further orders."</p> - -<p>The page grew pale and bowed, but before leaving the chamber he cast a -look of pity upon the old man. Left alone with<a name="page_081" id="page_081"></a> Loysik, the Queen paced -the room for a minute in silence and with agitated steps, and then -turning abruptly upon the hermit laborer said to him in a short, sharp -voice:</p> - -<p>"So you are Loysik?"</p> - -<p>"I am Loysik, the abbot and superior of the monastery of Charolles."</p> - -<p>"How did you penetrate into this room?"</p> - -<p>"This morning I met near the castle a slave merchant named Samuel; I had -recently bought several slaves from him; he informed me that he was -coming here; knowing that it was difficult to obtain access to the -palace, I asked Samuel to allow me to accompany him; at first he -hesitated; two gold pieces put an end to his hesitation."</p> - -<p>"And as the gateman had received orders to admit Samuel and his slaves, -you passed along with his merchandise! And did you remain in the room -below while the Jew was showing me the two slave girls?"</p> - -<p>Loysik nodded his head in the affirmative.</p> - -<p>"And after Samuel left the palace?"</p> - -<p>"The Jew having informed me that this room was reached from below by the -spiral staircase, I came up a short time ago and concealed myself behind -the curtain; I was a witness of your conversation with one of your -women. I heard everything."</p> - -<p>Brunhild looked at the monk with a questioning and threatening mien:</p> - -<p>"And so you overheard everything that was said between us?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; I listened and heard everything."</p> - -<p>"Old man—do you know who Pog and his assistants are?"</p> - -<p>"The executioner and his men."</p> - -<p>"How old are you?"</p> - -<p>"The age of a man about to die."</p> - -<p>"You expect death?"</p> - -<p>Loysik shrugged his shoulders without answering.</p> - -<p>"You are right," proceeded Brunhild with a satanic smile.<a name="page_082" id="page_082"></a> "To bring -such tidings as you did was to run into the jaws of death."</p> - -<p>"I came here of my own free will; your chamberlain and his men remain -prisoners at the monastery. No harm will be done them."</p> - -<p>"You are mistaken. A terrible punishment awaits them! Infamy, cowardice, -shame and treachery! An officer, Brunhild's men-at-arms made prisoners -by a handful of monks! Pog and his men will have work to do."</p> - -<p>"Your men-at-arms were not cowardly; even had they been more numerous, -they could not have resisted the men of the monastery and the colonists -of the Valley of Charolles."</p> - -<p>"Why, they must be redoubtable men!"</p> - -<p>"Not that. But they are people who are determined to die free, to bury -themselves under the ruins of their homes if you ignore the rights -guaranteed to them by the charter of the late King Clotaire."</p> - -<p>"How dare you invoke such a charter in my presence! A charter of him who -was Fredegonde's father-in-law! A charter of the grandfather of Clotaire -II, the son of Fredegonde and no less a mortal enemy of mine than his -mother herself! You dare mention to me a charter signed by the -grandfather of a man whom I shall pursue into his grave! Insensate old -man! I would burn down the tree that lent its shade to Fredegonde's son! -I would have the spring poisoned that quenched that man's thirst! In -your instance, the question is not about inanimate objects, but of men, -women and children who owe their freedom to the grandfather of -Fredegonde's son. It is in my power to make their souls and bodies, -their whole generation, writhe with pain! Oh, no later than to-morrow -all the inhabitants of that accursed valley will be sent as slaves to -the savage tribes that have come from Germany. It will be but an advance -payment on the pillage that was promised them."</p> - -<p>"Very well. You will send troops to the Valley. They will<a name="page_083" id="page_083"></a> force their -way in, arms in hand; they will crush our inhabitants despite any -resistance that they may offer, and however heroic. Men, women and -children will know how to die. After a stubborn fight, your soldiers -will find upon their entrance into the Valley only corpses and ashes. -But you seem to forget that war has been declared between you and -Fredegonde's son, that the moment is critical, and that you require all -your available forces in order to resist your enemies. Execrated by the -people, execrated by the seigneurs, the leading ones of whom have -already joined the standard of Clotaire II, you are hardly certain of -the loyalty of your own army, seeing that you have been obliged to call -savage tribes to your aid and to allure them with the prospect of -pillage. You seem to forget that, guided by an unerring instinct, and -seeing the power of the mayors of the palaces on the ascendant, the -people look upon these as the natural enemies of the Frankish Kings and -are ready to revolt in support of the former. Despite the heroic -resistance that they will offer, our people of the Valley will be -crushed. I admit it. But do you imagine that the surrounding -populations, however timid and cowed they may be, will remain impassive -when they will see people of their own race slaughtered to the last man -in the defense of their freedom? The horror of conquest, the hatred for -slavery, the unbearable hardships of poverty have more than once driven -people steeped in deeper degradation than our own to serious and -stubborn revolt. To-morrow, who knows! some frightful insurrection may -break out against you, called into being by the voice of the grandees -who abhor you."</p> - -<p>"And are the seigneurs, perchance, not the enemies of your race as much -as the kings?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; after their purpose is attained, after your ruin is accomplished, -the seigneurs will crush the people just as you are doing now. After the -first explosion of its rage is over, the unhappy people will resume its -old yoke with docility—because<a name="page_084" id="page_084"></a> the time has not yet arrived for their -liberation! But what does that matter! Such a revolt at this time, in -the very heart of your kingdom, when your most implacable enemy -threatens your frontiers, at an hour when treason surrounds you at every -turn—such a revolt would to-day mean your utter annihilation—it would -deliver you and your kingdoms to your ferocious enemy, Fredegonde's -son!"</p> - -<p>At the sound of that name Brunhild trembled with rage. With her head -inclined and her eyes fixed upon the ground, the Queen seemed to listen -with increased attention to the words of Loysik, who continued with -bitter disdain:</p> - -<p>"Behold, then, that Queen, the audacity of whose policy has rendered her -so famous! In order to cement her empire she has perpetrated crimes that -will one day cause the veracity of history to be doubted. And she is -about to endanger her kingdom, aye, her very life, out of hatred for a -handful of inoffensive people! Did these people at all injure her? No; -they were unknown to her until now; her attention was drawn to them by -the cupidity of a bishop who coveted their goods. Are the people whom -she wishes to drive to the heroism of despair, perchance, dangerous -enemies to her? No; they only ask to be allowed to continue to live in -freedom, peace and industry; if they can ever become dangerous it could -only be by the example of their resistance—not unlikely, their -martyrdom will provoke uprisings of which she herself will be the first -and leading victim. And yet this woman would rouse them to acts of -despair! She meditates punishing them on the ground that their freedom -is guaranteed by a king who has lain nearly half a century in his grave! -Oh, vertigo of crime! With what joy would I not see this woman throw -herself headlong into the abyss of her own digging were it not that her -feet must slide over the blood of my brothers!"</p> - -<p>"Monk—it is an annoying circumstance that your age is that of a man who -is about to die. I would have made you the<a name="page_085" id="page_085"></a> councillor to whose words I -would have given greatest weight. I shall follow your advice. Your -valley shall be spared—for the present. You speak truly. At this hour -when war threatens, when my grandees but await the opportune moment to -rebel against me—at such a time to drive the inhabitants of your valley -to despair, to martyrdom, would be an act of folly on my part."</p> - -<p>Loysik promptly replied:</p> - -<p>"My mission is accomplished; I demand of you no promises regarding the -monastery and the inhabitants of the Valley of Charolles; your own -interests are my best guarantee. I would now request of you a sheet of -parchment for me to write to my brother—and to my monks—just a few -lines. You are free to read them—it is my farewell words to my family; -I also wish to request my monks to set your chamberlain, the archdeacon, -and their men-at-arms free. One of your own messengers may carry the -letter."</p> - -<p>"There is writing material on this table—you may sit down."</p> - -<p>Loysik took a seat at the table and proceeded to write serenely. -Nevertheless such was his joy at having carried the difficult matter to -so successful an issue that his hand betrayed a slight tremor. Brunhild -followed him attentive and somber:</p> - -<p>"You tremble—you must be afraid, old man!"</p> - -<p>"The gratification of having warded off so many evils from the heads of -my brothers affects me and causes my hand to tremble. Here is the -letter—read it."</p> - -<p>Brunhild read, and said as she rolled up the parchment:</p> - -<p>"These words of farewell are simple, they are dignified and touching. I -understand better and better the powerful influence that you exercise -over those people—they are the arms, you the head. Within shortly they -will be a headless and, therefore, lifeless body. After the war is over -I shall find it easier to reduce them to obedience. Have you anything to -ask of me?"</p> - -<p>"Nothing—except that you hasten my execution."<a name="page_086" id="page_086"></a></p> - -<p>"I shall be magnanimous; your unshakable firmness pleases me; I shall -spare you the torture and I shall leave to you the choice of death. You -may choose between poison, iron, fire or water."</p> - -<p>"Have my throat cut."</p> - -<p>"It shall be as you wish, monk. Have you any other favor to ask?"</p> - -<p>"Yes," said Loysik slowly stepping towards the ivory stand on which lay -the case of medals, "I would like to take with me this bronze medal; I -would like to keep it with me during the short time of life that is left -me. It will be sweet to me to die with my eyes fixed upon this glorious -effigy."</p> - -<p>"Let me see what medal that is—they are all mere antique curiosities. -Truly, this woman is handsome, and proud under her Amazonian casque. -What is the inscription here below? <i>Victoria, Emperor</i>. A woman an -emperor?"</p> - -<p>"The sovereign title was bestowed upon her after her death."</p> - -<p>"She surely was of royal race?"</p> - -<p>"She was of plebeian race."</p> - -<p>"What was her life?"</p> - -<p>"Simple—austere—illustrious! Her great soul was visible in her -serenely grave features—an august countenance that this bronze has -preserved for posterity. Her life was that of a chaste wife—a sublime -mother—a brave Gallic woman. She never left her modest home but to -follow her son to war, or to the camps. The soldiers worshipped her; -they called her their mother. She brought up her son manfully in the -love for his country and set him the example of the loftiest virtues. -Her ambition—"</p> - -<p>"This austere woman was ambitious!"</p> - -<p>"As much as a mother may be for her son. Her ambition was to render that -son a great citizen, the ardent desire of rendering him worthy of being -chosen chief of Gaul by the people and the army."<a name="page_087" id="page_087"></a></p> - -<p>"Brought up by so incomparable a mother, was he elected?"</p> - -<p>"Citizens and soldiers acclaimed him with one voice. By choosing him -they glorified Victoria—his stout-hearted preceptress. The brilliant -qualities that they honored in him were her work. The son's election -consecrated the sovereign influence of the mother—truly a sovereign in -point of courage, genius and goodness. An era of glory and prosperity -then opened to the country. Emancipating herself from the yoke of Rome, -Gaul, free and strong, drove the Franks far away from her borders and -began to enjoy the blessings of peace. And thus it came about that, from -one end of our territory to the other there was one name everywhere -idolized. That name—the first that the mothers taught their children -after that of God—that name, so popular, that name wreathed in -veneration and devoted love, was the name of Victoria!"</p> - -<p>"In short, this woman, this incomparable mother, this divinity, this -object of veneration—reigned in her son's name!"</p> - -<p>"Yes, as virtue reigns over the world! Invisible to the eyes, it is to -the heart that virtue reveals itself. As modest in her tastes as the -obscurest matron in the land, Victoria fled from the glamor of honors. -Living privately in a humble dwelling at Treves or Mayence, she -delighted in the glory of her son, and in the well-being of Gaul—but -not in order to reign as Queen—she despised royalty."</p> - -<p>"And what was the cause of her haughty disdain for the great of the -earth?"</p> - -<p>"She held that the right which kings arrogated to themselves of -transmitting to their children the ownership of the country with its -people, like a private domain with its cattle, was an outrage to the -majesty of man and a crime before God. She furthermore held that -hereditary rule depraves the best dispositions, and produces the -monsters that have horrified the world. Faithful to her principles, she -refused to render the power hereditary in her grandson."<a name="page_088" id="page_088"></a></p> - -<p>"She had a grandson?"</p> - -<p>"Like you, Victoria was a grandmother."</p> - -<p>And Loysik looked fixedly at the Queen. There was, in the manner in -which Loysik accented the words addressed to Brunhild: <i>Like you, -Victoria, was a grandmother</i>—there was in his tone so crushing an -emphasis, so withering a condemnation of the shocking means employed by -the monster in order to deprave, enervate and morally kill her own -grandsons, whose lives she was nevertheless compelled to respect in -order that she might reign in their name, that Brunhild turned livid -with rage, but controlling herself so as not to expose the wound -inflicted upon her pride, dropped her eyes before the aged monk. Loysik -proceeded:</p> - -<p>"Victoria was a grandmother, and, while ruling Gaul with her genius she -never dropped her distaff, which she ever plied near the cradle of her -grandson; she watched over him as she had done over the child's father, -with solicitous firmness; her hope was to render that child also a good -citizen and brave soldier. Her hope was dashed. A frightful plot dragged -into their graves both the son and grandson of the august woman. They -both perished in a popular uprising."</p> - -<p>"Ha! Ha!" cried Brunhild breaking forth into a burst of sardonic -laughter, as if her gathering hatred for the Gallic heroine was -assuaged. "Such, then, is the justice of God!"</p> - -<p>"Such is the justice of God—the crime enabled Victoria to bequeath to -the admiration of posterity a noble example of patriotism and -abnegation! After the death of her son and grandson, and being urgently -requested by the people, the army and the senate to govern -Gaul—Victoria refused. Aye," added Loysik in answer to a gesture of -surprise that escaped Brunhild, "aye, Victoria refused twice. She -designated the men whom she considered worthiest of being chosen chiefs -of the country, and rendered to them the all-powerful support of her own -popularity and the advice of her exceptional wisdom for the good<a name="page_089" id="page_089"></a> of the -country. Victoria continued to live modestly in her retreat, and so long -as her life lasted, Gaul remained powerful and prosperous, rid both of -the Romans and the Franks. Victoria died. Her death was the climax of a -series of crimes of which her son and grandson were the first victims. -The illustrious woman died poisoned."</p> - -<p>"Ha! Ha!" cried Brunhild breaking forth anew in a burst of sardonic -laughter. "Monk—monk—ever the justice of God!"</p> - -<p>"Ever the justice of God—never was the death of the greatest geniuses -that ever shed splendor upon the world wept as the death of Victoria was -wept! One would have thought it was the funeral of Gaul! In the largest -cities, in the obscurest villages, tears flowed from all eyes. -Everywhere these words were heard, broken with sobs: 'We have lost our -mother!' The soldiers, those rough warriors of the legions of the Rhine, -whose faces a hundred battles had bronzed—those soldiers wept like -children. The mourning was universal; imposing as death itself. At -Mayence, where Victoria died, the spectacle of sorrow was sublime. -Reclining upon an ivory couch draped in gold cloth, Victoria lay in -state a week. Men, women, children, the army, the senate crowded the -street of her house. Each came to contemplate for a last time in pious -grief the august features of her who was the dearest, the most admired -glory of Gaul—"</p> - -<p>"Monk!" cried Brunhild seizing the arm of the venerable old man and -seeking to drag him after her; "the executioners must be waiting—"</p> - -<p>Loysik exerted only the force of inertia to resist the Queen; he -remained motionless and continued in a calm and solemn voice:</p> - -<p>"The mortal remains of Victoria the Great were placed upon the pyre and -disappeared in a flame, pure, brilliant and radiant as the life that she -had lived. Finally, in order to do honor to her virile genius across the -ages, the people of Gaul decreed to her the sovereign title that she had -ever declined out<a name="page_090" id="page_090"></a> of her sublime modesty. It is now more than four -centuries ago since that bronze was cast in the effigy of <i>Victoria, -Emperor</i>."</p> - -<p>As he uttered these last words, Loysik took the medal in his hands. -Brunhild, whose rage now reached a paroxysmal pitch, snatched the august -image from the old monk's hands, dashed it on the floor, and trampled -upon it in blind rage.</p> - -<p>"Oh, Victoria! Victoria!" cried Loysik, his face beaming with exalted -enthusiasm. "Oh, woman Emperor! Heroine of Gaul! I can now die! Your -life will have been to Brunhild the punishment for her crimes!" And -turning toward the Queen, who continued a prey to the frenzied vertigo -that had seized her, he exclaimed triumphantly: "The glory of Victoria, -like the bronze that you are trampling under foot, defies your impotent -rage!"</p> - -<p>At this point Warnachaire burst into the chamber crying:</p> - -<p>"Madam—madam—disastrous tidings! A second messenger has just arrived -from the army. By a skilful manoeuvre Clotaire II surrounded our German -allies; the prospect of booty carried them over to the enemy's banners; -he is now advancing with forced marches upon Chalon. Your presence, -together with that of the young princes, in the army, is indispensible -at this critical moment. I have just issued the necessary orders for -your immediate departure. Come, madam, come! The safety of your -kingdoms, perhaps your own life, is at stake—as you know, the son of -Fredegonde is implacable!"</p> - -<p>Struck with stupor at the sudden news Brunhild at first remained -petrified, with her foot still resting upon the medal of Victoria. An -instant later she had recovered herself, and in a clamorous voice, that -sounded like the roar of an infuriate lioness, she cried:</p> - -<p>"To me, my leudes! A horse—a horse! Brunhild will either be killed at -the head of her army or the son of Fredegonde will meet his death in -Burgundy. Send for the young princes! To horse. All forces on the -march!"</p> - -<p><a name="page_091" id="page_091"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_092" id="page_092"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="PART_III" id="PART_III"></a>PART III.</h3> - -<p><a name="page_093" id="page_093"></a></p> - -<h4>THE CAMP OF CLOTAIRE.</h4> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_Ic" id="CHAPTER_Ic"></a>CHAPTER I.</h3> - -<h4>WEEDING KINGLETS.</h4> - -<p>The village of Ryonne, situated on the banks of the little river of -Vigienne, lies about three days' march from Chalon. Around the village a -portion of the troops of Clotaire II, son of Fredegonde, lie encamped. -The King's tent has been set up under a clump of trees in the middle of -the village. The sun has only just risen. Not far from the royal shelter -stands a farmhouse. It is larger than any other in sight, and also in -better condition. Its door is closed, and two Frankish soldiers are on -guard before it. The only light that enters the house penetrates through -a little window. From time to time one of the soldiers who is posted -outside, looks in and listens through the window. A worm-eaten old -trunk, two or three stools, a few household utensils, and a long box -filled with straw—such are the furnishings of the place. On that rough -straw couch are three children. They are clad in gold-and silver-trimmed -silk clothes. Who may these children be, so magnificently clad, yet -lying on that pallet like the children of slaves? They are the children -of Thierry, the late King of Burgundy; they are the great-grandchildren -of Brunhild. The three children are asleep in one another's arms. -Sigebert, the eldest, lies between his two brothers; Merovee's head, the -youngest of the three, lies on Sigebert's breast. Corbe, the second, has -his arm around his eldest brother's neck. The faces of the little -princes, as they lie soundly asleep, are half hidden by their long hair, -the symbol of the royal family. They seem to lie peacefully, almost -happily. Especially the face of the eldest has an expression of angelic -serenity. As the sun mounted higher and higher above<a name="page_094" id="page_094"></a> the horizon, it -presently darted its luminous and warm rays upon the group of sleeping -children. Awakened by the heat and the brilliancy of the light, Sigebert -passed his white wan hands over his large and still half-closed eyes; he -opened them; looked around with surprise; sat up on the pallet; and, as -if suddenly remembering the sad reality, he threw himself back upon the -straw. Tears soon inundated his pale visage, and he laid his hands over -his lips in order to suppress the sobs that were struggling to escape. -The poor child feared to awaken his younger brothers. They were still -soundly asleep, and, despite the movements of Sigebert, who, as he sat -up, caused the head of Merovee to roll upon the straw, the latter's -profound rest was not interrupted. Corbe, however, who was also half -awakened by the heat of the sun, rubbed his eyes and mumbled:</p> - -<p>"Chrotechilde, I want my milk—my cake—I am hungry."</p> - -<p>"Corbe," Sigebert whispered to him with his face bathed in tears and his -lips palpitating; "brother—wake up. Alack, we are no longer in our -palace at Chalon."</p> - -<p>At these words, Corbe woke up completely, and answered with a sigh:</p> - -<p>"I thought we were in our palace."</p> - -<p>"We are not there any longer, brother; I am so sorry!"</p> - -<p>"Why do you say that? Are we no longer the King's sons?"</p> - -<p>"We are poor King's sons—we are here in prison. But grandmother, where -is she? And where is our brother Childebert? Where can they be? Perhaps -they also are prisoners."</p> - -<p>"And whose fault is it? It is the fault of the army that betrayed us!" -cried little Corbe angrily. "I heard everybody say so around us—the -troops fled without striking a blow. I heard them say that Duke -Warnachaire prepared the treason! Oh, the scoundrel!"</p> - -<p>"Not so loud, Corbe, not so loud!" cautioned Sigebert with a smothered -voice. "You will wake up Merovee—poor little<a name="page_095" id="page_095"></a> fellow! I wish I could -sleep like him. I would not then be thinking."</p> - -<p>"You are always weeping, Sigebert; tell me why?"</p> - -<p>"Are we not now in the hands of our grandmother's enemies?"</p> - -<p>"Be not afraid; she will soon come with another army and set us free; -she will kill Clotaire. Are you not hungry?"</p> - -<p>"No! Oh, no! I am neither hungry nor thirsty."</p> - -<p>"The sun has long been up; they will surely soon bring us something to -eat. Grandmother was right; war is tiresome and uncomfortable, but only -when one is not a prisoner. But how Merovee does sleep! Wake him up!"</p> - -<p>"Oh, brother, let him sleep quietly; perhaps he also thinks, as you did, -that he is in our palace at Chalon."</p> - -<p>"So much the worse! We woke up—I do not want him to sleep any -longer—why should he?"</p> - -<p>"Corbe, you can not have a good heart."</p> - -<p>"Sigebert! They are opening the door—they are bringing us something to -eat."</p> - -<p>Indeed, the door opened. Four personages stepped into the house. Two of -them were clad in jackets of hides, and one of these carried a roll of -rope. Clotaire II and Warnachaire accompanied the two men. The duke had -his battle armor on, the King a long light blue silk robe bordered with -ermine.</p> - -<p>"Seigneur King," said Duke Warnachaire in a low voice, "will you not -wait for the return of Constable Herpon?"</p> - -<p>"Who can tell whether he will be back to-day?"</p> - -<p>"You must remember that his horses are fresh; Brunhild's are exhausted -with the march. It is impossible that he should have failed to overtake -the Queen at the foot of the Jura mountains, into which she will not -dare to risk herself. The constable may be back with her from one moment -to another."</p> - -<p>"Warnachaire, I am in a hurry to be done with it; such a<a name="page_096" id="page_096"></a> blow will be -of little moment to Brunhild; why delay it to wait for her to witness? -It should be done quickly."</p> - -<p>Saying this, the young King made a sign to the two men, who thereupon -stepped towards the three children on the straw pallet. The sleep of -childhood is so profound that little Merovee was not yet awakened by the -noise. His two brothers, however, crouched back into the remotest corner -of the pallet, stunned and frightened, especially at the sinister faces -of the two men clad in hide jackets. The two cowering children held each -other in a close embrace, trembling and without uttering a word. At a -second sign from Clotaire II, one of the two men, he who carried the -coil of rope, unwound it and stepped closer to the children, while his -companion drew from his belt a long, straight and sharp knife, of the -kind that is used by butchers; he slightly tested the freshly sharpened -edge of the blade with the tip of his thumb, while Fredegonde's son -urged the executioners on with the impatient order:</p> - -<p>"Move on, slaves; hurry up!"</p> - -<p>The executioner made to the King a sign with his hand, as if to say: -"You need not fear, I shall be quick about it." In the meantime his -assistant had come within reach of the children, who, livid and dumb -with terror, trembled so convulsively that their teeth were heard to -chatter. The executioner's assistant placed a hand on each, and without -turning his head asked:</p> - -<p>"Which first? The taller, the smaller, or the one asleep?"</p> - -<p>"Begin with the eldest," answered Clotaire II in a hollow imperious -voice. "Hurry up! Hurry up!"</p> - -<p>The two children retreated still farther back into the corner in which -the pallet was placed and did not loosen their hold upon each other.</p> - -<p>"Mercy!" cried Sigebert in a smothered and plaintive voice. "Mercy for -my brother! Mercy for me!"</p> - -<p>"We are a King's sons!" cried Corbe with even more anger<a name="page_097" id="page_097"></a> than fear. "If -you do any harm to me, my grandmother will have you all killed!"</p> - -<p>At this moment, awakened at last by the noise, little Merovee sat up on -the pallet and looked around with wonderment but not in terror. The -six-year-old child could not understand what was going on; he rubbed his -eyes and turning his little head, with his eyes still swollen with -sleep, hither and thither, he looked alternately from the four new -arrivals to his brothers, as if asking what it all meant. The King -having said "Begin with the eldest," the assistant seized Sigebert. More -dead than alive, the hapless child offered no resistance, but let -himself be bound hands and feet, as the lamb does in the -slaughter-house; he only murmured in a woebegone voice:</p> - -<p>"Seigneur King! Good seigneur King, do not have us killed—why would you -have us killed? We are willing to be slaves. Send us out to herd your -sheep far away from here; we shall obey you in all things; but, O, -seigneur, mercy, good seigneur King, mercy! Mercy for my two little -brothers and for me!"</p> - -<p>As a worthy grandson of Clotaire I, Clotaire II remained unmoved by the -prayers of his victim.</p> - -<p>Sigebert passed from the hands of the assistant to those of the -executioner. The child's arms were bound behind his back, and his feet -were tied together; his physical prostration rendered him unable to keep -upon his feet. He fell upon his knees before the slaughterer. The latter -took hold of the child by its long hair and firmly bending its neck back -against his own knee left the child's throat well distended and exposed -to the knife. With a smothered voice and casting an agonizing glance at -the mayor of the palace Sigebert murmured:</p> - -<p>"Warnachaire, you who called me during our late journey your 'dear boy,' -will you not implore mercy for me—"</p> - -<p>These were the innocent child's last words. Clotaire II gave a motion of -impatience. The executioner approached his<a name="page_098" id="page_098"></a> knife to the child's throat, -but doubtlessly experiencing a fleeting sentiment of pity, he turned his -head aside and shut his eyes as if to escape seeing the dying glance of -his victim. The movement was but transitory, the long knife quickly -plowed its way through the child's throat and, operated as a saw, cut -down until it struck the vertebrae of the neck. Two jets of purple blood -spurted from the wide-gaping wound and fell in opposite directions like -a ruddy dew on a fold of the robe of Fredegonde's son and upon the iron -greaves of Duke Warnachaire. Withdrawing his knee which had served him -for a block, the executioner left the body to its own weight. It fell -backward; the inert head rebounded upon the floor; a slight tremor ran -over the expiring child's shoulders and limbs, and the lifeless body of -Sigebert sank motionless in a pool of blood.</p> - -<p>During the time that the murder of Sigebert was enacting, Merovee wept -scalding tears on the straw where he remained seated; the child wept -because, as he murmured, 'they were hurting' his brother, but with one -so young no thought of death could enter his head. His brother Corbe, -however, a boy of violent and vindictive character, did not emulate the -gentle resignation of Sigebert. He fought and shrieked, and tried to -bite and scratch the assistant who was to bind him fast. The latter was -only tying the last knots when the first child's throat was cut.</p> - -<p>"Dogs! Murderers!" cried Corbe in his weak, shrill voice, while his eyes -flashed fire from the midst of his pale face. He straightened himself -and he writhed so convulsively in his bonds that the executioner was -hardly able to hold him. "Oh!" he screamed, grinding his teeth and -panting for breath in the struggle; "Oh, my grandmother will put you all -to the torture for this—you will see—you will see—Pog will get you, -yes—every one of you—you will be put to awful tortures!"</p> - -<p>Turning towards the mayor of the palace of Burgundy, Clotaire II said, -pointing his finger at Corbe: "Warnachaire, it<a name="page_099" id="page_099"></a> would have been -impolitic to leave this hateful and vindictive child alive! Even if -dethroned he would have become a dangerous man."</p> - -<p>It took both the Frankish executioners to overpower Corbe. But neither -his screams nor leaps could avail him. Seeing that he struggled -violently in his bonds, the assistant knelt down upon the child's chest -in order to pin him to the ground, while the executioner himself wound -around his wrist the long hair of the young prince, and was thus able to -draw the head towards himself so as to leave the neck distended and -exposed to the knife. A second time the blade cut into the flesh; a -second time the blood spurted out—and the corpse of Corbe rolled over -upon that of his brother.</p> - -<p>Only little Merovee was left. The child had remained on the straw -pallet. Whether out of ignorance of the danger that he was in, or -whether due to the thoughtlessness of infancy, when he saw the -executioner's assistant approach him, he rose, walked towards him -submissively, and referring to the resistance that Corbe offered, said -with infantine innocence as he wiped off his tears:</p> - -<p>"My brother Sigebert did not resist—I shall be as gentle as -Sigebert—but do not hurt me."</p> - -<p>Saying this the child then threw his little blonde head back and himself -offered his neck to the executioner.</p> - -<p>At that instant, a rider covered with dust burst into the house crying -in a voice half choked with gladness:</p> - -<p>"Great King! I have ridden ahead of Constable Herpon. He brings Queen -Brunhild prisoner. After two days of the hottest chase, he succeeded in -overtaking her at Orbe, in the foot-hills of the Jura."</p> - -<p>"Oh, my mother! You will soon thrill with joy in your sepulchre. I have, -at last, in my power the woman whom you were not able to smite!" -exclaimed the son of Fredegonde. He then turned to the executioners who -still held Merovee in their<a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a> hands: "Do not kill that child—let him be -taken to my tent. Wait for my orders. You do not know, oh, great Queen, -what glory awaits you!" added Clotaire II with an expression of diabolic -ferocity. And addressing Warnachaire: "Let us now go out and give a -worthy reception to this daughter of a King, this wife of a King, this -grandmother and great-grandmother of Kings—Brunhild, Queen of Burgundy -and Austrasia! Come, come!"<a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIc" id="CHAPTER_IIc"></a>CHAPTER II.</h3> - -<h4>AT BAY.</h4> - -<p>What noise is that? It sounds like the distant and muffled tread and -cries of a large multitude. Aye, large indeed is the multitude that is -advancing towards the village of Ryonne, where the army of Clotaire II -is encamped. Whence does that multitude proceed? Oh, it comes from far. -It started as far away as the slopes of the Jura; it was swelled on the -road by large numbers of the people who inhabited the cities, hamlets -and villages that it crossed; slaves and colonists, young and old men, -women and children, poured from their homes, their fields, their huts; -at the risk of imprisonment, the lash and even mutilation at their -return, slaves and colonists joined the swelling multitude; at the risk -of the fatigue of the rapid march, that for some, lasted two days, for -others, one day, half a day, two hours, or one hour, according to where -they fell in line, city people left their pursuits and eagerly turned -into the surging human stream. But what was it that attracted so eagerly -the frantic, swelling crowd? It was these words, that flew from mouth to -mouth: "Queen Brunhild is passing—she is taken prisoner to be delivered -to Fredegonde's son!"</p> - -<p>Aye, such was the hatred, the disgust, the horror, the dread inspired in -Gaul by those two names—Fredegonde and Brunhild—that large numbers of -people found it impossible to resist the curiosity of knowing and seeing -what was to be the issue of the capture of Brunhild by Fredegonde's son. -The multitude, accordingly, moved in the direction of the village of -Ryonne. Fifty horsemen in arms headed the march and cleared the way. -Behind them rode Constable Herpon armed cap-a-pie,<a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a> and closely after -him, riding between two other warriors on horseback who held her palfrey -by the bridle appeared Brunhild. The old Queen's arms were pinioned -behind her back and she was bound upon her saddle. Her long, -gold-embroidered purple robe was dusty and mud-bespattered, and hung in -tatters from her body. The indomitable woman had offered a desperate -resistance when she was finally overtaken by the constable and his men. -One of her sleeves, together with half her corsage, was torn off, and -left bare her neck and shoulders and one of her arms, all of which were -covered with livid, bluish bruises, partly hidden under her long, grey, -tangled and tumbled hair to which fragments of dung and ordure, that the -people had flung at her while whelming her with insults, were still seen -to cling. From time to time, the fettered lioness gave her head a -convulsive shake in the effort to disengage her face from the disheveled -locks before it—at such times, glimpses were obtained of her hideous, -horrible visage. Before being finally caught, the woman had defended -herself like a wild animal at bay. The desire of her captors was to take -her alive to the son of her mortal enemy. In the brutal hand to hand -struggle of Constable Herpon and his armed men with Brunhild she was -smitten with their fists in the face and kicked in the body. Her arms, -shoulders, bosom, limbs and face were severely bruised. One of her eyes -bore the mark of a violent blow, given with the hilt of a sword. The -eyelids and a portion of the cheek disappeared under a large blue and -black contusion. Her upper lip was slit and swollen as the result of -another blow, that broke in two of her teeth and bathed her lower face -in blood. The blood had since dried on her skin and added to the -hideousness of her appearance. Nevertheless, of such temper was that -being's savage energy, that her forehead retained its wonted -haughtiness, her eyes their wonted pride. Firmly fettered though she -was, bruised, tattered, covered with dust, mud and even dung, Brunhild -still looked redoubtable. Imprecations,<a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a> hisses, jeers, threats, hurled -at her along the route—nothing had been able to shake her inflexible -soul.</p> - -<p>In his haste to relish the sight of his captive and victim, Clotaire -left the village and rode out accompanied by Warnachaire to meet her. -Other seigneurs of Burgundy and Austrasia, who sided with Clotaire, also -followed him. Among the latter were Dukes Pepin, Arnolfe, Alethee, -Eubelan, Roccon, Sigowald, the Bishop of Troyes and many more.</p> - -<p>Seeing the King from a distance, Constable Herpon hastened towards his -sovereign, after issuing his orders to the two riders who led Brunhild's -mount. The latter immediately spurred their horses and rode rapidly upon -the heels of the constable leading the fallen Queen between them. Old -though she was, had she not been pinioned, Brunhild would have held her -saddle like an Amazon. But hindered by the bonds that bound her, she was -unable to follow with suppleness the motion of her mount. As a -consequence, the gallop of her palfrey threw Brunhild's body into -ridiculous jumps and postures. The escort of armed men on horseback, -together with the mob, followed her on the run and whelmed her with -fresh jeers and hisses. Constable Herpon finally reached the King, -leaped from his horse and pointing to the old Queen said to his men:</p> - -<p>"Set her on the ground. Leave only her arms tied behind her back."</p> - -<p>The riders obeyed, and the cords that bound Brunhild to the saddle were -unfastened. But the long pressure of the ligaments had so benumbed her -limbs that she was unable to stand upon her legs and forced her to drop -upon her knees. Immediately she cried out, lest her fall be construed as -an evidence of weakness or fear:</p> - -<p>"My limbs are numb—Brunhild does not fall upon her knees before her -enemies!"</p> - -<p>The Frankish warriors raised and held the Queen. Her favorite palfrey, -the same that she rode on the day of the battle,<a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a> and from which she had -just alighted, stretched out its intelligent head and gently licked the -Queen's hands, tied up behind her. For the first time, but only for a -moment, were Brunhild's features expressive of aught but savage pride -and concentrated rage. Turning her head over her shoulder, she said to -the animal in a voice that sounded almost tender:</p> - -<p>"Poor animal; you did your best to save me with the swiftness of your -flight—but your strength gave out; and now you bid me adieu in your own -way; you entertain no hatred for Brunhild; but Brunhild is proud of -being hated by all others—because she is feared by all—"</p> - -<p>Clotaire II drew slowly near to the old Queen. A wide circle consisting -of Frankish seigneurs, warriors of the army and the mob that had -followed formed itself around the son of Fredegonde and her mortal -enemy. What with the sight of that King, and what with her own -determination not to falter in his presence, Brunhild summoned an energy -and strength that seemed superhuman. Addressing the warriors who held -her under the arms she shouted savagely:</p> - -<p>"Back—take your hands from me—I can stand alone!"</p> - -<p>Indeed, she stood unsupported, and took two steps towards the King as if -to prove to him that she felt neither weakness nor fear. Thus Clotaire -II and Brunhild found themselves face to face in the center of a circle -that drew closer and closer. The vast crowd was hushed in profound -silence; with bated breath the issue of the terrible interview was -awaited. With his arms crossed over his heaving breast, Fredegonde's son -contemplated his victim wrapt in silent and savage joy. Brunhild broke -the silence. With head erect and intrepid mien she said in her sharp, -penetrating voice that resounded clearly at a distance:</p> - -<p>"First of all, good morning to good Warnachaire, the cowardly soldier, -who ordered my army to flee. Thanks to your infamous treachery, here am -I—I, the daughter, wife and mother of Kings—with my arms pinioned, my -face bruised with the fist-blows <a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a>given me, soiled with dung, mud and -ordure thrown at me by the people along the road.—Triumph, son of -Fredegonde! Triumph, young man! For two days the populace have been -whelming with hisses, contempt and dirt the Frankish royalty, your own, -the royalty of your own family in my person! You have vanquished me, but -never will the royalty recover from the blow that you have dealt me!"</p> - -<p>"Glorious King," said the Bishop of Troyes to Clotaire II in a low -voice, "order that woman to be gagged; her tongue is more venomous than -an asp's."</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, I wish her to speak; I shall enjoy the torture that -her pride undergoes."</p> - -<p>While the prelate and the King were exchanging these words, Brunhild had -proceeded with an ever more resonant voice, waving her head at the crowd -of warriors:</p> - -<p>"Stupid people! Besotted people!—You respect us, you fear us, us of the -royal family,—and yet it is a royal face that you see before you, -bruised with fist-blows, like that of any vile slave! The mother of your -King—that Fredegonde who was prostituted to all the lackeys of -Chilperic's palace—must often have looked as I do now, every time that -she was beaten by one of her vulgar associates!"</p> - -<p>"Dare you speak of prostitution, you old she-wolf bleached in -debauchery!" cried Clotaire II in a no less resonant voice than -Brunhild.</p> - -<p>"Your mother Fredegonde had my husband Sigebert and my son Childebert -stabbed to death by her pages—"</p> - -<p>"And you, miscreant, did not you have Lupence, the Bishop of St. Privat -murdered by Count Oabale, one of your lovers?"</p> - -<p>"And did not Fredegonde in turn cause Pretextat to be assassinated in -the basilica of Rouen, as a punishment for his having married me to your -brother Merovee—"</p> - -<p>"My brother Merovee married you, thanks to your sorceries, abominable -witch! And after you abused his youth you goaded<a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a> him to parricide—you -armed him against his own father, who was also mine."</p> - -<p>"And a loving father! Not content with having his son Merovee's throat -cut at Noisy, Chilperic delivered to the dagger and the poison of -Fredegonde all the children whom he had from his other wives."</p> - -<p>"You lie, monster! You lie!" cried Clotaire II livid with rage and -grinding his teeth.</p> - -<p>"Seigneur King, do order the woman to be gagged," again whispered the -Bishop of Troyes to the King.</p> - -<p>"Of the many wives whom your father Chilperic repudiated there still -remained one alive, Andowere," Brunhild proceeded; "Andowere had two -children, Clodwig and Basine; the mother was strangled, the son stabbed -to death, and the daughter delivered to the pages of Fredegonde!"</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue, infamous woman, who introduce concubines into your -grandsons' chamber for the purpose of enervating them and reigning in -their stead; who order the assassination of whatever honorable people -revolt at such a crime—as happened to Berthoald, the mayor of the -palace of Burgundy, whom you ordered killed; as happened to Bishop -Didier whom you had stoned to death."</p> - -<p>"After Chilperic had my husband assassinated, he seized my relative -Sigila and ordered the joints of his limbs to be burned with red-hot -irons, his nose cut off, his eyes put out, red-hot irons thrust under -his nails, and finally his hands, then his arms, then his lower legs and -finally his upper legs cut off—every imaginable torture!"</p> - -<p>"Warnachaire!" cried Clotaire purple with rage, "remember all those -tortures; forget not one; we shall presently find whom to apply them -to;" and addressing Brunhild, "And did not you yourself stain your hands -with the blood of your grandson Theudebert after the battle of Tolbiac? -And was not the head of his son, a child of five years dashed against a -stone at your orders?"<a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a></p> - -<p>"And what blood is that, still fresh, with which your own robe is -bespattered? It is the innocent blood of three children, my grandsons, -whose kingdoms you have secured to yourself by their murder! And that is -the manner in which we all of us, people of the royal family, act. In -order to reign we kill our children, our relatives, our mates. Chilperic -stood in the way of your mother Fredegonde's vulgar pleasures, and she -had him despatched!"</p> - -<p>"Gag that woman!" commanded Clotaire in a paroxysm of rage.</p> - -<p>"Oh, my dear sons in Christ," shouted the Bishop of Troyes, endeavoring -to drown the panting voice of Brunhild; "place no faith in the words of -this execrable woman in matters that concern the family of our glorious -King Clotaire II.—These are infamous calumnies!"</p> - -<p>"Warriors, I wish before I die, to unveil to you all the crimes of your -Kings."</p> - -<p>"Hold your tongue, demon! Female Beelzebub!" again broke in the Bishop -of Troyes in a thundering voice, and he added in a lower voice to -Clotaire: "Glorious King, do you not think it is high time to have the -woman gagged? If you do not, you must prepare to hear even worse -accusations."</p> - -<p>Two leudes, who at the first orders of Clotaire had looked for a scarf, -threw it over Brunhild's mouth and tied it behind her head.</p> - -<p>"Oh, monster, spewed out of Hell!" the Bishop of Troyes thereupon -proceeded to apostrophise Brunhild, "if this glorious family of Frankish -Kings, to whom the Lord granted the possession of Gaul in reward for -their Catholic faith and their submission to the Church, if these Kings -had committed the crimes that you have the audacity of charging them -with in your diabolical spirit of mendacity, could they, as the visible -support given to them by God in overpowering their enemies, shows them -to be—could they be the beloved sons of our holy Church? Would<a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a> we, the -fathers in Christ of the people of Gaul, order these to obey their Kings -and masters, and to submit to their will?—would we do so if they were -not the elect of the Lord? Go to—witch! You are the horror of the -world! The world now spews you back into hell, where you come from. -Return thither, Oh, monster, who sought to unnerve your grandsons with -debauchery, in order that you might reign in their place! Oh, my -brothers in Christ, who of you all does not shudder with horror at the -base thought of the unheard-of crime that this execrable woman has -gloried in?"</p> - -<p>That crime, the most execrable of all that the infamous Queen had -admitted, aroused so profound an indignation among the assembled crowd -that one, unanimous cry of vengeance issued from its midst:—</p> - -<p>"Death to Brunhild! Let the earth be rid of her! Let her perish amidst -tortures!"<a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="CHAPTER_IIIc" id="CHAPTER_IIIc"></a>CHAPTER III.</h3> - -<h4>THE DEATH OF BRUNHILD.</h4> - -<p>Three days had elapsed since Brunhild fell into the power of Clotaire -II. The sun had crossed the zenith. A man with a long white beard, clad -in a hooded brown robe, and mounted upon a mule was following the road, -upon which, escorted by the armed men of her mortal foe, and leading -behind her a mob that rent the air with execrations, Brunhild had -shortly before ridden to the village of Ryonne. The venerable old man -was Loysik. He had escaped death by reason of the Queen's precipitate -departure from the castle. One of the young brothers of the community -accompanied the old monk on foot, guiding his mule by the bridle. From -the opposite direction, a warrior, armed cap-a-pie, was climbing on -horseback the rough road that Loysik was at the same time slowly -descending with his mule. When the Frank had come within a few paces of -the old man, the latter opened up a conversation with him:</p> - -<p>"Are you of King Clotaire's suite?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, holy man."</p> - -<p>"Is he still at the village of Ryonne?"</p> - -<p>"Yes; he will be there till this evening.—I am to ride ahead and -prepare his lodgings on the route."</p> - -<p>"Is Duke Roccon among the seigneurs who accompany the King?"</p> - -<p>"Yes, monk; Duke Roccon is with the King."</p> - -<p>"Is it true, as I hear, that Queen Brunhild has been taken prisoner and -carried to King Clotaire, who has also captured her grandchildren?"<a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a></p> - -<p>"That is all old news. Where do you come from that you do not know what -has happened?"</p> - -<p>"I come from Chalon.—What did the King do with his prisoner and her -grandchildren?"</p> - -<p>"The steep ascent has taken the wind out of my horse and he needs a -little rest. So I shall tell you what has happened—all the more -willingly, seeing that it is a good augury to meet a priest, especially -a monk, at the start of a journey."</p> - -<p>"Do let me know, I beg you; what has been done with Brunhild and her -grandchildren?"</p> - -<p>"There were only three of the children captured on the banks of the -Saone. The fourth, Childebert, could be found nowhere.—Was he killed in -the melee?—Did he escape?—No one can tell.—"</p> - -<p>"And the other three?"</p> - -<p>"The eldest and the second one were killed."</p> - -<p>"In the battle?"</p> - -<p>"No—no.—They were killed in the village—yonder. The King had them -killed under his own eyes, in order to be certain of their death; he -wanted to obviate having them turn up some day, and demand their kingdom -back from him. But it is said that the King granted his life to the -third.—I think he was wrong in that.—But what ails you, holy father; -you seem to shiver. To be sure, the morning is rather chilly."</p> - -<p>"And what became of Queen Brunhild?"</p> - -<p>"She arrived at the village with a magnificent escort! A veritable -triumphal march! Dung for incense, and hootings for acclamation!"</p> - -<p>"I suppose the King ordered her to be put to death immediately upon her -arrival?"</p> - -<p>"No; she is still alive."</p> - -<p>"Did Clotaire have mercy upon her?"</p> - -<p>"Clotaire—have mercy upon Brunhild!—Holy man, you must come from far -away to talk as you do! Brunhild was taken<a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a> three days ago to that -village that you see yonder; she was taken to the house where her -grandchildren were killed. Two expert executioners and four assistants, -equipped with all manner of instruments, were locked up with the old -Queen; that was three days ago, and she is not yet dead. I must add that -she was not tortured at night; the nights were left to her to recover -strength. Moreover, seeing that she undertook to starve herself, food -was forced down her throat—spiced wines and flour soaked in milk. That -has kept her sufficiently alive.—But what makes you shiver so? It is -not so chilly!"</p> - -<p>"Yes; the morning is chilly.—And did Clotaire witness the tortures that -were inflicted upon the Queen during those three days?"</p> - -<p>"The door of the house was locked and guarded by sentinels. But there is -a little window through which one can look inside. Through that opening, -the King, the dukes, the leudes, the Bishop of Troyes and a few other -preferred personages went from time to time to contemplate the victim in -her agony. Being a connoisseur, Clotaire never took a look inside when -Brunhild was screaming; at times the woman screamed loud enough to be -heard clean across the village; he never went to see her at such times; -but the moment she began to moan, he walked to the window and peeped in; -it is said the sufferings of victims in the torture are intenser when -they moan than when they scream out aloud. It was a protracted holiday -for the whole village. Like the generous King that he is, Clotaire -allowed a large number of people, who followed Brunhild to the village, -to remain to the end of the tortures, and had provisions distributed -among them. Oh, holy man, you should have heard how they kept time with -their hootings to the screams of the Queen.—But I see my horse has -regained his wind—adieu, holy man. If you wish to witness a spectacle -that you never saw and never will see again you would better hurry. They -say there are yet to be some extraordinary incidents to wind up the -torture. The King has sent for one of<a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a> the camels that carry his -baggage. What he purposes to do with the camel is still a secret. Adieu, -give me your blessing."</p> - -<p>"I wish you a happy journey."</p> - -<p>"Thank you, holy man; but you had better hurry, because as I was leaving -the village they went for the camel and took him out of his stable."</p> - -<p>Pricking his horse with his spurs, the rider rode off at a brisk pace. -Shortly afterwards, Loysik arrived at the entrance of the village of -Ryonne. The aged monk alighted from his mule and asked the young brother -to wait for him. A leude, from whom Loysik inquired after Duke Roccon, -took him to the tent of the Frankish seigneur, contiguous to that of the -King. Almost immediately afterwards the monk was taken to the duke, who -said to him in a tone of respectful deference:</p> - -<p>"You here, my good father in Christ?"</p> - -<p>"I come with a just petition to you."</p> - -<p>"If it is at all in my power, the matter is granted."</p> - -<p>"Are you a friend of King Clotaire? Have you any influence with him?"</p> - -<p>"If you have any favor to prefer to him, you could hardly arrive at a -better time."</p> - -<p>"I come for no favors from the King—I come for justice. Here is a -charter given by his grandfather Clotaire I. As a matter of law, it -requires no confirmation, seeing that the concession is absolute. But -the Bishop of Chalon is giving us trouble. He is laying claims upon the -goods of the monastery, upon those of the inhabitants of the Valley, -and, as a consequence, upon their freedom, notwithstanding both their -goods and their freedom are guaranteed by this charter.—Would you be -willing to request Clotaire, who is now the King of Burgundy, to attach -his seal to the charter issued by his grandfather, in order to insure -its enforcement?"</p> - -<p>"Is that all you wish to ask of the King?—The King honors the memory of -his glorious grandfather too highly to fail to confirm<a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a> a charter issued -by that great Prince. Clotaire must now be in his tent. Wait for me -here, my father in Christ. I shall be back soon."</p> - -<p>During the short absence of the Frankish seigneur, Loysik could hear the -uproar of the impatient crowd and warriors calling aloud for Brunhild. -Duke Roccon returned quickly with the old charter of Clotaire I, to -which Clotaire II had attached his seal under the following freshly -written words:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>"We will it, and we so order all our leudes, dukes, counts and -bishops, that the above charter, signed by our glorious grandfather -Clotaire, be upheld in force and respected in all its provisions in -the present and in the future, and we do so in the belief that we -thereby do honor to our glorious ancestor. And those who are to -succeed me will uphold this donation inviolate, if they wish to -share the life everlasting, and if they wish to be saved from the -everlasting flames. Whoever in any manner does violence to this -donation, may the gateman of heaven diminish his share of heaven; -whoever may add to the donation, may the gateman of heaven add -something unto him."</p></div> - -<p>The aged monk inquired from the duke who it was that wrote the last -words to the charter, and was not a little surprised to hear that it was -the Bishop of Troyes.</p> - -<p>"You must, then, have said nothing to the King concerning the -pretensions of the Bishop of Chalon—"</p> - -<p>"I did not consider that necessary. I said to Clotaire: 'I request you -to confirm this charter, which your grandfather granted to a holy man of -God.' 'I can refuse nothing to my loyal servitors,' he answered, and he -charged the bishop to write what was proper. That being done, the King -attached his royal seal under the writing."</p> - -<p>"Roccon," said the venerable monk, "I thank you—adieu—"</p> - -<p>But recollecting himself, Loysik added:</p> - -<p>"You told me that the moment was favorable to obtain favors from the -King—promise me that you will ask him to enfranchise<a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a> a few slaves of -the royal fisc, and to send them to me to the monastery of the Valley of -Charolles."</p> - -<p>"Ah, my father in Christ! I knew full well that our conversation would -not be done without your making some demand of enfranchisement."</p> - -<p>"Roccon, you have a wife and children—the accidents of war are -changeable. Brunhild is now vanquished and a prisoner; but, if that -implacable Queen, who has emerged so often victorious from the field of -battle, had not been betrayed by her own army and her auxiliaries—had -she, on the contrary, vanquished Clotaire, what would your lot have -been, what the lot of all the seigneurs of Burgundy, who took the side -of the King? What would have become of your wife, of your daughters?"</p> - -<p>"Brunhild would have ordered my head cut off; she would have delivered -my wife and daughters to the savage tribes of the other side of the -Rhine as slaves!—Malediction! My two daughters Bathilde and -Hermangarde, slaves!—The perspiration gathers on my temples at the bare -thought of such a thing—let us not speak of it!"</p> - -<p>"On the contrary, do let us speak of it! Who knows but that among those -unknown slaves, whose freedom I am asking, there may be some with -daughters whom they love as much as you love yours.—Judge of the joy -that their deliverance would give them by the joy that you and your -children would feel if, having become slaves, you were to be set free. -Roccon, it is in your power to afford such ineffable joy to some -captives.—Keep your dear daughters in mind."</p> - -<p>"Very well my dear father in Christ, I promise you ten slaves. Clotaire -will not refuse them to me as my share of the booty of this war."</p> - -<p>"Seigneur duke," said a servant who hurried into the tent, "the -promenade of the camel is about to begin."</p> - -<p>"Oh! Oh! It is to be one of the best spectacles of the feast.—Come, my -father in Christ!"<a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a></p> - -<p>"Oh!" cried the aged man horrified. "I do not wish to stay an instant -longer in this horrible place.—Adieu, Roccon!"</p> - -<p>"Adieu, good father, you will pray to God for me, in order that I may -have a good part of paradise."</p> - -<p>"Man finds paradise in his own heart when he acts justly: the priests -who promise heaven are knaves. I shall pray to God that He may inspire -you to perform charitable deeds.—Adieu."</p> - -<p>Loysik left the duke's tent expecting to be able to leave the village -instantly. His hope was not verified. As he walked away he found himself -in a narrow street that divided two rows of huts and was cut at right -angles by a wide highroad. Loysik was walking thither in order to rejoin -the young brother who guarded his mule, when suddenly the uproar of -voices, that had before smitten his ears several times, broke out louder -and nearer. Immediately thereupon, a crowd of the people who had -followed Brunhild to the village in order to enjoy the sight of her -death, broke forth like an eruption out of the highway, poured over the -narrow street, and despite Loysik's efforts to disengage himself, -carried him away like a straw by the torrent. The flood of people -consisted of men, women and children; they were all in rags; they were -slaves and were of the Gallic race. All cried at the top of their -voices:</p> - -<p>"Brunhild is coming out of the camp! She will pass this way!"</p> - -<p>Loysik made no further efforts to contend against the crowd; he found -himself pushed forward until further progress was barred at the sort of -square in the center of which rose the tent of Clotaire II. A strong -cordon of warriors drawn around the place, prevented the mob from -entering it. As he stood there, in the very front ranks of the surging -crowd Loysik witnessed the following spectacle:</p> - -<p>Before him extended a rather wide avenue, now completely deserted of -people; to his left the entrance to the royal tent; before the tent, -Clotaire II, surrounded by the seigneurs of his<a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a> suite, among whom was -the Bishop of Troyes. Two slaves on foot brought and kept before the -King a spirited stallion, which they were hardly able to curb by means -of two thongs attached to his bit; the animal reared violently although -his hind legs were hoppled. With blood-shot eyes and dilated nostrils, -the powerful beast made such frantic efforts to tear himself from the -two slaves that his deep black coat streamed with sweat on his flanks -and chest. The animal carried no saddle; his long mane floated to the -breeze, or fell down over and almost completely covered his savage head. -Despite all, the slaves succeeded in leading the stallion to Clotaire's -tent. The King made a sign. Immediately, at the imminent risk of being -trampled to pieces, the unhappy slaves crawled down upon their hands and -knees, and slipped a rope with a running knot over each of the animal's -hind legs; other slaves thereupon kept the horse in sufficient control -to allow the removal of his hopples. During this perilous process, the -stallion became so furious that he reared and struck one of the slaves -on the head with his front hoofs; the luckless fellow fell bleeding -under the feet of the animal that then stooped, bit him ferociously, and -crushed his bones with the trample of his hoofs. The corpse was removed, -and two other slaves received orders to join those who, in order to -control the stallion, clung with all their might to the thongs from his -bit. Again cries were heard, first from a distance, but drawing nearer -and nearer. The highroad, deserted but a moment before and running into -the square in front of Loysik, was suddenly filled with a dense mass of -foot soldiers, and presently a camel that towered by the full height of -its body over the armed multitude, hove in sight of the aged monk. The -troop of Frankish soldiers rent the air with their clamor:</p> - -<p>"Brunhild! Brunhild! Triumph to Brunhild—Queen, look down upon your -good people of Burgundy who are at your feet!"</p> - -<p>Although in a dying state, although broken down by the tortures that she -had undergone during the last three days, still<a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a> the old Queen, recalled -from her stupor by the loudness of the yells that broke out all around -her, found strength enough to raise herself for a last time upon the -back of the camel, astride of whose back she had been placed and firmly -bound. She was only a few steps from where Loysik stood. What the -venerable monk then saw—Oh, what he saw is nameless, like the crimes of -Brunhild herself. Her long, white, tangled, blood-clotted hair was the -only—the only cover to the nakedness of the old Queen. The woman's -legs; her thighs, her shoulders, her bosom, in short her every limb was -no longer of human shape; it was but a heap of palpitating wounds and -swollen, blackened, bleeding burns; two of her toe-nails, that had been -pulled out, still hung dangling from reddening pellicules at her great -toes; in the other toes of her feet and in her fingers, long iron -needles were seen inserted between the nail and the flesh. Only her face -had been spared. Despite its cadaverous paleness; despite the traces of -the unheard-of superhuman sufferings that it registered, left there by -the tortures inflicted during the three consecutive days;—despite all, -her face still bore the stamp of pride; a frightful smile curled the -Queen's purplish lips; a flash of savage haughtiness illumined from time -to time her breaking eyes. And, oh, fatality, those eyes alighted -accidentally upon Loysik at the moment that Brunhild passed before him. -At the sight of the monk, whose robe, long white beard and tall stature -had attracted the dying Queen's eyes, her body seemed thrilled by a -sudden emotion; she straightened in her seat; and gathering the little -strength that still remained to her, she cried in a voice of despair, -that sounded almost repentant:</p> - -<p>"Monk, your speech was soothe—there is a justice in heaven! At this -hour I am thinking, I am thinking—I am thinking of the death of -Victoria."</p> - -<p>The furious hootings of the crowd drowned Brunhild's voice; her last -effort, put forth in raising herself and speaking<a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a> to Loysik exhausted -her failing strength. She fell over backward, and her inert body jolted -up and down over the camel's crupper. Loysik had long struggled against -the horror of the shocking spectacle. Hardly had Brunhild's voice ceased -to be heard than he felt his head swim and his knees sink under him. But -for two poor women, who, struck with compassion for his old age, -supported him, the monk would have fallen to the ground and been -trampled to death.</p> - -<p>Loysik remained for a long time deprived of consciousness. When he -recovered, night had come. He found himself lying in a hut upon a bed of -straw. Beside him sat the young brother, who had succeeded in finding -him. The two poor slave women had transported Loysik to their miserable -hut. The first words pronounced by the monk, whose mind still labored -under the effect of the horrible scene that he had witnessed, was the -name of Brunhild.</p> - -<p>"Good father," said one of the women, "the hated Queen was taken down -from the camel; she was then only a corpse; she was fastened with ropes -by the hands to the tail of a fiery horse, and the animal was then let -loose; but that part of the execution did not last long; at the very -first bound given by the horse it shattered Brunhild's head; her skull -broke like the shell of a nut, and her brains were scattered in all -directions."</p> - -<p>Suddenly the young monk laborer said to Loysik, pointing in the -direction of the glimmer that must have been produced by the reflection -of a great but distant fire:</p> - -<p>"Do you hear those distant yells? Do you see that light?"</p> - -<p>"That light, my son, is the light cast by the pyre that Clotaire II -ordered raised," said one of the two old women; "those yells are the -yells of the people dancing around the fire."</p> - -<p>"What pyre?" asked Loysik with a shudder. "Of what pyre are you -speaking?"</p> - -<p>"After the wild horse broke the head of Brunhild, the people who came to -the village in order to see her die besought the<a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a> King to have the -accursed remains of the old she-wolf placed upon a pyre; the King gave -his consent before his departure; he departed soon afterwards. The pyre -was raised yonder at the square, and the light reaches us."</p> - -<p>The evening breeze carried to Loysik's ears the cries of frantic joy, -uttered by the crowd, wild with the intoxication of vengeance:</p> - -<p>"Burn, burn, old bones of Brunhild, the accursed! Burn, burn, old -accursed bones!"</p> - -<p>As Loysik caught these words he cried:</p> - -<p>"Oh, formidable contrast, formidable like the voice of history! The pyre -of Brunhild—the pyre of Victoria!"</p> - -<hr style="width: 15%;" /> - -<p><a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a></p> - -<h3><a name="EPILOGUE" id="EPILOGUE"></a>EPILOGUE</h3> - -<p>Ronan, old little Odille, the Master of the Hounds and the Bishopess -were promenading along the bank of the river Charolles, near the lodge -where the monks of the monastery and the inhabitants of the Valley took -their turns as sentinels near the landing-place of the punt. Since the -revelation of the pretensions of the Bishop of Chalon, besides the -regular sentinel, ten brothers and twenty colonists, all well armed, -took turns in guarding the crossing, and encamped in an improvised -block-house.</p> - -<p>"Old Master of the Hounds," Ronan observed sadly, "this is the seventh -day since Loysik left; he is not yet back; I can not overcome my -uneasiness."</p> - -<p>"Why, there he is!" cried Odille in great glee. "Do you not see his -white mule? He is riding down the slope of the hill in great hurry; he -is coming down to the river bank; send the punt across for him."</p> - -<p>Ronan, the Master of the Hounds, Odille, the Bishopess, all their -children, together with several monks and colonists threw themselves -into the punt. The river was quickly crossed, the landing made, and all -ran to meet the monk. Old Odille and the venerable Bishopess found again -on that day their young limbs of girlhood. Loysik was given hardly time -to alight from his mule. It was a pell-mell of arms, hands, heads around -the respected old man. Whom was he to embrace first? He knew not whose -caresses to respond to. After a while the tempest of tenderness -subsided. Calm was restored. Joy no longer choked their throats. -Conversation started on the way to the monastery, and Loysik narrated to -his friends what he learned concerning the tortures of Queen Brunhild. -He informed them of the confirmation of the charter of Clotaire I by -Clotaire II.</p> - -<p>"And lastly," Loysik proceeded to say, "upon my return from Ryonne, I -called upon the Bishop of Chalon. The confirmation of the charter by -Clotaire II was a good deal, but that was not all that was needed. There -were still some formalities to fulfill."</p> - -<p>"Brother Loysik," put in Ronan, "we heard from the Bishop of Chalon. It -came about this way: After the departure of Brunhild's men-at-arms, whom -we released upon receipt of the orders you sent us when you escaped -death at the monster's hands, what should the archdeacon do but have the -audacity to return at the head of about fifty of his tonsured -fraternity, together with as many poor slaves of the bishopric. The -slaves and the tonsured friars were armed at haphazard, and bore before -their clerical troop a cross in lieu of a banner; they approached -bravely to declare war to us, if we refused to obey the orders of the -bishop, and to allow him to place our goods into his episcopal pockets."</p> - -<p>"Ah! What a fine day we had of it!" said the Master of the Hounds. "The -clerical troop brought along a boat upon their<a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a> wagons in order to cross -the river. That day I was on guard with about thirty of our men. We saw -the boat launched, and the archdeacon step in with two clerks for -oarsmen. Three men gave us little concern. We allowed them to land. The -archdeacon stepped ashore with casque and cuirass over his priestly -robes, a long sword in his hand.</p> - -<p>"'If you will not submit to the orders of the Bishop of Chalon,' the -basilica captain cried out to us in a triumphant voice, 'my troop will -enter the Valley and reduce it to obedience by force of arms. I grant -you a quarter of an hour to surrender yourselves.'</p> - -<p>"It does not take me quite so long to make up my mind what to do. So I -answered him back on the spot: 'We have already once set you free with -your skin whole, notwithstanding your insolent language; this time, -however, you will receive a rougher lesson, my basilica captain!'"</p> - -<p>"Oh, old Vagre, old Vagre!" said Loysik shaking his head. "I disapprove -of such violent language. Had I been here, you would not have spoiled -your cause in that manner."</p> - -<p>"Good father," answered the Master of the Hounds, smiling, as well as -Ronan, "the only thing spoiled was the archdeacon's hide. As soon said -as done. Our good man was seized, his clerical robe raised, and the -straps of our belts administered a thorough discipline to the basilica -captain, all casqued and cuirassed as he was. After that he was -deposited into our punt; my men and I stepped in, crossed the river and -met the clerical army drawn up in line of battle on the opposite bank. -Five or six of the tonsured gentry had armed themselves with bows and -arrows. They shot a volley at us; the aim was taken badly enough; but -accident willed it that they killed one of our men and wounded two. We -were thirty at the most, but entered upon close quarters with the five -score churchmen and poor slaves that they dragged after them. They tried -to withstand us,<a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a> but we invoked our own special trinity—lance, sword -and axe. It was not long before the redoubtable warriors of the Bishop -of Chalon displayed to us the seams of the backs of their breeches in -full view. The glorious episcopal captain leaped upon his mule and gave -the signal to retreat by himself fleeing at full tilt; his tonsured -brethren followed his example—we buried about a dozen dead, and picked -up a few wounded ones, who were taken care of at the monastery and -afterwards set at large. We have not since heard again from the brave -episcopal army."</p> - -<p>"I knew all that, my friends, and I approve your action, except the -discipline that you administered to the archdeacon, that I strongly -condemn," said Loysik; "I had much trouble in calming the anger of the -Bishop of Chalon upon that particular head. For the rest, you deported -yourselves as the occasion demanded. Aye, to defend one's rights and -repel force with force is but just; moreover, a resistance carried to -the point of heroism is often politic. Brunhild recoiled before the idea -of driving you to desperate means. Well, as I was saying to you, I -called upon the bishop on my return from Clotaire's camp. I found him -furious by reason of your resistance, and the insult to the archdeacon. -I told him that I condemned the insult, but that I approved the -legitimate resistance of my brothers of the Valley. 'What is the good of -your resorting to violent means?' I said to him. 'You, a churchman, sent -armed men against monks and colonists, who only ask to be allowed to -live in quiet and by the sweat of their brow, as is their right. Your -men were beaten back, and will be beaten back again if they return to -the charge. I pray you to renounce all claims against the Valley; we, on -our part, will recognize your right to spiritual jurisdiction, but -nothing more.' The bishop answered me furiously: 'I shall then take away -from you the priests that I send you to say mass at the monastery! I -shall excommunicate the Valley!' 'If that be your pleasure, bishop, why, -then we shall be excommunicated; for all that you will see the grass on -our<a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a> meadows continue to grow green, our woods to set forth fresh -branches, our fields to produce wheat, our vines to yield their juice as -plentifully as ever, our cattle their milk, our bees their honey; -children will continue to be born robust and ruddy as hitherto; your -excommunication can in no manner change things. The only thing that -could happen is that our neighbors will say: "Oh, behold an -excommunicated Valley continuing to be fertile; excommunicated people -remaining in a happy frame of mind and thriving; why, excommunication -must be a farce!" So, then, bishop, the ultimate result would be that a -punishment, that so many poor people imagine to be frightful, will be -thought little or nothing of. Take my advice; give up all thought of -violence and of coercion; respect our goods, our rights, our freedom, -and we, in turn, will respect your spiritual jurisdiction—if not, not; -the misfortunes that your iniquity may lead to will then fall upon your -own head!' To make a long story short, my friends, after protracted -debates, I obtained a new charter from the bishop. I shall read it to -you. Listen carefully. It bears, perhaps, the germ of the -enfranchisement of Gaul."</p> - -<p>And Loysik read as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>"To the holy and venerable brother in Christ—Loysik, superior of -the monastery of Charolles, built in the valley of that name, -conceded to the said brother Loysik in perpetual donation, by -virtue of a charter granted by the glorious King Clotaire I in the -year 558, and confirmed by the illustrious Clotaire II this year of -613, I, Salvien, Bishop of Chalon. We believe it our duty to insert -on this leaf what we and our successors must do with the aid of our -Lord God:</p> - -<p>"1st. The Bishop of Chalon, out of respect for the place, and -without receiving therefor any price whatever, shall bless the -altar of the monastery of Charolles, and, if requested shall grant -the holy chrism every year.</p> - -<p>"2nd. Whenever by the will of God a superior may have passed from -the monastery to the bosom of God, the bishop shall,<a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a> without -receiving any recompense therefor, raise to the rank of superior -the monk who, by virtue of the worthiness of his life, may have -been chosen by the community.</p> - -<p>"3rd. Our successors, both bishops and archdeacons, or any other -administrators, or any other dignitaries whatever of the city of -Chalon, shall arrogate no other power over the monastery of -Charolles, either in the ordination of persons, or the goods, or -the farms of the Valley already given by the glorious King Clotaire -I and confirmed by the illustrious King Clotaire II.</p> - -<p>"4th. Our successors are forbidden to demand, or extort, under the -title of presents, anything whatever from the monastery or from the -parishioners of the Valley.</p> - -<p>"5th. Our successors, unless they shall be requested by the -superior of the community to come and pray at the monastery, shall -never enter the said monastery, nor cross its outer precincts; and -after the celebration of the holy mysteries, and after receiving -short and simple thanks, the bishop shall forthwith return to his -own residence without having to be requested to do so by anyone.</p> - -<p>"6th. If any of our successors (which may God forfend) filled with -perfidy, and driven by cupidity, should, in a temerarious spirit, -attempt to violate the matters hereinabove set forth, then, smitten -by divine vengeance, he shall be submitted to anathema.</p> - -<p>"And in order that this constitution may ever remain in full force -and vigor, we have willed that it be corroborated by our own -signature.—<span class="smcap">Salvien.</span></p> - -<p>"Done at Chalon, on the 8th day of the calends of November, of the -year of the incarnation, 613."</p></div> - -<p>"Good brother Loysik," said Ronan, "this charter guarantees our rights; -thanks to you for having obtained it; but did we not have our swords to -defend ourselves?"</p> - -<p>"Oh, always that old leaven of Vagrery! The swords, always the swords! -Thus the best of things turn to evil through abuse and hot-headedness! -Yes, the sword, resistance, revolt<a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a> carried to the point of martyrdom -whenever your rights are violated by force! But why shed blood, why -fight when one's right is recognized and guaranteed? Moreover, who tells -you that you would again prevail if again put to it? Who tells you that -the Bishop of Chalon, or his successor, would not, in case you refused -to recognize his spiritual jurisdiction, call some Burgundian seigneur -to his aid? You would know how to die, but why die if one can live free -and peaceful? This charter binds the bishop and his successors to -respect the rights of the monks of the monastery and of the inhabitants -of this valley. It is an additional guaranty. Should it ever be trampled -under foot, then the hour will have sounded for heroic measures. Until -then, my friends, spend your days in the tranquility that this charter -insures to you."</p> - -<p>"You are right, Loysik," replied Ronan, "that old leaven of Vagrery is -ever fermenting in our heads. But is not this submission to the -spiritual jurisdiction of the bishop, a submission that the charter -consecrates, is it not a humiliation?"</p> - -<p>"Did he not before now exercise more or less spiritual authority over -us? Formally to recognize his spiritual authority is a matter of but -slight importance; to deny it would be to expose ourselves to -interminable troubles. And all to what purpose? Is not the inviolability -of our goods and our property acknowledged?"</p> - -<p>"That is so, brother."</p> - -<p>"This charter, that, thanks to the firmness with which you resisted his -iniquitous claims, instead of cowardly resigning yourselves to -usurpations—this charter bears in itself the germ of the progressive -enfranchisement of Gaul."</p> - -<p>"How it that, Loysik?"</p> - -<p>"Sooner or later, what we have done in the Valley of Charolles will be -repeated in other provinces; the old Gallic blood will not forever -remain torpid; some day, waking up at last to their own numbers and -power, our sons will in their turn say<a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a> to the seigneurs and bishops: -'Recognize our rights and we will recognize the powers that you have -arrogated to yourselves; if not, war—war to the bitter end—war to the -death—war to the point of extermination!"</p> - -<p>"And yet, Loysik," cried Ronan, "what a shame, what an iniquity to -recognize that accursed power, born of a bloody and confiscatory -conquest! To recognize the right of theft, of brigandage and of murder! -The oppression of the Gallic race by the bishops and the race of -Franks!"</p> - -<p>"Brother, as much as yourself do I deplore these misfortunes. But what -is to be done? Alas, the conquest and its accomplice the Church weigh -down upon Gaul for over a century, and they have cast deep roots. Our -descendants will be compelled to reckon with a power that years have -fortified; they can not choose but recognize that power, while at the -same time wresting from it, by force if necessary, a portion of the -rights that our fathers were deprived of by the conquest. But what does -it matter, my friends! The first step being taken others will certainly -follow; and with each such step, marking its track with its own blood, -our race will draw steadily nearer and nearer to ultimate deliverance. -Aye, the brilliant day will finally dawn, the day that Victoria -foretold, the brilliant day when Gaul, trampling under foot both the -crown of the Frankish Kings and the tiara of the Popes of Rome, will -re-arise proud, radiant and free. Have faith in the future!"</p> - -<p>The news of Loysik's return flew from mouth to mouth, and spontaneously -brought all the inhabitants of the Valley to the monastery. The day was -celebrated with cordial joy. It gave new earnest of many years of quiet, -prosperity and freedom to the monks of the monastery and to the -colonists of the Valley of Charolles.</p> - -<hr style="width: 15%;" /> - -<p>I, Ronan, the son of Karadeucq, finished writing the above narrative two -years after the death of Queen Brunhild, towards<a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a> the end of the calends -of October of the year 615. Clotaire II continues to reign over Gaul as -the sole ruler, as his great-grandfather Clovis and his grandfather -Clotaire I before him. The murderer of Brunhild's grandchildren does not -belie with his subsequent conduct the sinister character with which he -started his reign. Nevertheless both the royal and the episcopal charter -regarding the colony and the community of Charolles have been respected -down to this date. My brother Loysik, my good old little Odille, the -Bishopess and my friend the Master of the Hounds continue to defy age -with their good health.</p> - -<p>I hereby entrust my son's son with the mission of carrying this -narrative to the descendants of Kervan, my father's brother, both of -whom were the sons of Jocelyn. Brittany still remains the only province -of Gaul that preserves its independence. It has repelled the Frankish -troops of Clotaire II as it repelled the attacks of his ancestors.</p> - -<p>My grandson will, I hope, arrive without encountering any mishap at the -cradle of our family, situated near the sacred stones of Karnak. I hope -he may successfully accomplish the pious pilgrimage, the same as I did -more than fifty years ago.</p> - -<p>I wish to enter upon this leaf a matter of importance to our family, -divided as it now is in two branches, one inhabiting Burgundy, the other -Brittany. In these days of civil wars and general disorder, the peace -and freedom that we now enjoy may at any time be violently assailed. Our -descendants will know how to die rather than relapse into slavery. But -should it happen that unforeseen causes prevent a heroic resolution, if -our family should again be brought under the yoke of servitude and its -members carried away captive, it will be well, as a matter of precaution -against unhappy days, alas! always possible, that the members of our -family should carry some sign of recognition indelibly marked upon an -arm with the point of a needle reddened in the fire and dipped in the -juice of the privet berry. The smart is but slight, and the tender skin -of a child<a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a> receives and forever keeps the indelible mark. The Gallic -words <i>Brenn</i> and <i>Karnak</i>, words that recall the glorious past of our -ancestors, are henceforth to be traced on the right arm of all the -children that may succeed us, and so forward from generation to -generation. Who knows but it may happen that members of our family, now -divided into two branches, may, in the course of the ages cross one -another's path? In that sign they will find the means of recognizing -each other, and render each other mutual assistance.</p> - -<p>And now, Oh, our children, leaving the branding needle that I have used -upon my own grandchild as the symbol to accompany this narrative and be -joined to Hena's gold sickle, Guilhern's little brass bell, Sylvest's -iron collar, Genevieve's silver cross, Schanvoch's casque's lark and -Loysik's poniard's hilt, I fervently hope that this narrative may, as -all the preceding ones left by our ancestors, keep alive in your breasts -the flame of an ardent love for your country and for your family. And -may, Oh, my children! the moral conveyed by the adventures of my life, -and of the lives of my father Karadeucq and my brother Loysik never be -lost upon you. Gather from them instruction, example, hope and courage.</p> - -<p class="c smcap">THE END.</p> - -<hr /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Branding Needle, or The Monastery -of Charolles, by Eugène Sue - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRANDING NEEDLE *** - -***** This file should be named 33618-h.htm or 33618-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/3/3/6/1/33618/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: The Branding Needle, or The Monastery of Charolles - A Tale of the First Communal Charter - -Author: Eugène Sue - -Translator: Daniel De Leon - -Release Date: September 3, 2010 [EBook #33618] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRANDING NEEDLE *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - - - -THE BRANDING NEEDLE - - -THE FULL SERIES OF - -The Mysteries of the People - -: : OR : : - -History of a Proletarian Family Across the Ages - -By EUGENE SUE - -_Consisting of the Following Works:_ - -THE GOLD SICKLE; or, _Hena the Virgin of the Isle of Sen_. - -THE BRASS BELL; or, _The Chariot of Death_. - -THE IRON COLLAR; or, _Faustine and Syomara_. - -THE SILVER CROSS; or, _The Carpenter of Nazareth_. - -THE CASQUE'S LARK; or, _Victoria, the Mother of the Camps_. - -THE PONIARD'S HILT; or, _Karadeucq and Ronan_. - -THE BRANDING NEEDLE; or, _The Monastery of Charolles_. - -THE ABBATIAL CROSIER; or, _Bonaik and Septimine_. - -THE CARLOVINGIAN COINS; or, _The Daughters of Charlemagne_. - -THE IRON ARROW-HEAD; or, _The Buckler Maiden_. - -THE INFANT'S SKULL; or, _The End of the World_. - -THE PILGRIM'S SHELL; or, _Fergan the Quarryman_. - -THE IRON PINCERS; or, _Mylio and Karvel_. - -THE IRON TREVET; or, _Jocelyn the Champion_. - -THE EXECUTIONER'S KNIFE; or, _Joan of Arc_. - -THE POCKET BIBLE; or, _Christian the Printer_. - -THE BLACKSMITH'S HAMMER; or, _The Peasant Code_. - -THE SWORD OF HONOR; or, _The Foundation of the French Republic_. - -THE GALLEY SLAVE'S RING; or, _The Family Lebrenn_. - -Published Uniform With This Volume By - -THE NEW YORK LABOR NEWS CO. - -28 CITY HALL PLACE NEW YORK CITY - - - - -THE BRANDING NEEDLE - -:: :: OR :: :: - -THE MONASTERY OF CHAROLLES - -A Tale of the First Communal Charter - -By EUGENE SUE - -TRANSLATED FROM THE ORIGINAL FRENCH BY - -DANIEL DE LEON - -NEW YORK LABOR NEWS COMPANY, 1908 - -Copyright, 1908, by the -NEW YORK LABOR NEWS CO. - - - - -INDEX - - -PART I. THE VALLEY OF CHAROLLES. - -CHAP. I. THE SIGNAL 5 - - II. THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION 15 - - III. ON THE WATCH AT THE RIVER 24 - - IV. FREDEGONDE AND BRUNHILD 27 - - V. THE ASSAULT 33 - - -PART II. THE CASTLE OF BRUNHILD. - -CHAP. I. THE TOWER-ROOM 47 - - II. QUEEN AND CONFIDANTE 56 - - III. THE ROYAL FAMILY 66 - - IV. QUEEN AND MAYOR OF THE PALACE 69 - - V. LOYSIK AND BRUNHILD 79 - - -PART III. THE CAMP OF CLOTAIRE II. - -CHAP. I. WEEDING KINGLETS 93 - - II. AT BAY 101 - - III. THE DEATH OF BRUNHILD 109 - -EPILOGUE 120 - - - - -TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE - - -Semiramis, Brunhild, Catherine of Medicis constitute a trinity of -historic women unique in their greatness. Their ambition was boundless, -their intellectual powers matchless, the depths of their immorality -unfathomable. As such they were the scourges of their respective ages. -Queen Brunhild, a central figure in this superb story, may be said to be -the Sixth Century heiress of the Semiramis of over ten centuries -earlier, and the progenitor of the Catherine of nearly ten centuries -later, who figures later in the sixteenth story of this series of Eugene -Sue's of historic novels named by him _The Mysteries of the People; or, -History of a Proletarian Family Across the Ages_. - -This story--_The Branding Needle; or The Monastery of Charolles_--is the -seventh of the series. Both in the tragic picture of Brunhild, and of -the rustic, industrial and peaceful picture of the settlement of -Charolles, the story constitutes a connecting link between the -turbulence of the previous story--_The Poniard's Hilt; or, Karadeucq and -Ronan_--and the renewed turbulence of the age depicted in the story that -follows--_The Abbatial Crosier; or, Bonaik and Septimine_. - -With much color of truth does Eugene Sue look upon the settlement of -Charolles as the remote yet initial step to the Communes which, a few -centuries later, constituted a marked feature of the history of France, -and ultimately led to historic events of world-wide importance. The -circumstances under which the royal charter of Charolles was granted, -described with historic accuracy, its perils and its vicissitudes, -unfold a page of history of no slight value to the student of history, -and of fascinating interest to the lover of historic narratives. - -DANIEL DE LEON. - -New York, February, 1908. - - - - -PART I - -THE VALLEY OF CHAROLLES - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE SIGNAL. - - -About fifty years have elapsed since King Clotaire had his son Chram -burned alive together with the latter's wife and daughters. Let us -forget the spectacle of desolation that conquered Gaul continues to -present under the descendants of Clovis for the last fifty years, and -rest our eyes upon the Valley of Charolles. - -Oh, the fathers of the happy inhabitants who people that corner of the -land did not bend their necks under the yoke of either Frankish -seigneurs or Gallic bishops. No, no--they proved the old Gallic blood -still flowed in their veins. The consequence is noticed in the picture -of dignified felicity that the valley offers. Behold on the slope of the -hill the cosy homes half shaded by vines, that carpet the walls and the -ripe maturity and luxuriant quality of which are attested by their -leaves and grapes that the autumn sun has reddened and gilt. Each of the -houses is surrounded by a garden of flowers with a clump of shade-giving -trees. Never did the eye of man dwell upon a more smiling village. A -village? No; it rather resembles a large borough. From at least six to -seven hundred houses are scattered on the slope of that hill, without -counting the vast thatched structures that are situated below on the -meadow, which is watered by a river that rises to the north of the -valley, crosses it and forms its boundary far away where the horizon -dips. Yonder the river parts in two arms; one flows eastward, the other -westward, after bathing in its course the feet of a forest of gigantic -chestnut trees from between the tops of which the roof of a tall stone -building is perceived, surmounted by a cross of iron. - -No, never yet was promised land better calculated to reward industry -with abundance. Half way up the slope of the hill, the purple colored -vines; above the vineyards, the agricultural fields, on which the -stubble of rye and wheat left from the last harvest is here and there -seen burning. The fertile acreage stretches up to the skirts of the -forests that crown the surrounding eminences, within which the spacious -valley is locked. Below the vineyards are meadowlands watered by the -river. Numerous flocks of sheep and herds of horses browse and graze -upon the succulent pasture. The bells of the bulls and wethers are heard -tinkling their rural melody. Here and yonder carts drawn by oxen slowly -roll over the ground where the stubble was burned the day before, or -four-wheeled wagons slowly descend the slopes of the vineyards and wend -their way towards the common wine-presses, which, together with the -stables, the sheep-folds and the pig-sties, all alike common, are -located in the neighborhood of the river. Several workshops also lie -contiguous to the river; the wash and spinning houses, where the flax is -prepared and the wool washed preparatorily to being transformed into -warm clothing; there also are situated the tanneries, the forges, the -mills equipped with enormous grind-stones. Peace, security, contentment -and work are seen everywhere reflected in the valley. The sound of the -beetles of the washerwomen and the curriers, the clang of the -blacksmiths' hammers, the joyful cries of the men and women engaged at -the vintage, the rythmic chant of the husbandmen keeping time to the -even and slow gait of the draft-oxen, the rustic flute of the -shepherds,--all these sounds, including the hum of the swarming bees, -another set of indefatigable toilers, who are busily gathering the honey -from the last autumnal flowers,--all these different sounds, from the -furthest and vaguest to the nearest and loudest, mingle into one -harmony that is at once sweet and imposing; it is the voice of labor and -happiness rising heavenward as a continuous thanksgiving. - -What is it that is going on in yonder house, which, although constructed -like all the others, nevertheless, being nearest to the crest of the -hill, seems to be the culminating point of the settlement, and commands -a full view of the valley? Dressed in festive garb, the dwellers of that -house are seen going in and out. They are seen heaping dry vine twigs in -a sort of pyre at a goodly distance from the door. Young girls and -children are seen and heard merrily bringing in their arms their -contributions of dry wood, and running off again for more combustibles. -A short old woman, with hair as white as silver, dainty, comely and -still quick despite her advanced age, superintends the preparation of -the pyre. As all old women are apt to do, she finds fault and -sermonizes--but not in anger, on the contrary. Listen to her: - -"Oh, those young girls, those young girls! Always giddy-headed! Work -more and laugh less; the pyre is not yet high enough. What does it avail -that you rose at early dawn in order to finish your daily tasks before -your companions, if you now only frolic instead of hastening the work on -the pyre? I am quite sure that more than one impatient look is being -cast up here from the valley below, and that more than one voice is -saying: 'What may they be up to on the hill that they do not yet give us -the signal? Can they be asleep as in winter?' I am certain such are the -serious suspicions that you are exposing yourselves to, you eternal -gigglers! Such are the pranks of your age. I know it, I should not blame -you; but remember that the days are short at this season; before our -good men shall have had time to lead the cattle back from the fields, -stalled the draft-oxen and the wagons, and put on their holiday clothes, -the sun will be down. We shall not be able to reach the monastery until -after dark, and the community expects the signal from us before sunset." - -"A few more armfuls of dry wood, dame Odille, and all that will be left -to do will be to set it on fire," answered a handsome lassie of sixteen -years with blue eyes and black hair; "I shall take charge of lighting -the pyre; you will see how bold I can be!" - -"Oh, Fulvia, your grandmother, my old friend the Bishopess, is right, -indeed, when she says that you are a dare-devil." - -"My good grandmother is like yourself, dame Odille; her scoldings are -but caresses; she loves all that is young and gay." - -"And I presume you act so crazily merely in order to please her?" - -"Yes, dame Odille; because you must know that it costs me a good deal, -it is awfully hard for me to be gay! Alas! Alas!" - -And the lass punctuated each exclamation with such a hearty outburst of -laughter and droll action, that the good little old woman could not -refrain from following the example. Whereupon she said: - -"As true as this is the fiftieth time that we celebrate the anniversary -of our settling in the Valley of Charolles, I never saw a girl of a more -unalterably happy disposition than yours, my lovely Fulvia." - -"Fifty years! How awfully long that is, dame Odille. It seems to me I -could never live to see fifty years!" - -"It looks that way at your charming age of sixteen; but to me, Fulvia, -these fifty years of peace and happiness have sped like a dream--except, -of course, the evil year when I saw Ronan's father die, and lost my -first-born son." - -"Look, dame Odille! There are your consolations, now coming up from the -field!" - -These "consolations" were her husband Ronan himself and his second son -Gregory, a man now of mature age who was, in turn, accompanied by his -two children, Guenek, a strapping lad of twenty, and Asilyk, a handsome -girl of eighteen. Despite his white hair and beard, and despite his -seventy-five years, Ronan the Vagre was still quick of motion, vigorous -and frolicsome as ever. - -"Good evening," he called out to his wife as he embraced her; "good -evening, little Odille." - -And after him it was the turn of Gregory and his children to embrace the -dame. - -"Good evening, dear mother." - -"Good evening, dear grandmother." - -"Do you hear them?" put in Ronan's wife with that smile that sits so -charming on the lips of happy elderly people. "Do you hear them? To -these two I am 'grandmother,' and for this one here I am 'Little -Odille.'" - -"Even when you will be a hundred years old, and you will surely reach -that age, by the faith of Ronan! I shall always call you 'Little Odille' -just as, my little Odille, I shall always call these two friends who are -approaching the 'Master of the Hounds' and the 'Bishopess.'" - -Just then the Master of the Hounds and his wife joined the group where -Ronan stood; the heads of both the new arrivals had been whitened with -age, but their faces beamed with happiness. - -"Ho! Ho! How fine you look, my old companion, with your new blouse and -embroidered cap! And you, beautiful Bishopess, you are no less -gorgeously arrayed!" - -"Ronan, by the faith of an old Vagre!" said the Master of the Hounds, "I -love my Fulvia, in the matron's dress that she now wears, with her brown -robe and her coif as white as her hair, as much as I did when she wore -her orange skirt, blue sash, gold necklace and silver embroidered red -stockings. Do you remember, Ronan? Do you?" - -"Odille, if my husband and yours begin to talk about olden days, we -shall not arrive at the monastery until to-morrow morning. But Loysik is -waiting for us. Let us start." - -"Beautiful and wise Bishopess, we shall hearken unto you," merrily -replied Ronan. "Come, Gregory; come, my children; let us start, that -will take us all the quicker to my good brother Loysik." - -A minute later, Fulvia, the grandchild of the Bishopess, came out of the -house with several of her girl friends, with a lighted brand in her -hand, wherewith she set the pyre on fire. The gladsome cries of the -girls and children greeted the bright and sparkling column of fire that -mounted heavenward. At the signal, the people down in the valley who -were still at work in the fields, started homeward, and an hour later -they marched in a body, men, women and children, the old and the young, -in festive groups to the monastery of Charolles. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE ANNUAL CELEBRATION. - - -The monastic establishment of Charolles was a large sized and solid -stone building, without any ornamentation whatever. Besides the cells of -the monks, it contained within its precincts a granary, a chapel, a -hospital for the male patients of the valley, and a school for young -children. During the fifty years of the existence of the settlement, the -monk laborers re-elected Loysik every year their superior, and, a -strange thing in these days, they all remained lay, Loysik having ever -warned them against rashly binding themselves by eternal vows and -confounding themselves with the clergy. The monks of the monastery of -Charolles lived under rules which they established for themselves and -rigorously observed. The discipline of the Order of St. Benoit, which -was adopted by a large number of the monasteries of Gaul, seemed to -Loysik, by reason of some of its statutes, to either annihilate or at -least, degrade human conscience, reason and dignity. If, for instance, -the superior ordered a monk to do a thing that was physically -impossible, then the monk, after having humbly informed his chief of the -impossibility of what was demanded of him, was in duty bound to bow -before the order. Another of the statutes provided literally: "It is not -allowed to a monk to have his own body and will under his own command." -Worst of all it was formally forbidden a monk "to either defend or -protect his fellow monk, even though they be united by the bonds of -consanguinity." Such a voluntary renunciation of the tenderest and -self-respecting impulses; such an abnegation of conscience and of human -reason, carried to the point of imbecility; such passive obedience, -which turns man into a soulless machine, a species of corpse, seemed -too absurd to Loysik, and he resisted the invasion of Charolles by the -rules of the Order of St. Benoit, however generally accepted they -otherwise were in Gaul. - -Loysik presided over the labors of the monastery, and himself took part -in them until with old age his strength no longer permitted him to do -so. He tended the sick, and assisted by several other brothers he taught -the children of the inhabitants of the valley. In the evening, after the -hard work of the day, he gathered the brothers around him; in summer, -under the vault of the gallery that surrounded the inside yard of the -cloister; in winter, in the refectory. There, faithful to the traditions -of his family, he narrated to his brothers the glories of ancient Gaul, -and the deeds of the valiant heroes of olden times, thus keeping alive -in the hearts of all the sacred cult of the fatherland, and combating -the feeling of discouragement that often seized upon the firmest spirits -at the sight of the abject plight in which all the Gallic provinces -subject to Frankish rule found themselves. - -The community had thus lived peacefully and industriously for many years -under the direction of Loysik. Rarely had he occasion to restore harmony -among the brothers. Nevertheless, a few ferments of fleeting dissension, -speedily, however, allayed by the ascendency of the aged monk laborer, -manifested themselves ever and anon. The following was the source of -these untoward events: - -Although absolutely free and independent in all that concerned its -internal regulations, the election of its superior, the disposition of -the yield of the land which it cultivated, nevertheless the monastery of -Charolles was subject to the jurisdiction of the diocese of the bishop; -moreover, the prelate had the right to place at the monastery the -priests of his own choice to read mass, administer communion and the -other sacraments, and officiate in the chapel of the monastery which was -also the place of religious worship for the other inhabitants of the -Valley of Charolles. Loysik submitted to these requirements which the -times imposed, in order to insure the tranquility of his brothers and of -the other inhabitants of the Valley. But the priests, who thus entered -the bosom of the lay cloister, sought more than once to sow discord -among the monk laborers, saying to some that they devoted too little -time to prayer, urging others to enter the church and become -ecclesiastical monks, and thus share the power of the clergy. More than -once did these underhanded manoeuvres reach the ears of Loysik who would -then firmly address these concocters of dissension in these terms: - -"Who labors prays. Jesus of Nazareth severely condemns the do-nothings -who will not move with one of their fingers the heavy burdens and -grievous to be borne which they lay on their brothers' shoulders and for -a pretence make long prayers. We want no idlers here. We are all -brothers, and the children of one God. Whether a monk be lay or -ecclesiastic they are all alike, provided they live Christian lives. If -any there be who, having done his full share in the work of the -cloister, chooses to employ in prayer the leisure that man needs after -work, he is free to do so--as free as are other members of our community -to employ their leisure in the cultivation of flowers, in reading, in -conversation with their friends, in fishing, in promenading, in singing, -in designing manuscripts, or in any other accomplishment, including the -exercise of arms, seeing that we live in days when it is often necessary -to repel force with force, and defend one's own life and the lives of -his family against violence. Accordingly, in my eyes, he who, after -work, seeks honest recreation, is as worthy as he who employs his -leisure in prayer. Only idlers are impious! We despise all those who -refuse to work." - -Loysik was so universally venerated and the community was so happy and -thriving that the outside priests never succeeded in permanently -disturbing its quiet and harmony. Moreover, Loysik owned both the land -and the buildings of the monastery by virtue of an authentic charter -issued to him by King Clotaire. Accordingly, the prelates of Chalon -found themselves obliged to respect his rights, while they never -desisted from pursuing their ends through perfidious means. - -On this day the colony and community of Charolles had a holiday. The -monk laborers strove to give the best possible reception to their -friends of the Valley, who, agreeable to a long established custom, came -to thank Loysik for the happy life that they owed him, these descendants -of Vagres, brave devils whom the monk's word had converted. Only once a -year was the freely adopted rule suspended that interdicted the -admittance of women to the cloister. The monks were setting up long -tables wherever any could be placed, in the refectory, in the halls -where they worked at several manual industries, under the open galleries -that ran around the inner courtyard, and even in the yard itself, which, -on such solemn and festive occasions, was over-roofed by sheets of linen -held fast with cords. In fact, there were tables even in the hall of -arms. What! An arsenal in a monastery? Yes. The arms of the Vagres, the -founders of the colony and the community, had all been deposited -there--a wise measure, advised by Loysik, and which the monk laborers -and colonists appreciated at the time when the troops of Chram attacked -the Valley. No similar occurrence had happened again since then, but the -arsenal was carefully kept and increased. Twice each month, both in the -village and the community, the men exercised themselves in the handling -of arms, an ever useful precaution in these days, Loysik would say, when -one might from one moment to another be called upon to repel some armed -band of the Frankish seigneurs. - -The monk laborers were engaged setting up tables everywhere. On the -tables they placed with innocent pride the fruits of their labors--good -wheat bread made of wheat of their own harvesting, generous wine yielded -by their own vineyard, quarters of beef and mutton coming from their -own cattle yards, fruits and vegetables raised in their own gardens, -milk of their own cows, honey from their own hives. They owed this -abundance to their daily labor; they now enjoyed its sight and the -comfort it afforded both them and their friends. Nothing more -legitimate! Besides, the monks experienced profound satisfaction in -proving to their old friends of the Valley that they also were good -husbandmen, skilful vintners, experienced horticulturists and competent -shepherds. - -Occasionally it would also befall--the devil ever is at his wicked -work--that at some of these anniversary celebrations, when the women and -maids were admitted to the otherwise forbidden precincts of the -monastery, some monk laborer discovered, by the impression produced upon -him by some pretty girl, that his fondness for the austere freedom of -celibacy was rather premature. On such occasions the swain would open -his heart to Loysik. The latter always insisted upon three months of -reflection on the part of the brother, and in the event of his -persisting in his conjugal vocation Loysik was speedily seen strolling -into the village leaning upon his cane. There he would converse with the -parents of the maid upon the advisability of the match; and it rarely -happened but that a few months later the colony numbered one more -household and the community one brother less, while Loysik would say: -"Here is one more evidence of my being right in not accepting eternal -vows from my monks." - -The preparations for the reception had long been finished in the -interior of the monastery, and the sun was on the point of setting when -the laborer monks heard a loud noise outside. The whole colony was -arriving. At the head of the crowd marched Ronan and the Master of the -Hounds, Odille and the Bishopess. They were the four oldest inhabitants -of the Valley. A few old Vagres, but younger than these followed behind -them; then came the children, the grandchildren, the great-grandchildren -of that once so disorderly and so redoubted Vagrery. - -Informed of the approach of his friends, Loysik stepped to the gate of -the monastery to receive them. Like all the other brothers of the -community, the venerable monk was clad in a robe of coarse brown wool, -held around his waist by a leather belt. His head was now completely -bald; his long snow-white beard fell upon his chest; his bearing was -still erect, his eyes clear, although he was beyond eighty; only his -venerable hands were slightly agitated by a tremor. The crowd halted; -Ronan approached, took his brother's hand, and addressed to him these -words: - -"Loysik, it is to-day fifty-one years ago that a troop of determined -Vagres stood awaiting your arrival on the border of Burgundy. You came -to us; you spoke wise words to us; you preached to us the virile virtues -of labor and of the domestic hearth; and you thereupon put us in -condition to put those virtues into practice by offering to our troop -the free enjoyment of this valley. A year later, that is now fifty years -ago, our budding colony celebrated the first anniversary of its -foundation in this region; and to-day we come--we, our children and the -children of our children--once again to say to you through my mouth: 'We -are happy, thanks to you, brother; eternal gratitude and friendship to -Loysik!'" - -"Yes, yes!" echoed the crowd. "Eternal acknowledgment to Loysik--respect -and gratitude for our friend, our good father!" - -The old monk laborer was deeply moved; sweet tears rolled down from his -eyes; he made a sign that he wished to speak; and in the midst of -profound silence he uttered these words: - -"Thanks to you, my friends, my brothers, to those of you who lived fifty -years ago, and to you others who have not known the frightful times that -we older ones have experienced, except from the accounts given to you by -your parents--thanks for the joy that you afford me this day. After -having made themselves feared by their valor, the founders of this -colony have made themselves beloved and respected by approving -themselves men and women who loved work, were peaceful and honored the -family. A happy accident willed it that, in the very midst of the -disasters of civil war that for so many years have been desolating our -country, Burgundy should be spared these misfortunes, the fruits of a -murderous conquest. Let us bless the name of God, who allows us to live -here in peace and freedom. But, alas! everywhere else in Gaul, even in -this province, our brothers continue under the yoke of slavery. Never -forget that. While awaiting the still distant day of the ultimate -enfranchisement of our brothers, your savings, together with the savings -of the community, have this year also enabled us to ransom a few slave -families. Here they are. Love them as we love one another. They also are -children of Gaul, disinherited, as we ourselves were fifty-one years -ago." - -When Loysik finished saying these words, several families, consisting of -men, women, children, together with a few aged couples, issued from the -monastery weeping with joy. The colonists were emulous of one another as -to which of them should harbor the new arrivals until they could provide -for themselves. It required Loysik's intervention, always respected, in -order to calm the kind and zealous rivalry of the colonists in the -tender of their services. With his wonted wisdom he distributed the new -colonists among the older ones. - -Every year and shortly before these annual celebrations, Loysik left the -colony with a sum more or less large, the fruit of the joint savings of -the colonists and the community set aside for the ransom of slaves. A -few resolute and well-armed monk laborers would then accompany Loysik to -Chalon-on-the-Saone, where, towards the beginning of the autumn, a large -market of human Gallic flesh was held under the presidency of the count -and the bishop of that city, the capital of Burgundy. From the market -place the splendid palace of Queen Brunhild could be seen. Loysik would -buy as many slaves as the money that he carried with him would permit, -but always regretting to find that the ecclesiastical slaves were too -high for his purse. The bishops always sold them at double the price of -any other. Occasionally, thanks to his persuasive eloquence, Loysik -would obtain from some Frankish and less barbarous seigneur than his -fellows the gift of a few slaves, and thus increased still more the -number of his new colonists, who, the moment they touched the soil of -the Valley of Charolles, received a hearty welcome, enjoyed the -opportunity to work together with the well-being that flows therefrom, -and, above all, regained their freedom. - -After the newly enfranchised slaves were distributed among the -inhabitants of the Valley, monk laborers and colonists, men, women and -children went to table. What a banquet! - -"Our feasts in Vagrery were nothing compared with this!" exclaimed -Ronan. "Not so, Master of the Hounds?" - -"Do you remember, among others of our then sumptuous repasts, the famous -supper at our lair in the defile of Allange?" - -"Where Bishop Cautin officiated as our cook?" - -"Odille, do you remember that strange night when I saw you for the first -time, on the occasion of the burning down of the villa of my then -husband, the bishop?" - -"Certainly, Fulvia, I do remember it; and also the open-handedness with -which the Vagres distributed the booty among the poor." - -"Loysik, it was during that night that I first learned that you and I -were brothers." - -"Ah, Ronan, how very brave was not our father Karadeucq! What courage -did he not display together with our friend the Master of the Hounds in -order to liberate us from the ergastula in the burg of Count Neroweg!" - -"Do you remember? Do you all remember?"--once that subject was broached, -these questions flew inexhaustible from the lips of the old friends. -Thus Ronan, Loysik, the Master of the Hounds, Odille, the Bishopess, all -of whom sat together at a table, chatted merrily, while the younger -guests enjoyed chattering about the present. The joy was great and -general on that evening at the monastery of Charolles. - -In the middle of the celebration one of the monk laborers said to a -companion: - -"What has become of our two priests, Placidus and Felibien? Their -absence alarms me." - -"Those pious men found, perhaps, the feast too profane. They offered the -two men on guard at the lodge where the punt lands to take their places -this evening, in order that our brothers might assist at the -celebration." - -"Somehow, I mistrust that breed!" - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -ON THE WATCH AT THE RIVER. - - -The river that rose in the Valley of Charolles crossed it in its full -length, then parted into two arms, and thus served both for boundary and -natural defense to the territory of the colony. As a matter of -precaution, Loysik ordered a punt that served as the only means of -communication with the opposite territory, belonging to the diocese of -Chalon, to be beached every evening and tied on the Charolles side of -the stream. A little lodge, where two brothers of the community always -were on guard, was constructed near the landing place of the punt. - -The limpid waters of the stream, which was at its widest at that point, -reflected that night the mellow light of the moon at its fullest; the -two priests who fraternally offered to take the places of the monks and -mount guard in their stead walked uneasily up and down near the lodge. - -"Placidus, do you see anything? Do you hear anything?" his companion -inquired. - -"Nothing. I see and hear nothing." - -"And yet the moon is high--it must be nearly midnight--and no one yet." - -"Let us not lose hope, Felibien." - -"It will be a great misfortune if they break their appointment. It will -be long before we have another such opportunity to install ourselves as -the watchmen of the punt." - -"It is only on such a night that the monastery could be safely -attacked." - -"And yet no one comes." - -"Listen--listen--" - -"Do you hear anything?" - -"No, I was mistaken--it is the rippling of the water on the pebbles of -the river bank." - -"Perhaps our bishop renounced his project of attacking the monastery." - -"That is not likely, seeing that he obtained the consent of Queen -Brunhild." - -"Listen--listen--this time I am not mistaken. Look yonder, on the -opposite bank--do you notice anything sparkling?" - -"It is the reflection of the moon on the armor of the warriors." - -"Now they are coming! Do you hear the three bugle blasts?" - -"It is the signal agreed upon. Quick, now, quick! Let us unfasten the -punt and cross over to the other side." - -The ropes were unfastened; pushed by Placidus and Felibien by means of -long poles the punt arrived at the opposite bank. Mounted on a mule a -man awaited them on the opposite shore. He was a Catholic priest. His -face was hard and imperious. At his side was a Frankish chief on -horseback and escorted by about a score of riders cased in iron. A wagon -filled with baggage, drawn by four oxen and followed by several slaves -on foot attended the Frankish chief. - -"Reverend archdeacon," said Placidus to the man on horseback and in the -black robe, "we began to despair of your arrival; but you are still on -time. The whole colony--men, women, girls and children--is assembled at -the monastery, and only God knows the abominations that are taking place -there under the very eyes of Loysik, who incites these sacrilegious -excesses!" - -"These scandals are about to come to an end and to receive condign -punishment, my sons. Can the horses of these riders and the wagon that -carries my baggage be risked in that punt?" - -"Reverend archdeacon, the cavalry is too numerous for one trip; we shall -have to make three or four passages before they can all be transported -to the opposite bank." - -"Gondowald," said the archdeacon to the Frankish chief, "how would it -be if we leave your horses and my mule and wagon temporarily on this -side of the river? We could march straight upon the monastery with your -horsemen following you on foot." - -"Whether on foot or on horseback, they will be enough to execute the -orders of my glorious mistress, Queen Brunhild, and to dust with the -shafts of their lances the backs of those monks of Satan and of those -rustic plebs if they dare offer any resistance." - -"Reverend archdeacon, we who know what the monks and people of the -Valley are capable of, we are of the opinion that, should they -rebelliously resist the orders of our holy bishop of Chalon, twenty -warriors will not suffice to overpower them." - -Gondowald cast a disdainful look at the priest, and did not even consent -to make an answer. - -"I do not share your fears, my dear sons; and I have good reasons for my -opinion," answered the archdeacon haughtily. "Here we are all in the -punt--push off!" - -A short while later the archdeacon, Gondowald the chamberlain of Queen -Brunhild, and the Queen's twenty warriors landed on the Valley shore, -casqued, cuirassed and armed with lances and swords. From their -shoulders hung their gilt and painted bucklers. - -"Is the distance long from here to the monastery?" inquired the -archdeacon as he set foot on land. - -"No, father; it is at the most a half hour's walk if we move briskly." - -"Lead the way, my dear sons--we will follow." - -"Oh, father, the impious people of this community little dream at this -hour that the punishment of heaven is ready to descend upon their -heads!" - -"Move quickly, my sons--justice will soon be done." - -"Hermanfred," said the chief of the warriors turning to one of the men -in his troop, "have you with you the rope and iron manacles?" - -"Yes, seigneur Gondowald." - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -BRUNHILD AND FREDEGONDE. - - -At the monastery the banquet was in full swing. Convivial cordiality -presided over the celebration. At the table where Loysik, Ronan, the -Master of the Hounds and their respective families were seated, the -conversation continued animated and lively. At this moment the subject -was the atrocities that took place in the gloomy palace of Queen -Brunhild. The happy inhabitants of the Valley listened to the horrible -account with the greedy, uneasy and shuddering curiosity that is often -felt at night when, seated by a peaceful hearth, one hears some -awe-inspiring history. Happy, humble and unknown, the listeners feel -certain they will never find themselves concerned in any adventure of -the frightful nature of the one that causes them to shudder; they fear -and yet they like to hear the end of the tale. - -"In order to unravel the sanguinary tangle, and seeing that Brunhild, -the present ruler of Burgundy, is the theme, let us first sum up the -facts in a few words. Clotaire died not long after he had his son Chram, -together with the latter's wife and daughter, burned alive. That was -about fifty-three years ago. Is it not so?" Ronan was saying. - -"Yes, father," answered Gregory; "we are now in the year 613." - -"Clotaire left four sons--Charibert reigned in Paris, Gontran was King -of Orleans and Bourges, Sigebert was King of Austrasia and resided in -Metz, and Chilperic was left King of Neustria, occupying the royal -residence of Soissons, our conquerors, as you know, having given the -names of Neustria and Austrasia to the provinces of the north and the -east of Gaul." - -"Did you say Chilperic, father?" asked Ronan's son. "Chilperic, the Nero -of Gaul, one of whose edicts closed with these words: 'Let whomsoever -refuses obedience to this law have his eyes put out!'" - -"Yes, we were speaking of him and of his brother Sigebert. Let us leave -the other two aside, seeing that both Charibert and Gontran died -childless, the former in 566, the latter in 593. Although they both -showed themselves worthy descendants of Clovis, they need not now occupy -us." - -"Father, the account that we wish to hear is that of Brunhild and -Fredegonde. These two names seem to be inseparable and are both steeped -in blood--" - -"I am coming to the history of these two monsters and of their two -husbands, Chilperic and Sigebert--the two she-wolves have each her wolf, -and, what is still worse for Gaul, her whelps. Although married to -Andowere, Chilperic had among his numerous concubines a Frankish female -slave, a woman of dazzling beauty, and endowed, it is said, with an -irresistible power of seduction. Her name was Fredegonde. He became so -fascinated with her that, in order to enjoy the company of the slave -with utter freedom, he cast off his wife Andowere, who soon thereupon -died, in a convent. But Chilperic presently tired of Fredegonde also, -and, anxious to emulate his brother Sigebert, who married a princess of -royal blood named Brunhild, the daughter of Athanagild, a King of -Germanic stock like the Franks, and whose ancestors conquered Spain as -Clovis did Gaul, he asked and obtained the hand of Brunhild's sister, -Galeswinthe. It is said that nothing was comparable with the sweetness -of the face of this princess, while the goodness of her heart matched -the angelic qualities of her face. When she was about to leave Spain to -come to Gaul and marry Chilperic, the unhappy soul had sad presentiments -of a speedy death. Nor did her presentiments deceive her. Six years -after her marriage she was smothered to death in her bed by her own -husband." - -"Like Wisigarde, the fourth wife of Neroweg, who was strangled to death -by that Frankish count, whose family still lives in Auvergne," remarked -Gregory. "The Frankish kings and seigneurs all follow the same custom." - -"Poor Galeswinthe! But why did her husband Chilperic indulge such -ferocity toward her?" - -"For the reason that the passion which once drew him to Fredegonde and -which had cooled for a time, resumed the upper hand with him more hotly -than before. He put his second wife out of the way in order to marry the -concubine. Thus Fredegonde was married to Chilperic after the murder of -Galeswinthe, and became one of the queens of Gaul. At times odd -contrasts are seen in the same family. Galeswinthe was an angel, her -sister Brunhild, married to Sigebert, was an infernal being. Of -exceptional beauty, gifted with an iron will, vindictive to the point of -ferocity, animated by an insatiable ambition, and endowed with an -intelligence of such high grade that it would have equalled genius had -she only not applied her extraordinary faculties to the blackest -deeds--Brunhild could not choose but create for herself a fame at which -the world grows pale. She first set her cap to revenge Galeswinthe, who -was strangled to death by Chilperic at the instigation of Fredegonde. A -frightful feud broke out, accordingly, between the two women who now -were mortal enemies, and each of whom reigned with her husband over a -part of Gaul: poison, the assassin's dagger, conflagrations, civil war, -wholesale butcheries, conflicts between fathers and sons, brothers and -brothers--such were the means that the two furies employed against each -other. The people of Gaul did not, of course, escape the devastating -storm. The provinces that were subject to Sigebert and Brunhild were -pitilessly ravaged by Chilperic, while the possessions of the latter -were in turn laid waste by Sigebert. Thus driven by the fury of their -wives, the two brothers fought each other until they were both -assassinated." - -"Oh, if only Gallic blood did not have to flow in torrents, if only -these frightful disasters did not heap fresh ills upon our unhappy -country, I would be ready to see in the conflict between those two -women, who thus blasted the families that they joined, a positive -punishment sent down by heaven," observed Loysik. "But, alas, what ills, -what frightful sufferings do not these royal hatreds afflict our own -people with!" - -"And did the two female monsters ever find ready tools for their -vengeance?" - -"The murders that they did not themselves commit with the aid of poison, -they caused to be committed with the dagger. Fredegonde, whose depravity -surpassed Messalina's of old, surrounded herself with young pages; she -intoxicated them with unspeakable voluptuousness; she threw their -reasoning into disorder by means of philters that she herself concocted; -by means of these she rendered them frenetic, and then she would hurl -them against the appointed victims. It was by such means that she -contrived the assassination of King Sigebert, Brunhild's husband, and -that she succeeded in poisoning their son Childebert. It was by such -means that she caused a large number of her enemies to be despatched -with the dagger and, if the chronicles are to be trusted, her own -husband Chilperic was numbered among her victims." - -"So, then, that veritable fury spewed out of hell--Fredegonde--spared -not even her own husband?" - -"Some historians, at least, lay his murder to her door; others charge it -to Brunhild. Both theories may be correct; the one Queen, as well as the -other, had an interest in putting Chilperic out of the way--Brunhild in -order to avenge her sister Galeswinthe, Fredegonde in order to escape -the punishment that she feared for the depravity of her life." - -"And did punishment finally overtake the abominable woman?" - -"Queen Fredegonde died peaceably in her bed in the year 597 at the age -of fifty-five years. Her funeral was pompously celebrated by the -Catholic priests and she was buried in consecrated ground in the -basilica of St. Germain-des-Pres at Paris. In the language of the -panegyrists of our Kings, 'Fredegonde reigned long, happy and ably.' At -her death she left her kingdom intact to her son Clotaire the younger." - -A shudder of horror passed over the hearers of this shocking history. -The royal abominations stood in such strong contrast to the morals of -the inhabitants of the Valley, that these good people imagined they had -heard the narrative of some frightful dream, the fabric of the delusion -of a fever. - -Gregory was the first to break the silence that ensued: - -"Accordingly, Clotaire the younger, son of Fredegonde and Chilperic, is -the grandson of Clotaire the elder, the slayer of his little nephews, -and is great-grandson to Clovis?" - -"Yes--and how worthy of his stock he is proving himself you may judge, -my son, by the era of new crimes that follows. His mother Fredegonde -bequeathed to him the implacable hatred with which she was herself -animated against Brunhild. Accordingly, the mortal duel continued -unabated between the latter and the son of her enemy." - -"Alas, fresh disasters will befall Gaul, with the renewal of the -sanguinary conflict!" - -"Oh, indeed frightful disasters--frightful--because the crimes of -Fredegonde pale before those of Brunhild, our present Queen, the Queen -of the people of Burgundy." - -"Father, can the crimes of Brunhild surpass Fredegonde's?" - -"Ronan," said Odille carrying both her hands to her temples. "This mass -of murders, all committed in the same family, makes one's head reel with -dizziness. One's mind feels over-burdened and tires in the effort to -follow the bloody thread that alone can lead through the maze of such -unnamable crimes. Great God, in what times do we live! What sights may -yet be reserved for our children!" - -"Unless the demons themselves step next out of hell, little Odille, our -children will see nothing that could surpass what is happening now. As I -said to you, the crimes of Fredegonde are as naught beside Brunhild's. -If you only knew what is going on at this very hour in the magnificent -castle of Chalon-on-the-Saone, where the old Queen--the daughter, wife -and mother of kings--holds her own great-grandchildren under her -tutelage--but no--I dare not--my lips refuse to narrate the shocking -incidents--" - -"Ronan is right. Shocking things, that language is unable to render, -take place to-day in the castle of Queen Brunhild," replied Loysik with -a shudder; but turning to his brother he proceeded to say: "Ronan, out -of respect for these young families, out of respect for humanity at -large, break off your narrative at where you now are." - -"You are right, Loysik; I am bound to stop before the impossibility of -narrating the misdeeds of Queen Brunhild, who, nevertheless, is one of -God's creatures, and belongs to the human species." - -At that moment one of the monk laborers approached Loysik and notified -him that someone was knocking at the outer gate of the monastery, and -that a voice from without announced a message from the bishop of Chalon -and from Queen Brunhild. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE ASSAULT. - - -The name of the female fiend who then ruled Burgundy pronounced at that -moment, produced a profound sensation among the assembled colonists. -They were amazed, and a vague sense of apprehension ran over the -assembly. - -"A message from the bishop and the Queen?" repeated Loysik rising and -proceeding to the outward gate. "That is strange. The punt is tied every -evening on this side of the river, and the watchers have imperative -orders not to cross the stream at night. The messenger must have taken a -boat at Noisan and rowed up the river." - -With these thoughts running in his mind the superior of the community -approached the massive gate bolted from within. Several monks bearing -torches followed the venerable head of their establishment. Ronan, the -Master of the Hounds, and several other colonists also accompanied -Loysik. He made a sign. The heavy gate was unbolted and turned upon its -hinges. It exposed to view, brightly lighted by the moon, the archdeacon -and Gondowald, the Queen's chamberlain. Behind them the armed men stood -ranged in single file, casqued, cuirassed, their bucklers on their arms, -lances in hand, and swords by their sides. - -"There is some treachery in this," said Loysik in a low voice to Ronan; -and turning to one of the monks he asked: "Who is keeping watch to-night -at the lodge of the punt?" - -"The two priests--they volunteered to take the places of the two -brothers whose turn it was to mount guard to-night." - -"I see it all," replied Loysik with bitterness, and stepping forward he -addressed the archdeacon, who had also stepped forward but stopped at -the threshold of the gate together with Gondowald, while their escort -of soldiers remained where they were posted. - -"Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded. - -"My name is Salvien, archdeacon of the church of Chalon and nephew of -the venerable Sidoine, bishop of this diocese. I am the bearer of orders -from your spiritual chief." - -"And I, Gondowald, chamberlain of our glorious Queen Brunhild, am -commissioned by her to give the bishop's envoy my own and my men's -support." - -"Here is a letter for you from my uncle," said the archdeacon handing a -parchment to Loysik. "I wish you to inform yourself of its contents." - -"My years have made my eyes too weak to read; one of my brothers will -read the letter aloud to me." - -"The letter may contain secret matters," observed the archdeacon; "I -recommend to you that you have it read in a low voice." - -"We keep no secrets here from one another--read aloud, brother." - -And Loysik passed the missive to one of the members of the community, -who proceeded to do as ordered by his superior. - -The letter was to the effect that Sidoine, bishop of Chalon, instituted -his archdeacon Salvien as abbot of the monastery of Charolles, wishing -thereby to put an end to the scandals and enormities that for so many -years afflicted Christianity by the example of this community; the same -was thenceforth to be rigorously subject to the rules of St. Benoit, as -were almost all the other monasteries of Gaul. The lay monks who, by -their virtue and humble submission to the orders of their new abbot, -should merit the favor, the entirely Christian favor, would be allowed -to enter the clergy and become Roman monks. Furthermore, by virtue of -the seventh canon of the council of Orleans, held two years previous (in -the year 611), and which decreed that "the ownership of the domains, -lands, vineyards, slaves and cattle, that may be donated to a parish, -shall be vested in the bishop," all the goods of the monastery and of -the colony, which, properly speaking, constitute the parish of -Charolles, were thenceforth to be vested in the bishop of Chalon, who -commissioned his nephew, archdeacon Salvien, to administer said goods. -The prelate closed his missive with an order to his beloved son in -Christ, Loysik, to proceed upon the spot to the city of Chalon, and -there receive the reproof of his bishop and spiritual father, and humbly -undergo the punishment or penance that was to be inflicted upon him. -Finally, seeing that it might happen that brother Loysik, listening to -some diabolical suggestion, might commit the enormity of contemning the -orders of his spiritual father, the noble Gondowald, chamberlain of the -glorious Queen Brunhild, was commissioned by the illustrious princess to -cause the orders of the bishop of Chalon to be carried out, by force, if -need be, through the armed men that he would carry with him. - -Hardly had the monk laborer finished reading the missive than Gondowald -added with a haughty and threatening air: - -"I, the chamberlain of the glorious Queen Brunhild, our very excellent -and very redoubtable mistress, am commissioned by her to inform you that -if you and yours should have the audacity to disobey the orders of the -bishop, as may happen, judging from the insolent murmurs that I have -just heard, I shall have you and the most recalcitrant of your fellows -tied to the tails of the horses of my riders, and shall thus take you to -Chalon, quickening your steps with the shafts of our lances over your -backs." - -In fact, the reading of the bishop's missive was several times -interrupted by the murmurs of the monk laborers and of the colonists, -and these murmurs swelled to such proportions that the intervention of -Loysik became necessary in order to hear the bishop's letter to the end. -But when the Frank Gondowald defiantly uttered his insolent threats, the -crowd answered with an explosion of furious cries intermixed with jeers -and sneers. - -Ronan, the Master of the Hounds and several other old time Vagres were -not among the last to murmur against the usurpatory pretensions of the -Bishop of Chalon, who proposed to appropriate to himself the goods of -the monk laborers and the colonists, and trample down their every right. -Although age had whitened their heads and paled their faces, the Vagres -felt their old fighting blood boil in their veins. Ever a man of action, -Ronan quickly reverted to his early profession and whispered to the -Master of the Hounds: - -"Pick out thirty resolute men, take them to the arsenal, arm yourselves -and run to the punt so as to cut off the retreat of the Franks. I shall -take charge of what is to be done here. By the faith of a Vagre, I feel -myself grown younger by fifty years!" - -"And I, Ronan, while the insolent missive was being read, and especially -when the valet of that infamous Queen dared to threaten us, my hand -looked for a sword at my side." - -Immediately the two old Vagres started to work among the crowd of -colonists and monks; they moved hither and thither, whispering in the -ears of the men whom they were choosing, and each of whom vanished -successively amidst the increasing uproar, that Loysik's firm and -sonorous voice was hardly able to dominate as he answered the -archdeacon: - -"The Bishop of Chalon has no right to impose upon this community either -special rules or an abbot. We elect our chiefs ourselves and of our free -will, in the same manner that we adopt such rules as we are willing to -follow, provided they be Christian. Such was the former and original law -that presided at the foundation of all the cloisters of Gaul. The -bishops exercise over us only the spiritual jurisdiction that they -exercise upon all other lay members. We are here the masters of our -goods and of our persons, by virtue of a charter of the late King -Clotaire, which expressly forbids his dukes, counts and bishops to -incommode us. You speak of councils. One can find anything he wants in -those councils, good and evil, what is just and what is unjust. My -memory has not yet left me. This is what the council of 611 says upon -this very subject: - -"'We have learned that certain bishops wrongfully establish their own -relatives or favorites as abbots in monasteries, and procure for them -iniquitous advantages, in order to acquire through violence all that can -be extracted from the monastery by the agent whom they have placed -there.'" - -The archdeacon bit his lips, and a volley of hisses drowned his voice as -he attempted to make answer. - -"That language, the language I have quoted to you as held by that -council of 611, is the language of justice," Loysik proceeded to say; -"and I recognize in no council, in no prelate, in no King, in no Pope -the right to dispossess honorable and industrious people of their goods, -their lands and their freedom, all of which they hold by virtue of their -natural rights, which are anterior and superior to all authority." - -"I say that your monastery is a new Babylon, a modern Gomorrah!" cried -the archdeacon. "The Bishop of Chalon was so informed; I wished to -convince myself by personal observation. I see women and young girls in -this place which should be consecrated to austerity, to prayer and to -seclusion. I see all the evidences of an unclean orgy, which was -doubtlessly intended to be prolonged until morning--under your own eyes, -in this monastery!" - -"Enough!" cried Loysik in turn and indignantly. "I, as the head of this -community, forbid you to soil the ears of these wives and young girls, -who are here assembled with their families in order peacefully to -celebrate the anniversary of our settlement upon this free soil!" - -"Archdeacon, we have had a surfeit of words," put in Gondowald -haughtily. "To what purpose reason with these dogs--have you not my men -here, ready to enforce obedience?" - -"I wish to make one last effort to open the eyes of these unhappy blind -people," answered the archdeacon. "This unworthy Loysik keeps them under -his infernal magic. All of you who hear my voice, tremble if you resist -the orders of our bishop!" - -"Salvien," said Loysik, "these words are idle, your threats will be -unavailing before our firm resolution to uphold the justice of our -cause. We reject you as abbot of this monastery. These monk laborers and -the inhabitants of this colony owe no one an account of their goods. -This useless debate is wearisome; let us put an end to it. The door of -this monastery is open to those who present themselves as friends, but -it closes in the face of those who present themselves as enemies or -masters, in the name of iniquitous pretensions. Withdraw from these -premises!" - -"Be gone, archdeacon of the devil!" yelled several voices. "Try not to -disturb our celebration! You might be sorry for it!" - -"Rebellion! Threats!" cried the archdeacon, and stepping aside to make -room for the Frankish warriors to enter the courtyard, he added: -"Gondowald, carry out the Queen's orders!" - -"But for your delays, her orders would long ago have been executed! -Forward, my soldiers; bind the old monk, and exterminate the plebs if it -offers resistance!" - -"Forward, my boys! Down with these Franks, and long live old Gaul!" - -Whose voice was that? It was the voice of old Ronan, close upon whose -heels followed about thirty monk laborers and colonists, all picked men, -resolute and strong, and fully armed with lances, axes and swords. These -doughty men had noiselessly passed out of the precincts of the monastery -through the yard of the stables and rounded the outside buildings till -they reached a corner of the wall that surrounded the main building. -There they halted, silent and in ambush, until the moment when -Gondowald summoned his soldiers. Ronan's men immediately and -unexpectedly fell thereupon on the Franks. At the same moment and -accompanied by an equally determined, strong and well armed body of men, -Gregory was seen issuing from the interior buildings of the monastery, -pushed his way through the crowd that now filled the courtyard and -advanced in good order upon the enemy. The archdeacon, Gondowald and the -twenty soldiers that constituted his escort, found themselves suddenly -surrounded by over sixty determined men, in justice to whom be it said -all of them were animated with evil intentions towards the Franks. The -latter were not long in perceiving the hopelessness of their situation -and the feelings entertained towards them. They offered no serious -resistance; after a few passes they surrendered. Despite, however, the -rapidity with which the manoeuvre was executed, Gondowald, who in his -first impulse of surprise and rage had raised his sword over Loysik's -head and wounded one of the monks who covered the aged superior with his -body--Gondowald, for all that he rejoiced in the office of chamberlain -to the glorious Queen Brunhild, was thrown to the ground and soundly -drubbed before his disarmed men. Thanks to Loysik's intervention, no -blood flowed in the rapid melee other than that of the monk who was -slightly wounded by Gondowald. As a matter of precaution, the noble -chamberlain was bound fast and handcuffed with the identical rope and -manacles that, with a foresight for which old Ronan felt duly grateful, -he had intended for Loysik. - -"In the name of the Holy Roman and Apostolic Church, I excommunicate you -all!" cried the archdeacon livid with rage. "Anathema upon whosoever -should dare to lift a sacrilegious hand against a priest of the Church, -an anointed of the Lord!" - -"Tempt me not, archdeacon of Satan! By the faith of a Vagre, old as I -am, I have a good mind to deserve your anathema by letting loose upon -your sacred back a shower of blows with the scabbard of my sword." - -"Ronan, Ronan, no violence!" said Loysik. "These strangers came here as -enemies; they were the first to shed blood; you have disarmed them; that -was just--" - -"And their arms will enrich our arsenal," Ronan broke in saying. "Come, -boys, gather in that goodly harvest of iron. By my faith, we shall now -be armed like royal warriors!" - -"Take those soldiers and their chief into one of the halls of the -monastery," Loysik ordered. "They are to be kept locked up; armed monks -shall mount guard at the doors and windows. We shall later decide upon -what is to be done." - -"To dare hold me a prisoner, me, an officer of Queen Brunhild's -household!" cried Gondowald grinding his teeth and struggling to free -himself from his bonds. "Oh, you will pay dearly for such audacity, -insolent monk! The Queen will take revenge for me upon your old hide!" - -"Queen Brunhild has acted in defiance of law and justice by sending -hither armed men to support with force the message of the Bishop of -Chalon. She did wrong, even if his pretensions were as just as they are -iniquitous," Loysik answered Gondowald; and turning to his monks he -proceeded: "Take away those men; above all guard against any injury -being done to them; if they need food, let them be supplied. Let us -prove ourselves merciful." - -The monks led away the Frankish soldiers and their chief, the latter of -whom had to be carried in their arms, seeing that he wrathfully refused -to walk. This being done, Loysik said to the archdeacon, who snarled out -of breath with rage like a fox caught in a trap: - -"Salvien, before aught else I must insure the safety and tranquility of -this colony and community. I am, consequently, compelled to order you to -remain a prisoner in this monastery. Fear not; you will be treated with -consideration; your prison will be the precinct of the monastery. Within -three or four days at the latest--when I shall be back here--you will -be set free to return to Chalon." - -After the archdeacon was removed from their presence, Ronan said to -Loysik: - -"Brother, you spoke of your return; are you going away? Where to?" - -"Yes; I depart this instant. I am going to Chalon, to speak with the -bishop and the Queen." - -"What, Loysik!" cried Ronan with painful anxiety. "You leave us? You -propose to face Brunhild? Do you forget that that name spells -'Implacable Vengeance,' Loysik? You would be running to your perdition! -No--no! You shall not undertake such a journey!" - -The monk laborers as well as the rest of the colonists shared the -apprehensions of Ronan, and began to ply Loysik with tender and pressing -entreaties, in order to draw him from his foolhardy project. The old -monk was not to be moved. While one of the brothers who was to accompany -him hastily made the preparations for the journey, he repaired to his -own cell in order to take the charter of King Clotaire, which he kept -there. Ronan and his family followed Loysik, still seeking to dissuade -him from his project. He answered them sadly: - -"Our situation is beset with perils. Not the fate of the monastery alone -but of the whole colony is at stake. You could easily prevail over a -handful of soldiers; but we cannot think of resisting Brunhild by force. -To attempt any such thing would be to invite the utter ruin of the -Valley, the slaughter of its inhabitants and slavery for the survivors. -Clotaire's charter establishes our rights; but what is law or right to -Brunhild?" - -"But that being so, what do you purpose to do at Chalon, in the very den -of the she-wolf?" - -"To demand justice of her!" - -"But you just said yourself 'What is law or justice to Brunhild!'" - -"She sports with justice as she does with the lives of her men; and yet -I entertain some slight hope. I wish you to keep the archdeacon and his -soldiers prisoners--first, because in their fury they certainly would -have me waylaid and killed on the road; I cling to life in order to lead -to a successful issue the business that I now have in hand; secondly, -because, rather than have the archdeacon and the chamberlain precede me -in making the report of to-night's occurrence, I prefer myself to inform -the bishop and Brunhild of the resistance that we offered." - -"But, brother, suppose justice is refused you; suppose the implacable -Queen orders you to be slain--as she has done with so many other victims -of her injustice!" - -"In that event the iniquity will be accomplished. In that event, if -their purpose is not only to subject your goods and persons to the -tyranny and exactions of the Church, but also to despoil you forcibly of -the soil and the liberty that you have reconquered and which a royal -charter guarantees to you, in that event you will be forced to take a -supreme resolution. Call together a solemn council, as our fathers of -yore were in the habit of doing whenever the safety of the land was in -peril. Let the mothers and wives take part in that council, as was the -ancient custom of Gaul, because the fate of their husbands and children -is to be determined upon. You will then with calmness, wisdom and -firmness decide upon one of these three alternatives--the only ones, -alas! left to you: Whether to submit to the pretensions of the Bishop of -Chalon, and accept a disguised servitude that will soon transform our -free Valley into a domain of the Church, to be exploited for his -benefit; whether you will bow before the will of the Queen if she -tramples your rights under foot, tears up the charter of Clotaire, and -declares our Valley a domain of the royal fisc, which will mean to you -spoliation, misery, slavery and shame; or, finally, whether, strong in -your own right, but certain of being crushed by superior numbers, to -make protest against the royal or episcopal iniquity by a heroic -defense, and bury yourselves and your families under the ruins of your -homes. You will have to decide upon one of these three measures." - -"All of us, without exception, men, women and children, will know how to -fight and die like our ancestors, Loysik! And perhaps it may happen that -the bloody lesson and example may shake the surrounding populations from -their torpor. But, brother--brother--to think of your starting alone, -and alone confronting a danger that I cannot share with you!" - -"Come, Ronan, no weakness. See to it that all the fortified posts of the -Valley be occupied as was done fifty years ago at the time of the -invasion of Burgundy by Chram. The old military experience that you and -the Master of the Hounds have acquired will now be of great service. For -the rest, there will be no fear of any attack during the next four or -five days. It will take me two days to reach Chalon, and an equally long -time for the Queen's troops to reach the Valley, in the event of her -resolving upon violence. Until the moment of my arrival at Chalon, both -the bishop and Brunhild will be in the dark as to whether their orders -were enforced or not. They can receive no tidings seeing that the -archdeacon and the chamberlain, together with their troops, remain -prisoners in the Valley and under safe surveillance." - -"And in case of need they will serve as hostages." - -"It is the law of war. If the insane bishop, if the implacable Queen -wish war, we must also keep as prisoners the two priests, the infamous -hypocrites, who treacherously brought the archdeacon into the Valley." - -"I overheard the monks argue upon the lesson that they should administer -to the two spies--they spoke of a strapping." - -"I expressly forbid any act of violence towards the two priests!" said -Loysik in a tone of severe reproof, addressing two monk laborers who -happened to be at the time in the cell. "Those clerks are but the -creatures of the bishop; they merely obeyed his orders. I repeat it--no -violence, my children!" - -"Good father Loysik, seeing you so order it, no harm shall be done -them." - -Heartrending was the leave-taking between Loysik and both the -inhabitants of the colony and the members of the community. Many tears -flowed; many childish hands clung to the monk's robe. Vain were the -recurring entreaties not to depart on his errand. He took his leave, -accompanied as far as the punt by Ronan and his family. At the landing -of the punt they found the Master of the Hounds and his posse ready -posted to cut off the retreat of the Franks. As he took his post, the -Master of the Hounds noticed on the other side of the river a number of -slaves guarding the mounts of the warriors and the archdeacon's baggage. -The Master of the Hounds considered it prudent to seize both men and -animals. Leaving one-half of his companions at the lodge, he crossed the -river at the head of the rest. The slaves offered no resistance, and -three trips sufficed to transport the men, the animals and the wagons to -the opposite shore. Loysik approved the manoeuvre of the Master of the -Hounds. Seeing that neither the archdeacon nor Gondowald returned, the -slaves might have run back to Chalon and given the alarm. It was -important to the project upon which the monk was bent that the recent -occurrences at the monastery remained a secret. Considering his advanced -age and the long road that he had to travel, Loysik decided to use the -archdeacon's mule for the journey. The animal was re-embarked on the -punt, which Ronan and his son Gregory decided themselves to take to the -other shore, so as to remain a few minutes longer with Loysik. The craft -touched ground; the old monk laborer embraced Ronan and his son once -more, mounted his mule, and, accompanied by a young brother of the -community, who followed him on foot, took the road to Chalon-on-the-Saone, -the residence of the redoubted Queen Brunhild. - - - - -PART II. - -THE CASTLE OF BRUNHILD - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -IN THE TOWER-ROOM. - - -"Long live he who loves the Franks! May Christ uphold their empire! May -He enlighten their chiefs and fill them with grace! May He protect the -army, may He fortify the faith, may He grant peace and happiness to -those who govern them under the auspices of our Lord Jesus Christ!" - -By the faith of a Vagre! That passage from the prelude to the Salic Law -always recurs to the mind when Frankish kings or queens are on the -tapis. Let us enter the lair of Brunhild--splendid lair! Not rustic is -this burg, like Neroweg's, the large burg that we old Vagres reduced to -ashes! No; this great Queen has a refined taste. One of her passions is -for architecture. The noble woman loves the ancient arts of Greece and -Italy. Aye, she loves art! Regale your sight with the magnificent castle -that she built at Chalon-on-the-Saone, the capital of Burgundy. -Magnificent as are all her other castles, none, not even that of -Bourcheresse, can compare with her royal residence, the superb gardens -of which stretch to the very banks of the Saone. It is a palace at once -gorgeous and martial. In these days of incessant feuds, kings and -seigneurs always turn their homes into fortifications. So also did -Brunhild. Her palace is girt by thick walls, flanked with massive -towers. One only entrance--a vaulted passage closed at its two -extremities by enormous iron-barred doors--leads within. Night and day -Brunhild's men-at-arms mount guard in the vault. In the inside -courtyards are numerous other lodges for horsemen and footmen. The halls -of the palace are vast; they are paved in marble or in mosaics, and are -ornamented with colonnades of jasper, porphyry and alabaster surmounted -with capitals of gilded bronze. These architectural wonders, -masterpieces of art, the spoils of the temples and palaces of Gaul, were -transported with the help of an immense number of relays of slaves and -beasts of burden from their original and distant sites to the palace of -the Queen. These vast and gorgeous halls, which are furthermore stored -with massive ivory, gold and silver furniture, with exquisitely wrought -pagan statues, with precious vases and tripods, are but vestibules to -the private chamber of Brunhild. The sun has just risen. The spacious -halls are filling with the Queen's domestic slaves, with officers of her -troops, with high dignitaries of her establishment--chamberlains, -equerries, stewards, constables--all coming to receive their mistress's -orders. - -A circular apartment, contrived into one of the towers of the palace, -connects with the chamber that the Queen habitually inhabits. The walls -are pierced by three doors--one leads to the hall where the officers of -the palace are in waiting; another into Brunhild's bedroom; the third, a -simple bay closed by a curtain of gilded leather, opens upon a spiral -staircase that is built into the hollow of the wall itself. The Queen's -chamber is sumptuously furnished. Upon a table, covered with a richly -embroidered tapestry, lie rolls of white parchment beside a solid coffer -studded with precious stones. Around the table a number of chairs are -arranged, all of which are furnished with soft purple cushions. Here and -there the shafts of pillars serve as pedestals for vases of jasper, of -onyx, or of Corinthian bronze, a material more precious than gold or red -alabaster. Upon an antique green plinth rests a group exquisitely -wrought in Parisian marble and representing the pagan god of Love -caressing Venus. Not far from that group, two statues of bronze that age -has turned green represent the obscene figures of a fawn and a nymph. -Between these two masterpieces of pagan art, a picture painted upon wood -and brought at great expense from Byzantium, represents the infant -Christ and John the Baptist, the latter also as a child. This picture -of holiness indicates that Queen Brunhild is a fervent Catholic. Does -she not carry on a regular correspondence with the Pope of Rome, the -pious Gregory, who can not bestow too many blessings upon his holy -daughter in Christ? Further away, upon yonder ivory stand, is an -elaborately carved case in which large Roman and Gallic medals of silver -and gold are displayed. Among these medals is one of bronze, the only -one of that metal in the collection. What does it represent? - -What! Here! In a place like this! That august, that venerated face! O, -profanation! - -Oh, never was the place or time more opportune for a miracle than here -and now, in order to terrify evildoers! That bronze effigy should -shudder with horror at the place in which it finds itself. - -An elderly and richly clad woman, of stony, cynic and wily countenance, -steps from Brunhild's bedroom and enters the apartment in the tower. The -woman, of noble Frankish extraction and Chrotechilde by name, has long -been the confidante in all the Queen's crimes and debaucheries. She -steps to a bell, rings it and waits. Shortly after, another old woman -appears at the door that opens upon the spiral staircase in the wall. -Her extremely simple costume announces that she is of inferior rank. - -"I heard you ring, noble dame Chrotechilde, at your orders." - -"Did Samuel, the slave merchant, come as ordered?" - -"He has been waiting below for over an hour with two young girls, and -also an old man with a long white beard." - -"Who is that old man?" - -"A slave, I suppose, that the Jew is to take somewhere else, after his -business is done here." - -"Order Samuel to bring up the two young girls, immediately." - -The old woman bowed and vanished behind the curtain. Almost at the same -moment Brunhild stepped out of her bedroom. - -The Queen was sixty-seven years of age; the lines on her face still -preserved the traces of exceptional beauty. Her wan and wrinkled face -was illumined by the somber brilliancy of her two large but sunken eyes, -which were surrounded with deep, dark circles. They were black, like her -long eyelashes; only her hair was white. A front of brass, cruel lips, -penetrating eyes, a head haughtily poised, proud and lofty carriage, -seeing that she had preserved a straight and supple waist--such was -Brunhild. She had hardly stepped into the apartment, when she stopped, -listened and said to Chrotechilde: - -"Who is coming up the little stairs?" - -"The slave merchant; he has two young girls with him." - -"Let him in--let him in!" - -"Madam, whom do you intend to present with the two slave girls that he -brings?" - -"I shall tell you later. But I am in a hurry to examine the two -creatures. The choice is important." - -"Madam, here is Samuel." - -The dealer in Gallic flesh, a Jew by extraction like most of the men who -devoted themselves to such traffic, entered, followed by the two slaves -whom he brought with him. They were wrapped in long white veils, that -were transparent enough to enable them to walk unassisted. - -"Illustrious Queen," said the Jew dropping on one knee and bowing so low -that his forehead almost touched the floor, "I am here obedient to your -orders; here are two young female slaves; they are veritable treasures -of beauty, of sweetness, of gracefulness, of gentleness and above all of -maidenliness. Your excellency knows that old Samuel has but one -quality--that of being an honest trader." - -"Rise--rise!" commanded Brunhild, addressing the two girls, who, at the -sight of the redoubted Queen, had fallen on their knees at the -threshold of the door near the merchant. "Let the girls rise, and remove -their veils." - -The two slaves hastened to obey the Queen. They rose. To the end of -enhancing the value of his merchandise, the Jew had clad the two young -girls in short-sleeved tunics, the skirt of which hardly reached their -knees, while the cut of their corsage left their bosoms and shoulders -half exposed. One of the two slaves, a tall and lithesome girl, wore a -white tunic; her eyes were blue; a strand of corals wound itself in the -braids of her black hair; eighteen or twenty years was the utmost age -that she could be taken for. The girl's face, touchingly beautiful and -open, was bathed in tears. Steeped in sorrow and shame, and trembling at -every limb, she dared not raise her tear-dimmed eyes out of fear to -encounter Brunhild's. After long and attentively contemplating the girl, -whom she ordered to turn around in order to have a view of her from all -sides, the old Queen exchanged a look of approval with Chrotechilde, who -had been no less attentively examining the slave. Addressing the latter -she asked: - -"Of what country are you?" - -"I am from the city of Toul," answered the girl in a tremulous voice. - -"Aurelie! Aurelie!" cried Samuel stamping on the ground with his foot. -"Is that the way you remember my lessons? You should answer: 'Glorious -Queen, I am from the city of Toul.'" And turning towards Brunhild, -"Kindly pardon her, madam, but she is so childish, so simple--" - -Brunhild cut off the Jew's flow of words and proceeded with her -interrogatory: - -"Where were you taken?" - -"At Toul, madam, when the city was sacked by the King of Burgundy." - -"Were you free or slave?" - -"I was free--my father was a master armorer." - -"Can you read and write? Have you pleasing accomplishments? Can you sing -and play?" - -"I can read and write, and my mother taught me to play upon the archlute -and to sing." - -When she said that she could sing, the unhappy girl was unable to -repress the sobs that suffocated her. She must have thought of her -mother. - -"Weep, and weep again!" Samuel cried, angrily scolding the girl. "You -can do that better than anything else. But, as you know, great Queen, -one has a certain supply of tears, after the supply has run out the bag -is empty." - -"Do you really believe so, Jew? Fortunately you are merely slandering -the human race," observed the Queen with a cruel smile, and proceeded to -interrogate the young girl: - -"Have you ever been a slave before now?" - -"By the faith of Samuel, illustrious Queen, she is as new to slavery as -a child in the womb of its mother!" cried the Jew as he saw the young -Gallic slave breaking out anew into sobs, and unable to make answer. "I -bought Aurelie on the very day of the battle of Toul, and since then my -wife Rebecca and I have watched over the girl as if she were our own -child, hoping that we might realize a fair price for her. We guarantee -that she is a maiden." - -After another look over the girl, who now hid her face in her hands, -Brunhild said to Samuel: - -"Return her veil to her; let her stop whimpering; bring forth the other -one." - -Aurelie received her veil from the hands of the Jew like an act of -kindness, and hastened to wrap herself up in its folds in order to -conceal her grief, her shame and her tears. At the Queen's order, the -other slave hastened to step forward. Dainty and fresh as a Hebe, she -might be sixteen years of age. A string of pearls wound itself in the -stout braids of her bright blonde hair; her large hazel eyes sparkled -with mischief and fire; her thin and slightly upturned nose, her rosy -and palpitating nostrils, her ruby but rather fleshy lips, her little -enamel teeth, her dimpled cheeks and chin, imparted to this girl the -liveliest, gayest and most impudent look imaginable. Her tunic of green -silk added luster to the whiteness of her bosom and shoulders. Oh! the -Jew had no need of telling this one to turn around, and turn again, in -order that the aged Queen might obtain a good view of her charming -shape. She raised her head, arched her neck, rose on the tips of her -feet, folded her arms gracefully, and at all points played the coquette -before Brunhild and Chrotechilde, who again exchanged looks of approval, -while the Jew, who was now made to feel as uneasy by the audacity of -this slave as before by the sorrowful deportment of the other, whispered -to her: - -"Keep quiet, Blandine--do not shake your legs and wave your arms quite -so much. A little more decorum, my girl, in the presence of our -illustrious and beloved Queen! One would think you had quicksilver in -your veins! May your excellence excuse her, illustrious princess. She is -so young, so gay, so giddy-headed--all she wants is to fly from her cage -and display her plumage and voice. Lower your eyes, Blandine! You -audacious girl! How dare you look our august Queen in the face!" - -Indeed, instead of avoiding the penetrating eyes of Brunhild, Blandine -sought to catch and mischievously to challenge them, all the while -smiling with a confident mien. The Queen, accordingly, after an equally -long and minute survey, said to her: - -"Slavery does not seem to sadden you?" - -"On the contrary, glorious Queen, to me slavery has been freedom." - -"How is that, impudent lass?" - -"I had a peevish, cross, quarrelsome step-mother. She made me spend upon -the cold stone porches of the basilicas all the time that I was not -engaged plying my needle. The old fury used to beat me whenever I -unfortunately took my nose off my sewing and smiled at some lad at the -window. Accordingly, great Queen, what a sad lot was mine! Ill fed, I -who am so fond of dainties; ill clad, I who am so coquettish; on my feet -at the first crow of the cock, I who am so fond of snoozing in my bed! -And so it happens that great was my joy when your invincible grandson -and his brave army, Queen, illustrious Queen, drew, last year, near -Tolbiac, where I lived." - -"Why so?" - -"Because, glorious Queen, I knew that Frankish warriors never kill young -girls. I said to myself: 'Perhaps I may be captured by some baron of -Burgundy, a count, or perhaps even a duke, and once I am a slave, if I -know myself, I shall become a mistress--because there have been female -slaves known--" - -"To become Queens, like Fredegonde, not so, my little one?" - -"And why not, if they are pretty!" impudently answered the minx without -lowering her eyes before Brunhild, who listened to and contemplated her -with a pensive air. "But, alas," Blandine proceeded saying with a half -suppressed sigh, "I did not then have the fortune of falling into the -hands of a seigneur. An old leude, with long white moustaches and not a -bit amorous, had me for his share of the booty, and he immediately after -sold me to seigneur Samuel. But perhaps it is not yet too late, and a -lucky chance may come my way. But what is this that I am saying!" added -Blandine smiling her sweetest at Brunhild, "is it not a great, an -unexpected piece of good luck that has brought me to your presence, -illustrious Queen?" - -After a moment's reflection, Brunhild said to the merchant: - -"Jew, I shall buy one of these two slaves from you." - -"Illustrious Queen, which of the two do you prefer, Aurelie or -Blandine?" - -"I am not yet decided--leave them at the palace until this evening--they -shall be taken to my women's apartment." - -At a nod from the Queen, Chrotechilde rang the bell; the second old -woman again appeared; Brunhild's confidante said to her: - -"Take these two slaves with you." - -"Illustrious Queen," said Blandine turning once more to Brunhild, while -the Jew was carefully wrapping the devilish girl in her veil. "Queen, -choose me, glorious Queen--you will thereby do a good work--I would so -much like to stay at court." - -"Keep still, impudent thing!" said Samuel in a low voice while gently -pushing Blandine towards the Queen's bedroom, at the door of which -Chrotechilde pointed her finger. "Too much is too much; such -familiarities may displease our illustrious sovereign!" - -The two young girls, one of whom was brimming over with happiness while -the other staggered under the weight of her grief, stepped into the -Queen's apartment. The Jew humbly bowed before Brunhild, left by the -same door that he had entered, and closed behind him the leather curtain -that masked the issue to the spiral staircase. - -Brunhild and her confidante were left alone. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -QUEEN AND CONFIDANTE. - - -"Madam," said Chrotechilde to Brunhild, "for whom do you intend the one -of the two female slaves whom you expect to buy?" - -"You really ask me?" - -"Yes, madam--" - -"Chrotechilde, age seems to dull your powers of penetration--perhaps I -may have to look for some other confidante." - -"Madam, please explain yourself--" - -"I mean to test how far the present dullness that seems to have come -over you may go." - -"Truly, madam, I am at a loss to understand you--" - -"Tell me, Chrotechilde, did not my son Childebert, when he died -assassinated by Fredegonde, leave me the guardianship of his two sons, -my grandchildren, Thierry and Theudebert?" - -"Yes--madam--but I was speaking of the two female slaves--and not of -your children." - -"At what age was my grandson Theudebert a father?" - -"At thirteen--at that age he had a son from Bilichilde, the -dark-complexioned slave with green eyes, for whom you paid a big price. -I still see her wild looks, as uncommon as her style of beauty. For the -rest, she had a nymph's waist, and wavy and jet-black hair that reached -the floor. I never in my life saw such hair. But why do you look so -somber?" - -"The vile slave! Did not that miserable Bilichilde gain a fatal -ascendency over my grandson Theudebert, despite the many other -concubines that we furnished him?" - -"Indeed, madam! So fatal was the ascendency that she gained over him, -that she caused us to be driven out of Metz, both you and me, and led -prisoners as far as Arcis-on-the-Aube, the boundary of Burgundy, the -kingdom of your other grandson, Thierry. But all that is an old story, -madam, that is dead and should be forgotten, together with the principal -actors in it. Bilichilde is no more; she was last year strangled to -death by your grandson, the savage idiot Theudebert himself, who passed -from love to hatred; afterwards, beaten at the battle of Tolbiac by his -brother, whom you hurled at his head, he was himself shorn of his hair -and stabbed to death; finally, his five-year-old son had his skull -broken against a stone. Accordingly, that score was thoroughly settled. -Were you not amply revenged?" - -"No; with me, hatred survives vengeance, it survives death itself, as -the dagger survives the murder. No; my vengeance is not yet complete." - -"You are not reasonable. To hate beyond the grave is childish at your -age." - -"And is your mind not yet enlightened by what we have just said?" - -"With regard to the two handsome slaves?" - -"Yes, with regard to the two pretty girls." - -"No, madam, I cannot yet fathom your thoughts." - -"Let us, then, proceed, seeing that you have become so obtuse. Tell me, -what was the nature of Theudebert, before we gave him Bilichilde for -companion?" - -"Violent, active, resolute, head-strong and above all proud. At eleven -years he already felt the proud ardor of his royal blood. He used to say -loftily: 'I am the King of Austrasia! I am master!'" - -"And two years after he possessed the dark-complexioned slave with the -green eyes and curly hair, whom you so judiciously chose for him, what -was then the nature of my grandson? Answer me, Chrotechilde." - -"Oh, madam, Theudebert was unrecognizable. Unnerved, irresolute and -languid, he had no will except to go from his bed to table, and from -table to bed with his concubines. He hardly had enough spirit to hunt -with falcons, a woman's amusement; the hunt of wild animals he could not -think of, it was too tiring. I was not at all surprised at the change. -From being robust, pert and loving noisy games since his early -childhood, he became sickly, weak, puny, dreamy, and preferred darkened -rooms as if the light of the sun hurt his eyes. In short, he had given -promise of becoming a man of large size, but he died stunted and almost -beardless." - -"It was that I aimed at, Chrotechilde. Precocious debauchery unnerves -the soul as much as it does the body. Accordingly Theudebert's issue was -not born with vitality enough to survive." - -"True enough; I never saw such puny children--but what else could be -expected from a dwarfish and almost imbecile father?" - -"And yet, as early as his twelfth year, Theudebert used to say -haughtily: 'I am the King of Austrasia! I am master!'" - -"Yes, but afterwards, whenever you sought to converse with him upon -matters of state, and you called his attention to his being King, the -boy would regularly answer you in his languid voice and with his eyes -half shut: 'Grandmother, I am King of my women, of my amphoras of old -wine and of my falcons! Reign in my stead, grandmother; reign in my -name, if you please!'" - -"And it did please me, Chrotechilde. I reigned in Austrasia for my -grandson Theudebert until the day when that vile slave Bilichilde, -availing herself of her influence over the imbecile King, drove me from -Metz--drove out me--Brunhild!" - -"Ever the remembrance of that occurrence! Again does the storm gather -over your forehead! Again your eyes shoot lightning! But, by the -heavens, madam; the slave has been strangled, the imbecile and his son -are both dead--they have both been killed and lie in their graves. I -even forgot that, in order to complete the hecatomb of those malefic -animals, Quintio, the stewart of the palace and Duke of Champagne, who -took an improper part in the affair of Metz, was put to death upon your -orders. What more can you wish? Besides, in exchange for the Austrasia -that you lost, did you not gain a Burgundy? If Theudebert drove you from -Metz, did you not take refuge here, in Chalon, near your other grandson -Thierry? Enervated and besotted through overindulgence with the women -that we furnished him with, did you not drive him to undertake a -merciless war against his own brother, whom he overcame at Toul and -Tolbiac, and who, after these defeats, was himself, together with his -son put to death, as I reminded you a minute ago? Thus revenged for -being exiled from Metz, have you not ever since held sway over Thierry -and actually reigned in his stead? When Aegila, the stewart of the -palace, made you apprehensive by reason of his growing influence over -your grandson, you promptly rid yourself of Aegila, and you substituted -him with your lover Protade, who thereupon became the mayor of the -palace--" - -"But they killed him, Chrotechilde--they killed him--they killed my -lover, my Protade!" - -"Come, madam; we are here among ourselves; admit that a Queen never -suffers any dearth of lovers. You need only choose among the handsomest, -the youngest, the most appetizing nobles of the court. Moreover, madam, -without meaning to make you any reproaches on that score, if they did -kill your Protade, did you not in turn kill their Bishop Didier?" - -"Perchance he did not merit his fate?" - -"Never was punishment more condign! The wily prelate! He schemed to -supplant us in our amorous manoeuvres! Why, the fellow plotted the -marriage of your grandson to the Spanish princess, in order to snatch -him from the voluptuous life in which we kept him, and thereby withdraw -him from your domination! And what happened to the tonsured schemer? -The current of the Chalaronne washed his corpse down the stream, while -the Spanish woman, upon whom he reckoned in order to evict you and, by -means of her, to rule Thierry and through Thierry Burgundy, that Spanish -woman has been repudiated by your grandson, she went back to her own -country only six months after her wedding, and we have appropriated her -dower. Finally, Thierry died this year of a dysentery," added the hag -with a horrid smile, "and so you now are absolute mistress and sovereign -Queen of this country of Burgundy, seeing that Sigebert, the eldest son -of Thierry, your great-grandson, is now only eleven years old. We must -prevent these kinglets from dying out, else Fredegonde's surviving son -would fall heir to their kingdoms. All that is needed is that they -vegetate, in order that you may reign in their stead. Well, madam, they -vegetate. But all this takes us far away from the young female slave -whom you wish to buy from Samuel." - -"On the contrary, Chrotechilde, the review leads us directly to the -slave." - -"In what manner?" - -"There can no longer be any doubt about it; age is softening your -brains; formerly so quick to grasp my purposes, it is now fully a -quarter of an hour that you have been giving me distressful proofs of -your waning intellect." - -"I, madam?" - -"Yes; in former days, instead of asking me what I intended doing with -one of Samuel's slaves, you would have guessed on the spot. I have been -able to convince myself at leisure of the senility of your -understanding--it is sad, Chrotechilde." - -"As sad to me as to you, madam. But deign to explain yourself, I pray -you. For me to hear is to obey." - -"What! Dullard! You know that I have the guardianship of my -great-grandchildren, and yet you stupidly ask me what I propose to do -with one of the two pretty slaves! Do you now understand?" - -"Oh! Yes! I now begin to understand, madam; but yet your reproaches were -unmerited. You forget that Sigebert is not yet eleven." - -"All the better! The debauch will begin so much earlier." - -"That is true," remarked the other monster with a horrid peal of -laughter. "That is true; all the better. The debauch will start so much -sooner." - -During this shocking conversation the august bronze effigy remained -motionless in the case of medals on the ivory stand; it never once as -much as winked, nor did its metal mouth utter a cry of malediction to -shake the walls of the apartment like a trumpet blast of the day of -judgment. - -The conversation between the two matrons proceeded. - -"You mean to furnish a concubine to your great-grandson, Sigebert," said -Chrotechilde to the Queen, "although he is not yet eleven." - -"Yes," repeated Brunhild; "but what happened with Bilichilde makes me -pause: I do not know which of the two slaves to take. What is your -opinion, in view of your experience?" - -"The tall brunette who weeps constantly will never be dangerous; she is -mild, candid, and stupid as a sheep. There is no fear that the silly -thing will ever instil Sigebert with evil thoughts against you." - -"I also am strongly inclined in favor of the weepful one; the other girl -seems to me rather too bold a piece. The impudent thing never once -lowered her eyes before mine, that terrify the otherwise firmest and -most daring men." - -"It is quite possible, madam, that the frisky little imp may have too -large a measure of what the tall one has too little--there may be profit -in that. Let us look at things as they are. Sigebert is not yet eleven, -he is very childish, thinks only of his top and huckle-bones; besides, -he is quiet and timid, a veritable lamb. Now, then, if the tall silly -thing associates with him like a sheep--you understand me, madam? On the -other hand, the little gay imp might set our lamb afire. I always -remember the fear of Theudebert at the sight of the girl with the green -eyes and curly hair. The matter requires careful consideration, madam. -Let us first study the nature of the two girls. Moreover, there is no -great hurry in the matter. Sigebert is now in Germany with Duke -Warnachaire, the mayor of the palace of Burgundy." - -"They may be back any moment. I should not be surprised to see them back -to-day. Moreover, I am in all the greater hurry to procure a slave girl -for Sigebert, seeing that I fear Warnachaire may have gained some -influence over him during this journey into Germany. If so, whatever -influence Warnachaire may have gained over the boy will be speedily lost -in his experiences with love." - -"But, madam, if you mistrust the duke, why did you confide Sigebert to -him?" - -"Was it not absolutely necessary for Sigebert to be a part of the -embassy? The sight of the royal child, with his sweet face, was certain -to interest in his behalf the German tribes on the other side of the -Rhine whose alliance Warnachaire was to secure for me. Their troops will -double my army. Oh, in this last supreme effort, in this merciless war -that will now break out between me and Clotaire II, this son of -Fredegonde will be ground to dust--it must be--it must be--my vengeance -must be complete." - -"And it will be, madam. Until now, your enemies have all fallen under -your blows. The death of Fredegonde's son will crown the work. I must, -nevertheless, admit that this Duke Warnachaire makes me feel uneasy. -Madam, these mayors of the palaces, who, forty-five or fifty years ago, -under the reign of the sons of old Clotaire, began with being the -intendants of the royal palaces, and who, ever since, have by little and -little become the actual governors of the people, I fear me that these -mayors of the palaces will end by swallowing up the kings, if the kings -do not suppress them. These able folks say to the princes: 'Keep -concubines, drink, play, hunt, sleep, squander the money that we fill -your treasuries with, enjoy your lives, bother not with matters of -government, we shall take charge of that burden.' These are dangerous -and wicked proceedings, madam. That a mother, a grandmother should act -in that manner towards her sons and grandsons, that is allowable; but -with mayors of the palace it becomes usurpation; and this Warnachaire, -whom you allowed to retain his office of mayor after Thierry's death is -bent, it seems to me, upon dominating Sigebert and ousting you, madam. I -know that with the tall or the short slave we shall be able to hold our -own against the duke--but never forget your exile from Metz, madam!" - -"You are preaching to one already converted. I recently wrote to Aimoin, -who returns with Warnachaire, to kill him on the way back." - -"Oh, glorious Queen, why did you not say so before! I would have spared -you my rhetoric." - -"But unfortunately Aimoin failed to carry out my orders. Warnachaire is -still alive." - -"Why did he not obey?" - -"I do not yet know; I may learn the reason to-day." - -"At any rate we should not be hasty in thinking ill of Aimoin. Perhaps -no favorable opportunity presented itself; who knows but you may yet see -him return alone with Sigebert. And if not, once Warnachaire is back at -Chalon, in this castle, his fate, madam, will be in the hollow of your -hand--and you should not hesitate to strike. Oh, these mayors of the -palaces, these mayors of the palaces! I look upon them as the gravest -danger to the royal family. You may be certain, madam, that the royal -family will never enjoy safety until it will have rid itself of these -daily more dangerous rivals." - -"We need time to overthrow their power. They have drawn around them all -the beneficiary seigneurs whom the royal generosity enriched. Oh! Time! -Time! Oh, how short is life. I need time; combined with it, will-power -and force can do all. The time that I need is a long reign; I shall have -it. The barbarian tribes on the other side of the Rhine have responded -to our call; they will join our army. Thanks to their reinforcements, -the troops of Clotaire will be crushed, and the son of Fredegonde will -fall into my power! Oh! To inflict upon the son a slow death under the -protracted tortures that I prepared for his mother! To avenge by his -agony the murder of my sister Galeswinthe, and of my husband Sigebert! -To take possession of Clotaire's kingdom and reign alone, the undisputed -mistress of all Gaul for many a long year! That is my aim. And it will -be reached. I feel myself full of life, strength and will-power!" - -"You will live a hundred years and more." - -"I believe it. I feel it. Aye, I feel within me indomitable will and -vitality. To reign! the ambition of great souls! To reign like the -Emperors of Rome! I wish to emulate them in all their sovereign -omnipotence! I wish to count by the millions the instruments of my will! -I wish, by a mere gesture, to cause the power of my arms to be felt from -one confine of the world to the other! I wish to increase my kingdom to -an infinite extent! I wish to be able to say: 'All these countries, from -the nearest to the most distant, belong to me! I wish to concentrate the -forces of all nations into my own hands and to cause all the peoples of -the earth to bend under my yoke! I wish to raise in all parts of Gaul -the marvels of art that now cover Burgundy--fortified castles, -magnificent palaces, gold-naved basilicas, wide and interminable -highways, prodigious monuments, all of which will in all the centuries -to come re-echo the name of Brunhild! Should I allow vulgar scruples to -stay my hand, having such grand designs in view? No! No! Could these -children whom I unman, could these men whom I kill because they hinder -my progress--could they or any of them as much as conceive my gigantic -designs? Of what value to the world is the life of these obscure -victims? Their bones will have turned to dust, their names will be -buried in oblivion, when my name, repeated from age to age, will -continue to amaze posterity!" - -"And these will be valid reasons for the priests and bishops, who -besiege you with applications for grants of land and money, to pardon -your crimes." - -"I forbid you to say an evil word against the priests; it is they who -draw my triumphal car--" - -"The team is rather ruinous." - -"Not to me. Do the gifts that I bestow upon them impoverish me? Is not -that which I give them, the overflow of my overflow? Moreover, they will -aid me in restoring the imposts formerly decreed by the emperors, and -thereby to replenish my coffers. Here, take this key; open the little -coffer yonder on the table, and look for a roll of parchment tied in a -purple ribbon." - -"Here it is, madam." - -"Kiss the parchment, it is written on by the hand of the representative -of God on earth, a Pope--the pious Gregory himself--" - -"And does the sovereign pontiff, the successor of St. Peter, as he -claims, he who holds in his hands the keys of paradise, promise to open -them wide for you?" - -"It is but just. Have I not amply gilded those keys of paradise? Read -over again to me what the parchment contains." - -"'Gregory to Brunhild, Queen of the Franks. The manner in which you -govern the kingdom and preside over the education of your son give -witness to the virtues of your Excellency, virtues that must be praised -and that are pleasing to God. You did not content yourself with leaving -intact to your son the glory of temporal things, you also laid up for -him the great riches of eternal life by causing, with pious maternal -solicitude the germs of the true faith to take root in his soul.'" - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE ROYAL FAMILY. - - -The reading of the papal epistle was interrupted at this point by the -noise of many children's laughter that proceeded from the contiguous -chamber. Almost immediately thereupon the three younger brothers of -Sigebert, who was then absent on the journey to Germany, rushed in, -followed by their governesses. The little ones ran to their -great-grandmother. Childebert, the eldest of the three, was ten years of -age; Corbe nine, and Merovee, the youngest, six. The poor children, born -of a father who was almost worn out, even before adolescence, through -all manner of early excesses, were delicate, frail, dreamy, and painful -to behold. Even their mirth had a saddening effect. Their cheeks were -hollow, they were sicklied over by a pallor that betrayed ill health, -and that rendered their eyes exceptionally large and weird. Their long -hair, the symbol of Frankish royalty, fell thin upon their shoulders. -They wore short dalmaticas of gold and silver thread. The governesses -respectfully bent their knees at the entrance of the hall and remained -at the door, while the children ran forward and surrounded their -great-grandmother. Childebert remained standing near her; Corbe and -Merovee, the two youngest, climbed upon her knees, as she said to them: - -"You seem to be in good spirits this morning, my dear children! What is -the reason of your joy?" - -"Grandmother, it is our brother Corbe, who made us laugh." - -"What did Corbe do that was so funny?" - -"He plucked all the feathers off his white turtle dove--and she -screeched so--she screeched--" - -"And you laughed--you laughed--you little imps!" - -"Yes, grandmother, but our little brother Merovee wept." - -"Did he laugh so hard that he cried?" - -"Oh, no; I wept because the bird bled." - -"And I thereupon told Merovee: 'You have no courage, if blood frightens -you! And when we go to battle, will you weep there also at the sight of -blood?'" - -"And while Corbe was saying so to Merovee, I took a knife and cut the -dove's head off. Oh, I am not afraid of blood; not I; and when I am a -big man I shall go to war, not so grandmother?" - -"Ah, children! You know not what you are wishing. It is easy to amuse -yourselves cutting off the heads of doves, without feeling obliged some -day to go to war. To make war means to ride day and night, suffer -hunger, heat and cold, to sleep under tents, and what is worst of all, -run the risk of being wounded and killed, all of which causes great -pain. Is it not far better, dear children, to promenade quietly in a -cart or a litter, to lie down in a soft bed, eat dainties, have fun all -day long, and please your whims? The blood of royal families is too -precious a thing to expose it recklessly, my pretty little kinglets. You -have your leudes to go to war and fight the enemy in battle, your -servants to kill the people who may displease or offend you; your -priests to order the people to obey you. So, you see, all you have to do -is to amuse yourselves, to enjoy the delights of life, happy children -that you are, having nothing to say but 'I will.' Do you understand -these words well, my dear little ones? Answer, Childebert, you being the -eldest and therefore most intelligent." - -"Oh, yes, grandmother; I am no more anxious than other people to go to -war in search of lance-thrusts; I prefer to amuse myself, and do what I -please. But why, then, did our brother Sigebert go away on horseback, -followed by armed men, and accompanied by Warnachaire?" - -"Your brother is ailing; the physicians have advised letting him -undertake a long trip for the good of his health." - -"Will he be back soon?" - -"To-morrow, perhaps--perhaps even to-day." - -"Oh, so much the better, grandmother! So much the better! His place will -not then be empty in our room--we miss him--" - -"Be not too glad on that score, my little kinglets. Henceforth, Sigebert -will inhabit his own royal mansion, he will have his own servants and -his separate room. Oh, he will be like a little man!" - -"But he is only one year older than I!" - -"Oh, oh! In a year you also will be a little man, my little Childebert," -replied Brunhild exchanging a diabolical glance with Chrotechilde; "you -will then also have your royal establishment and your separate -room--your chamberlains, your equerries, your slaves, all of them -submissive to your every whim, like dogs to the switch." - -"Oh, how I would like to be a year older, so as to have all those things -that you promise me!" - -"And so would I like to see you older--and Corbe also--and also Merovee, -I would like to see you all of the age of Sigebert." - -"Patience, madam," said Chrotechilde again exchanging infernal glances -with Brunhild; "patience; it will all come about--but what noise is that -in the large hall? I hear numerous steps approaching--it must be -seigneur Warnachaire!" - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -QUEEN AND MAYOR OF THE PALACE. - - -Chrotechilde was not mistaken. The mayor of the palace of Burgundy had -arrived, and now stepped, accompanied by Sigebert, into the chamber -where Brunhild and her confidante were conversing with the kinglets, and -anticipating the future with diabolical foresight. - -Sigebert, a boy of barely eleven, was like his brothers, frail, sickly -and pale. Nevertheless, what with the excitement of the journey and the -joy at seeing his brothers, a slight flush suffused his sweet, wan face, -which not all the execrable precepts of his grandmother had succeeded in -depriving of its angelic appearance. He ran to embrace the aged Queen -and then joyfully reciprocated the caresses and answered the volley of -questions of his little brothers, who crowded around him. To each he -handed some slight presents, which he brought from his journey and were -locked in a small coffer that he took from the hands of one of his -suite, and impulsively opened in order to give his brothers a token of -remembrance. Chrotechilde availed herself of a favorable moment, and -approaching the Queen said in a low voice: - -"Madam, if you will take my advice, keep the two slaves until -evening--between now and then we shall have time to make up our minds." - -"Yes, that will be the best thing to do," answered Brunhild; and -addressing the child: "You should now retire for rest, and you can talk -with your brothers about your journey. I have matters of importance to -consider with Duke Warnachaire." - -Chrotechilde led away the children, and the Queen remained alone with -the mayor of the palace of Burgundy, a man of tall stature, and face -cold, impenetrable, resolute. He wore a rich steel armor trimmed with -gold after the Roman fashion. His long sword hung from his side, his -long dagger was in his belt. After attaching a long and scrutinizing -look upon Warnachaire who, however, remained impassible, Brunhild -motioned him to a seat near the table, and let herself down into one -opposite, saying: - -"What tidings do you bring?" - -"Good--and bad, madam--" - -"First the bad." - -"The treason of Dukes Arnolfe and Pepin, as well as the defection of -several great seigneurs of Austrasia, is no longer a matter of doubt. -They have deserted our colors and passed over to the camp of Clotaire II -with all their men; they are now preparing to march against your army." - -"I have long expected their treason. Oh, seigneurs, enriched and made -powerful by the bounty of the Kings, you are yet able to carry -ingratitude to such lengths! Very well! I prefer open war to -subterraneous manoeuvres. The domains, Salic lands and benefices of the -traitors will all return to my fisc. Proceed." - -"Clotaire II raised his camp at Andernach, and has penetrated to the -heart of Austrasia. Being summoned to respect the kingdoms of his -nephews, whose guardian you are, he answered that he would submit only -to the judgment of the grandees of Austrasia and of Burgundy -themselves." - -"Fredegonde's son expects to raise the people and seigneurs of my -kingdoms in rebellion against me. He deceives himself. Prompt and -terrible examples will terrify all would-be traitors." - -"Well said, madam!" - -"All the traitors--whatever their rank may be, whatever their power, -whatever the mask that they assume! Do you hear, Warnachaire, mayor of -the palace of Burgundy?" - -"I hear even what you do not say to me--but I bow before my Queen." - -"Do you read my thoughts?" - -"You take me for a traitor. You consider me your enemy, especially since -your recent return from Worms." - -"I am on my guard against everybody." - -"Your suspicions, madam, have become certitude. You told Aimoin, one of -our men, to stab me to death." - -"I order only my enemies to be despatched." - -"Accordingly, I am an enemy to you, madam, at least you look upon me as -such. Here are the fragments of the letter, written in your own hand, -and ordering Aimoin to kill me." - -And the duke deposited several fragments of parchment upon the table; -the Queen looked defiantly at the mayor of the palace. - -"Did Aimoin give you that letter?" - -"No, madam; accident placed these fragments into my hands." - -"And yet you return to the palace?" - -"In order to prove to you the injustice of your suspicions; that is the -reason I have returned to the place where you are sovereign." - -"Or perhaps you come to betray me." - -"Madam, if I had wished to betray you, I would have repaired, as so many -other seigneurs of Burgundy have done, not hither, but to the camp of -Clotaire II. I would have placed your grandson as a hostage in his -hands, and I would have remained in your enemy's camp, together with the -tribes that I brought with me from Germany." - -"Those tribes are devoted to my interests; they would have refused to -follow you; they have come for the purpose of reinforcing my army." - -"Those tribes, madam, have come for the purpose of pillage, and little -do they care whether they be indulged as auxiliaries of Brunhild or of -Clotaire II, whether it be against the country of Soissons, of Burgundy -or of Austrasia. These Franks have no predilections, provided only that, -after they shall have fought bravely and helped in winning the victory, -they will be free to ravage the vanquished country, gather a large -booty, and lead numerous slaves back with them to the other side of the -Rhine--such are the Franks whom I have brought." - -"And I tell you that the sight of my grandson, the infant King, asking -through your mouth the assistance of the Germans, interested the -barbarians in his cause, and secured the success of your mission." - -"Had you not expressly promised the Franks the pillage of the vanquished -territories, they would have remained unaffected by the youth of -Sigebert; they are as savage as were our fathers, the first companions -of Clovis. It was with no little trouble that I succeeded in preventing -them from ravaging all the districts that we traversed on our route; in -their impatience of savages they imagined themselves already in -vanquished territory. Every day their chiefs called upon me at the top -of their voices to deliver battle, in order that they might begin the -plundering and return laden with booty to Germany, before the winter -season sets in." - -"Where are the Franks now?" - -"I left them near Montsarran." - -"Why so far from Chalon?" - -"Despite all I could do to prevent it, those savages killed and stole on -their passage. To bring them here to the center of Burgundy, and then -send them out again in some other direction, according as the -requirements of the war may demand or the facilities for provisioning -may require, would be to expose the territories that may have to be -traversed to untold and unnecessary disasters. Such afflictions may fan -the spark of rebellion among our people--because, as you know, madam, -the people are growing restive even on this side of the frontier of -Burgundy." - -"Yes--at the instigation of the traitors who have gone over to -Fredegonde's son, there are some seigneurs who are seeking to raise the -people in rebellion against me--against the 'Romish Woman,' as they call -me. Oh, seigneurs and people will feel the weight of Brunhild's arm!" - -"The enemies of Brunhild will always tremble before her; nevertheless, I -fear to increase their number by exposing our people to be victimized by -the barbarism of our new allies. I doubt not that the territory where I -have had those troops encamp will be laid waste, but the evil effect of -their conduct will be at least limited to the spot. Moreover, the -location is central enough to enable us to expedite these auxiliaries in -whatever direction the movements of Clotaire II may render necessary. As -you see, I have acted with foresight." - -"What is the temper of the army?" - -"It is full of ardor; it only asks to be led to battle. The remembrance -of the last two victories of Toul and Tolbiac, above all, of the immense -booty, the large number of slaves that the troops carried away--all that -fires them with the desire to fight the son of Fredegonde. These, madam, -are the good tidings that counterbalance the evil ones. Is Brunhild -still of the opinion that Warnachaire has conducted himself like a -traitor, and does she still entertain the idea of having him stabbed to -death?" - -"A man whom one has sought to do away with, who learns the fact, and who -still comes back--Oh, Warnachaire, that needs careful attention!" - -"Brunhild is quick to suspect and to punish, but she is magnificent -towards those who serve her faithfully." - -"You have, then, a favor to ask of me?" - -"Yes, madam; but only after the war is ended, or, rather, I expect it -after the victory that I shall win over Clotaire II, when I deliver him -to you tied hands and feet." - -"Warnachaire!" cried the Queen thrilling with wild delight at the -thought of having Fredegonde's son in her power; "if you deliver -Clotaire a prisoner in my hands, I shall challenge you to express a wish -that Brunhild will not gratify, and--" but recollecting herself, she -suddenly stopped short, cast a somber, scrutinizing glance at the mayor -of the palace and proceeded: "Can it be your purpose to spread a snare -for me and lull my suspicions? Warnachaire, if your purpose is to betray -me--" - -"Madam, you look upon me as a traitor. If you but ring that bell, -instantly your chamberlains and equerries will rush in and kill me -before your very eyes. So that you may consider me dead. But who is the -man whom you do not suspect? Whom will you take for your general? Duke -Alethee, perchance, or Duke Roccon?" - -"No! Neither the one nor the other!" - -"Sigowald, perhaps?" - -"You are mocking! He is my personal enemy." - -"Perhaps Eubelan?" - -"I have not yet forgotten his criminal relations with Arnolfe and -Pepin--the two traitors! He no doubt is considering how to follow their -example, and to go over to the enemy. No; I will not trust Eubelan! He -also is an enemy." - -"Yet, madam, they are all capable of captaining the army; they are all -experienced and brave chiefs." - -"Yes, but I have not proposed to kill them--at least they do not know -that I had any such intention--while, as to you, I have ordered your -death, and what is more to the purpose, you are aware of it." - -"You think me animated with a sentiment of revenge towards you because I -know that you meant to have me stabbed to death. If it is the hope of -vengeance that has brought me back to you, what is there to prevent me -from laying my hand upon this bell, and depriving you of the means to -give the alarm?" - -And the duke did what he said. - -"What prevents me from drawing this dagger?" - -And the duke held the glistening weapon before the eyes of Brunhild, -whose first impulse was to throw herself back and her arms forward. - -"What, in short, prevents me from killing you with one blow of this -dagger, which is poisoned as were the daggers of Fredegonde's pages?" - -And as he uttered these words, Warnachaire drew so close to Brunhild -that he could strike her before she was able to utter a single cry. -Excepting a first movement of surprise, the Queen did not even wink her -eyes; her indomitable orbs remained resolutely fixed upon those of the -mayor of the palace. With a look of disdain she pushed aside the -dagger's blade, remained pensive for an instant, and then observed -regretfully: - -"One is bound to put faith in something. You could have killed me--that -is true; you have not done so--I can not deny the fact. Your purpose is -not to take revenge upon me--unless you mean to reserve me for a fate -more terrible than death. But that is not likely. The man who hates does -not resort to such hazardous and refined schemes. The future belongs to -none. If the opportunity offers to strike an enemy, the blow is dealt -hard and firmly. I therefore conclude that you are not animated by -secret hatred toward me. You shall keep the command of the army. Listen, -Warnachaire, Brunhild is implacable in her suspicions and her hatred, -but she is magnificent towards those who serve her faithfully. Let -Fredegonde's son fall into my hands, and my favor will transcend your -expectations. Let us forget the past, let us be friends." - -"The past is forgotten, madam, as far as I am concerned." - -"Now let us argue calmly, Warnachaire. Let us sift things to the bottom. -I did mean to have you killed--that is true! I have had so many others -killed! But it never was out of taste for blood. My sister Galeswinthe -was killed, my husband was killed, my son was killed, my most faithful -servants were killed. Single-handed have I been compelled to defend the -kingdom of my son and grandsons against the kings who are bent upon my -destruction. Whatever weapon was available was good to me; and after -all, I have won brilliant victories, I have accomplished great things. -All this notwithstanding I am hated; the Frankish seigneurs envy me; the -vile Gallic plebs, whether slave or free, is silently resentful towards -me, and would rebel if it were not curbed by the terror I inspire it -with. But look! Look at that man! Who is he?" cried Brunhild breaking -off her sentence in the middle, and, precipitately rising, she pointed -at Loysik, who stood at the door connecting with the secret spiral -staircase, and who was pushing aside with one arm the leather curtain -that had until then hid him from the eyes of the Queen and the mayor of -the palace of Burgundy. Warnachaire took a few steps towards the aged -hermit laborer, who advanced slowly into the chamber, and said to him: - -"Monk, how come you here? Great is your audacity to dare to introduce -yourself into the Queen's apartment--who are you?" - -"I am the superior of the monastery of the Valley of Charolles." - -"You lie!" broke in Brunhild. "One of my chamberlains is at the abbey at -this hour to seize the superior, and bring him to me in irons." - -"Your chamberlain," replied the monk, "your chamberlain, together with -the archdeacon and all their armed men, is at this hour a prisoner in -the monastery." - -To announce such news, no less improbable than offensive to the pride of -Brunhild; to announce it to that implacable woman, and thus to expose -himself to certain death--the action seemed so exorbitant that the Queen -did not believe the monk's words; she shrugged her shoulders with a -look of disdainful pity, and said to the major of the palace: - -"Duke, that old man is out of his senses. But how did he contrive to -enter the palace?" - -Other circumstances soon combined to confirm Brunhild's belief in the -monk's insanity. Loysik had continued to advance slowly towards the -Queen, but despite his spirit's firmness, of which he had given so many -a proof during his long life, in the measure that he drew nearer to the -horror-inspiring woman, his self-possession gradually forsook him, his -mind became troubled, he felt his knees trembling under him, and he was -constrained to lean against an ivory stand that was within his reach. -The profound, unconquerable emotion was caused by the horror that the -Queen inspired in the venerable monk, together with the consciousness of -the terrible position in which he found himself. - -With his head drooping upon his chest, he sought to collect himself and -to gather his thoughts. His eyes wandered over the medal-case that lay -upon the ivory stand against which he leaned. The large bronze medal -that lay among the others drew to itself the monk's attention all the -more readily, seeing that it was the only one of a vulgar metal, all the -others being of either gold or silver. At first Loysik contemplated it -mechanically, but being presently attracted towards it by an undefinable -interest, he stooped over, looked at it more closely, approached his -head nearer in order better to see the imprint, and deciphered the -inscription that was under the august profile, that seemed to stand out -lustrous from the bronze. A thrill ran over the frame of the aged man; a -sudden, an extraordinary feeling seized him, a feeling in which -enthusiasm, stupor and hope were mingled into one. The confusion into -which his mind was thrown an instant before ceased; he felt reassured -and strengthened as if he had encountered a support as unexpected as it -was powerful; in short, it seemed to him a providential circumstance to -encounter--_the image of Victoria in the palace of Brunhild_. - -Loysik had bent down in order to contemplate more closely the features -of the Gallic heroine; as he recognized them, he bowed a knee and -stretching his arms towards the august effigy, he murmured: - -"O, Victoria--holy woman-warrior in behalf of Gaul! Your presence in -this horrid place fortifies my soul; it seems to impart to me the -necessary strength to save the descendants of Schanvoch, of the faithful -soldier whom you called your brother, and who was one of my ancestors!" - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -LOYSIK AND BRUNHILD. - - -Astonished at the oddity of the appearance and conduct of the old monk, -Brunhild and Warnachaire now followed him with their eyes, now looked at -each other in silence during the short instants that Loysik recognized -and contemplated the image of Victoria. More and more convinced that the -monk was out of his mind, the Queen lost all patience, stamped with her -foot on the floor and cried: - -"Duke, call in my pages; let them drive out of this room with their -switches this crazy man who pretends to be the abbot of the monastery of -Charolles, and who kneels before my antique medals." - -Brunhild was still issuing these orders when one of the pages entered by -the door that connected with the large hall, and bending a knee said to -her: - -"Glorious Queen, a messenger has just arrived from the army; he brings -pressing despatches for seigneur Warnachaire." - -"That is of greater importance, duke. Receive the messenger and return -quickly to inform me of the tidings that he brings;" and then, -addressing the page and pointing to Loysik, who, with head erect and -firm steps was now advancing toward her, she proceeded: "Fetch in some -of your assistants and drive out that dotard with your switches; the -loss of his senses saves him from a more severe punishment." Saying -this, the Queen rose from her seat, and stepping towards her bedchamber, -once more urged the mayor of the palace: "Warnachaire, return as soon as -possible and let me know what tidings the messenger bears. You will read -me the despatches." - -"I shall go, madam, and receive him instantly. But what of this crazy -man? What is to be done with him?" - -"Leave that to my pages!" - -The mayor of the palace withdrew. Through the door, left open by him, -and without stepping out of the apartment, the page called out to -several of his companions who stood in waiting in the contiguous hall. -Loysik, on his part, seeing that, without taking any more notice of him -than of an insane man, the Queen was returning to her bedchamber, ran -towards Brunhild, and holding before her a parchment scroll that he drew -from his robe, said to her in a firm and collected voice: - -"I am not crazy. This charter signed by the late King Clotaire will -prove to you that I am the superior of the monastery of Charolles, where -your chamberlain and his soldiers are, at this hour, retained prisoners -by my orders." - -"Loysik!" exclaimed one of the young pages who entered the apartment in -response to the call of their companion. "Brother Loysik here?" - -"What! This monk!" cried Brunhild stupefied. "Is he Loysik, the abbot of -the monastery of Charolles?" - -"Yes, glorious Queen. He is the venerable abbot." - -"How come you to know him?" - -"He was pointed out to me at the last slave market. The worthy abbot was -buying slaves to set them free. I saw him again this morning crossing -one of the courtyards of the palace in the company of Samuel and two -young girls." - -For a moment Brunhild remained thoughtful, and then ordering the other -pages out of the chamber with a wafture of her hand she addressed the -one who had first come in. - -"Go to Pog and tell him to get himself and his assistants ready in the -cave. Let him light his fires and wait for further orders." - -The page grew pale and bowed, but before leaving the chamber he cast a -look of pity upon the old man. Left alone with Loysik, the Queen paced -the room for a minute in silence and with agitated steps, and then -turning abruptly upon the hermit laborer said to him in a short, sharp -voice: - -"So you are Loysik?" - -"I am Loysik, the abbot and superior of the monastery of Charolles." - -"How did you penetrate into this room?" - -"This morning I met near the castle a slave merchant named Samuel; I had -recently bought several slaves from him; he informed me that he was -coming here; knowing that it was difficult to obtain access to the -palace, I asked Samuel to allow me to accompany him; at first he -hesitated; two gold pieces put an end to his hesitation." - -"And as the gateman had received orders to admit Samuel and his slaves, -you passed along with his merchandise! And did you remain in the room -below while the Jew was showing me the two slave girls?" - -Loysik nodded his head in the affirmative. - -"And after Samuel left the palace?" - -"The Jew having informed me that this room was reached from below by the -spiral staircase, I came up a short time ago and concealed myself behind -the curtain; I was a witness of your conversation with one of your -women. I heard everything." - -Brunhild looked at the monk with a questioning and threatening mien: - -"And so you overheard everything that was said between us?" - -"Yes; I listened and heard everything." - -"Old man--do you know who Pog and his assistants are?" - -"The executioner and his men." - -"How old are you?" - -"The age of a man about to die." - -"You expect death?" - -Loysik shrugged his shoulders without answering. - -"You are right," proceeded Brunhild with a satanic smile. "To bring -such tidings as you did was to run into the jaws of death." - -"I came here of my own free will; your chamberlain and his men remain -prisoners at the monastery. No harm will be done them." - -"You are mistaken. A terrible punishment awaits them! Infamy, cowardice, -shame and treachery! An officer, Brunhild's men-at-arms made prisoners -by a handful of monks! Pog and his men will have work to do." - -"Your men-at-arms were not cowardly; even had they been more numerous, -they could not have resisted the men of the monastery and the colonists -of the Valley of Charolles." - -"Why, they must be redoubtable men!" - -"Not that. But they are people who are determined to die free, to bury -themselves under the ruins of their homes if you ignore the rights -guaranteed to them by the charter of the late King Clotaire." - -"How dare you invoke such a charter in my presence! A charter of him who -was Fredegonde's father-in-law! A charter of the grandfather of Clotaire -II, the son of Fredegonde and no less a mortal enemy of mine than his -mother herself! You dare mention to me a charter signed by the -grandfather of a man whom I shall pursue into his grave! Insensate old -man! I would burn down the tree that lent its shade to Fredegonde's son! -I would have the spring poisoned that quenched that man's thirst! In -your instance, the question is not about inanimate objects, but of men, -women and children who owe their freedom to the grandfather of -Fredegonde's son. It is in my power to make their souls and bodies, -their whole generation, writhe with pain! Oh, no later than to-morrow -all the inhabitants of that accursed valley will be sent as slaves to -the savage tribes that have come from Germany. It will be but an advance -payment on the pillage that was promised them." - -"Very well. You will send troops to the Valley. They will force their -way in, arms in hand; they will crush our inhabitants despite any -resistance that they may offer, and however heroic. Men, women and -children will know how to die. After a stubborn fight, your soldiers -will find upon their entrance into the Valley only corpses and ashes. -But you seem to forget that war has been declared between you and -Fredegonde's son, that the moment is critical, and that you require all -your available forces in order to resist your enemies. Execrated by the -people, execrated by the seigneurs, the leading ones of whom have -already joined the standard of Clotaire II, you are hardly certain of -the loyalty of your own army, seeing that you have been obliged to call -savage tribes to your aid and to allure them with the prospect of -pillage. You seem to forget that, guided by an unerring instinct, and -seeing the power of the mayors of the palaces on the ascendant, the -people look upon these as the natural enemies of the Frankish Kings and -are ready to revolt in support of the former. Despite the heroic -resistance that they will offer, our people of the Valley will be -crushed. I admit it. But do you imagine that the surrounding -populations, however timid and cowed they may be, will remain impassive -when they will see people of their own race slaughtered to the last man -in the defense of their freedom? The horror of conquest, the hatred for -slavery, the unbearable hardships of poverty have more than once driven -people steeped in deeper degradation than our own to serious and -stubborn revolt. To-morrow, who knows! some frightful insurrection may -break out against you, called into being by the voice of the grandees -who abhor you." - -"And are the seigneurs, perchance, not the enemies of your race as much -as the kings?" - -"Yes; after their purpose is attained, after your ruin is accomplished, -the seigneurs will crush the people just as you are doing now. After the -first explosion of its rage is over, the unhappy people will resume its -old yoke with docility--because the time has not yet arrived for their -liberation! But what does that matter! Such a revolt at this time, in -the very heart of your kingdom, when your most implacable enemy -threatens your frontiers, at an hour when treason surrounds you at every -turn--such a revolt would to-day mean your utter annihilation--it would -deliver you and your kingdoms to your ferocious enemy, Fredegonde's -son!" - -At the sound of that name Brunhild trembled with rage. With her head -inclined and her eyes fixed upon the ground, the Queen seemed to listen -with increased attention to the words of Loysik, who continued with -bitter disdain: - -"Behold, then, that Queen, the audacity of whose policy has rendered her -so famous! In order to cement her empire she has perpetrated crimes that -will one day cause the veracity of history to be doubted. And she is -about to endanger her kingdom, aye, her very life, out of hatred for a -handful of inoffensive people! Did these people at all injure her? No; -they were unknown to her until now; her attention was drawn to them by -the cupidity of a bishop who coveted their goods. Are the people whom -she wishes to drive to the heroism of despair, perchance, dangerous -enemies to her? No; they only ask to be allowed to continue to live in -freedom, peace and industry; if they can ever become dangerous it could -only be by the example of their resistance--not unlikely, their -martyrdom will provoke uprisings of which she herself will be the first -and leading victim. And yet this woman would rouse them to acts of -despair! She meditates punishing them on the ground that their freedom -is guaranteed by a king who has lain nearly half a century in his grave! -Oh, vertigo of crime! With what joy would I not see this woman throw -herself headlong into the abyss of her own digging were it not that her -feet must slide over the blood of my brothers!" - -"Monk--it is an annoying circumstance that your age is that of a man who -is about to die. I would have made you the councillor to whose words I -would have given greatest weight. I shall follow your advice. Your -valley shall be spared--for the present. You speak truly. At this hour -when war threatens, when my grandees but await the opportune moment to -rebel against me--at such a time to drive the inhabitants of your valley -to despair, to martyrdom, would be an act of folly on my part." - -Loysik promptly replied: - -"My mission is accomplished; I demand of you no promises regarding the -monastery and the inhabitants of the Valley of Charolles; your own -interests are my best guarantee. I would now request of you a sheet of -parchment for me to write to my brother--and to my monks--just a few -lines. You are free to read them--it is my farewell words to my family; -I also wish to request my monks to set your chamberlain, the archdeacon, -and their men-at-arms free. One of your own messengers may carry the -letter." - -"There is writing material on this table--you may sit down." - -Loysik took a seat at the table and proceeded to write serenely. -Nevertheless such was his joy at having carried the difficult matter to -so successful an issue that his hand betrayed a slight tremor. Brunhild -followed him attentive and somber: - -"You tremble--you must be afraid, old man!" - -"The gratification of having warded off so many evils from the heads of -my brothers affects me and causes my hand to tremble. Here is the -letter--read it." - -Brunhild read, and said as she rolled up the parchment: - -"These words of farewell are simple, they are dignified and touching. I -understand better and better the powerful influence that you exercise -over those people--they are the arms, you the head. Within shortly they -will be a headless and, therefore, lifeless body. After the war is over -I shall find it easier to reduce them to obedience. Have you anything to -ask of me?" - -"Nothing--except that you hasten my execution." - -"I shall be magnanimous; your unshakable firmness pleases me; I shall -spare you the torture and I shall leave to you the choice of death. You -may choose between poison, iron, fire or water." - -"Have my throat cut." - -"It shall be as you wish, monk. Have you any other favor to ask?" - -"Yes," said Loysik slowly stepping towards the ivory stand on which lay -the case of medals, "I would like to take with me this bronze medal; I -would like to keep it with me during the short time of life that is left -me. It will be sweet to me to die with my eyes fixed upon this glorious -effigy." - -"Let me see what medal that is--they are all mere antique curiosities. -Truly, this woman is handsome, and proud under her Amazonian casque. -What is the inscription here below? _Victoria, Emperor_. A woman an -emperor?" - -"The sovereign title was bestowed upon her after her death." - -"She surely was of royal race?" - -"She was of plebeian race." - -"What was her life?" - -"Simple--austere--illustrious! Her great soul was visible in her -serenely grave features--an august countenance that this bronze has -preserved for posterity. Her life was that of a chaste wife--a sublime -mother--a brave Gallic woman. She never left her modest home but to -follow her son to war, or to the camps. The soldiers worshipped her; -they called her their mother. She brought up her son manfully in the -love for his country and set him the example of the loftiest virtues. -Her ambition--" - -"This austere woman was ambitious!" - -"As much as a mother may be for her son. Her ambition was to render that -son a great citizen, the ardent desire of rendering him worthy of being -chosen chief of Gaul by the people and the army." - -"Brought up by so incomparable a mother, was he elected?" - -"Citizens and soldiers acclaimed him with one voice. By choosing him -they glorified Victoria--his stout-hearted preceptress. The brilliant -qualities that they honored in him were her work. The son's election -consecrated the sovereign influence of the mother--truly a sovereign in -point of courage, genius and goodness. An era of glory and prosperity -then opened to the country. Emancipating herself from the yoke of Rome, -Gaul, free and strong, drove the Franks far away from her borders and -began to enjoy the blessings of peace. And thus it came about that, from -one end of our territory to the other there was one name everywhere -idolized. That name--the first that the mothers taught their children -after that of God--that name, so popular, that name wreathed in -veneration and devoted love, was the name of Victoria!" - -"In short, this woman, this incomparable mother, this divinity, this -object of veneration--reigned in her son's name!" - -"Yes, as virtue reigns over the world! Invisible to the eyes, it is to -the heart that virtue reveals itself. As modest in her tastes as the -obscurest matron in the land, Victoria fled from the glamor of honors. -Living privately in a humble dwelling at Treves or Mayence, she -delighted in the glory of her son, and in the well-being of Gaul--but -not in order to reign as Queen--she despised royalty." - -"And what was the cause of her haughty disdain for the great of the -earth?" - -"She held that the right which kings arrogated to themselves of -transmitting to their children the ownership of the country with its -people, like a private domain with its cattle, was an outrage to the -majesty of man and a crime before God. She furthermore held that -hereditary rule depraves the best dispositions, and produces the -monsters that have horrified the world. Faithful to her principles, she -refused to render the power hereditary in her grandson." - -"She had a grandson?" - -"Like you, Victoria was a grandmother." - -And Loysik looked fixedly at the Queen. There was, in the manner in -which Loysik accented the words addressed to Brunhild: _Like you, -Victoria, was a grandmother_--there was in his tone so crushing an -emphasis, so withering a condemnation of the shocking means employed by -the monster in order to deprave, enervate and morally kill her own -grandsons, whose lives she was nevertheless compelled to respect in -order that she might reign in their name, that Brunhild turned livid -with rage, but controlling herself so as not to expose the wound -inflicted upon her pride, dropped her eyes before the aged monk. Loysik -proceeded: - -"Victoria was a grandmother, and, while ruling Gaul with her genius she -never dropped her distaff, which she ever plied near the cradle of her -grandson; she watched over him as she had done over the child's father, -with solicitous firmness; her hope was to render that child also a good -citizen and brave soldier. Her hope was dashed. A frightful plot dragged -into their graves both the son and grandson of the august woman. They -both perished in a popular uprising." - -"Ha! Ha!" cried Brunhild breaking forth into a burst of sardonic -laughter, as if her gathering hatred for the Gallic heroine was -assuaged. "Such, then, is the justice of God!" - -"Such is the justice of God--the crime enabled Victoria to bequeath to -the admiration of posterity a noble example of patriotism and -abnegation! After the death of her son and grandson, and being urgently -requested by the people, the army and the senate to govern -Gaul--Victoria refused. Aye," added Loysik in answer to a gesture of -surprise that escaped Brunhild, "aye, Victoria refused twice. She -designated the men whom she considered worthiest of being chosen chiefs -of the country, and rendered to them the all-powerful support of her own -popularity and the advice of her exceptional wisdom for the good of the -country. Victoria continued to live modestly in her retreat, and so long -as her life lasted, Gaul remained powerful and prosperous, rid both of -the Romans and the Franks. Victoria died. Her death was the climax of a -series of crimes of which her son and grandson were the first victims. -The illustrious woman died poisoned." - -"Ha! Ha!" cried Brunhild breaking forth anew in a burst of sardonic -laughter. "Monk--monk--ever the justice of God!" - -"Ever the justice of God--never was the death of the greatest geniuses -that ever shed splendor upon the world wept as the death of Victoria was -wept! One would have thought it was the funeral of Gaul! In the largest -cities, in the obscurest villages, tears flowed from all eyes. -Everywhere these words were heard, broken with sobs: 'We have lost our -mother!' The soldiers, those rough warriors of the legions of the Rhine, -whose faces a hundred battles had bronzed--those soldiers wept like -children. The mourning was universal; imposing as death itself. At -Mayence, where Victoria died, the spectacle of sorrow was sublime. -Reclining upon an ivory couch draped in gold cloth, Victoria lay in -state a week. Men, women, children, the army, the senate crowded the -street of her house. Each came to contemplate for a last time in pious -grief the august features of her who was the dearest, the most admired -glory of Gaul--" - -"Monk!" cried Brunhild seizing the arm of the venerable old man and -seeking to drag him after her; "the executioners must be waiting--" - -Loysik exerted only the force of inertia to resist the Queen; he -remained motionless and continued in a calm and solemn voice: - -"The mortal remains of Victoria the Great were placed upon the pyre and -disappeared in a flame, pure, brilliant and radiant as the life that she -had lived. Finally, in order to do honor to her virile genius across the -ages, the people of Gaul decreed to her the sovereign title that she had -ever declined out of her sublime modesty. It is now more than four -centuries ago since that bronze was cast in the effigy of _Victoria, -Emperor_." - -As he uttered these last words, Loysik took the medal in his hands. -Brunhild, whose rage now reached a paroxysmal pitch, snatched the august -image from the old monk's hands, dashed it on the floor, and trampled -upon it in blind rage. - -"Oh, Victoria! Victoria!" cried Loysik, his face beaming with exalted -enthusiasm. "Oh, woman Emperor! Heroine of Gaul! I can now die! Your -life will have been to Brunhild the punishment for her crimes!" And -turning toward the Queen, who continued a prey to the frenzied vertigo -that had seized her, he exclaimed triumphantly: "The glory of Victoria, -like the bronze that you are trampling under foot, defies your impotent -rage!" - -At this point Warnachaire burst into the chamber crying: - -"Madam--madam--disastrous tidings! A second messenger has just arrived -from the army. By a skilful manoeuvre Clotaire II surrounded our German -allies; the prospect of booty carried them over to the enemy's banners; -he is now advancing with forced marches upon Chalon. Your presence, -together with that of the young princes, in the army, is indispensible -at this critical moment. I have just issued the necessary orders for -your immediate departure. Come, madam, come! The safety of your -kingdoms, perhaps your own life, is at stake--as you know, the son of -Fredegonde is implacable!" - -Struck with stupor at the sudden news Brunhild at first remained -petrified, with her foot still resting upon the medal of Victoria. An -instant later she had recovered herself, and in a clamorous voice, that -sounded like the roar of an infuriate lioness, she cried: - -"To me, my leudes! A horse--a horse! Brunhild will either be killed at -the head of her army or the son of Fredegonde will meet his death in -Burgundy. Send for the young princes! To horse. All forces on the -march!" - - - - -PART III. - -THE CAMP OF CLOTAIRE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -WEEDING KINGLETS. - - -The village of Ryonne, situated on the banks of the little river of -Vigienne, lies about three days' march from Chalon. Around the village a -portion of the troops of Clotaire II, son of Fredegonde, lie encamped. -The King's tent has been set up under a clump of trees in the middle of -the village. The sun has only just risen. Not far from the royal shelter -stands a farmhouse. It is larger than any other in sight, and also in -better condition. Its door is closed, and two Frankish soldiers are on -guard before it. The only light that enters the house penetrates through -a little window. From time to time one of the soldiers who is posted -outside, looks in and listens through the window. A worm-eaten old -trunk, two or three stools, a few household utensils, and a long box -filled with straw--such are the furnishings of the place. On that rough -straw couch are three children. They are clad in gold-and silver-trimmed -silk clothes. Who may these children be, so magnificently clad, yet -lying on that pallet like the children of slaves? They are the children -of Thierry, the late King of Burgundy; they are the great-grandchildren -of Brunhild. The three children are asleep in one another's arms. -Sigebert, the eldest, lies between his two brothers; Merovee's head, the -youngest of the three, lies on Sigebert's breast. Corbe, the second, has -his arm around his eldest brother's neck. The faces of the little -princes, as they lie soundly asleep, are half hidden by their long hair, -the symbol of the royal family. They seem to lie peacefully, almost -happily. Especially the face of the eldest has an expression of angelic -serenity. As the sun mounted higher and higher above the horizon, it -presently darted its luminous and warm rays upon the group of sleeping -children. Awakened by the heat and the brilliancy of the light, Sigebert -passed his white wan hands over his large and still half-closed eyes; he -opened them; looked around with surprise; sat up on the pallet; and, as -if suddenly remembering the sad reality, he threw himself back upon the -straw. Tears soon inundated his pale visage, and he laid his hands over -his lips in order to suppress the sobs that were struggling to escape. -The poor child feared to awaken his younger brothers. They were still -soundly asleep, and, despite the movements of Sigebert, who, as he sat -up, caused the head of Merovee to roll upon the straw, the latter's -profound rest was not interrupted. Corbe, however, who was also half -awakened by the heat of the sun, rubbed his eyes and mumbled: - -"Chrotechilde, I want my milk--my cake--I am hungry." - -"Corbe," Sigebert whispered to him with his face bathed in tears and his -lips palpitating; "brother--wake up. Alack, we are no longer in our -palace at Chalon." - -At these words, Corbe woke up completely, and answered with a sigh: - -"I thought we were in our palace." - -"We are not there any longer, brother; I am so sorry!" - -"Why do you say that? Are we no longer the King's sons?" - -"We are poor King's sons--we are here in prison. But grandmother, where -is she? And where is our brother Childebert? Where can they be? Perhaps -they also are prisoners." - -"And whose fault is it? It is the fault of the army that betrayed us!" -cried little Corbe angrily. "I heard everybody say so around us--the -troops fled without striking a blow. I heard them say that Duke -Warnachaire prepared the treason! Oh, the scoundrel!" - -"Not so loud, Corbe, not so loud!" cautioned Sigebert with a smothered -voice. "You will wake up Merovee--poor little fellow! I wish I could -sleep like him. I would not then be thinking." - -"You are always weeping, Sigebert; tell me why?" - -"Are we not now in the hands of our grandmother's enemies?" - -"Be not afraid; she will soon come with another army and set us free; -she will kill Clotaire. Are you not hungry?" - -"No! Oh, no! I am neither hungry nor thirsty." - -"The sun has long been up; they will surely soon bring us something to -eat. Grandmother was right; war is tiresome and uncomfortable, but only -when one is not a prisoner. But how Merovee does sleep! Wake him up!" - -"Oh, brother, let him sleep quietly; perhaps he also thinks, as you did, -that he is in our palace at Chalon." - -"So much the worse! We woke up--I do not want him to sleep any -longer--why should he?" - -"Corbe, you can not have a good heart." - -"Sigebert! They are opening the door--they are bringing us something to -eat." - -Indeed, the door opened. Four personages stepped into the house. Two of -them were clad in jackets of hides, and one of these carried a roll of -rope. Clotaire II and Warnachaire accompanied the two men. The duke had -his battle armor on, the King a long light blue silk robe bordered with -ermine. - -"Seigneur King," said Duke Warnachaire in a low voice, "will you not -wait for the return of Constable Herpon?" - -"Who can tell whether he will be back to-day?" - -"You must remember that his horses are fresh; Brunhild's are exhausted -with the march. It is impossible that he should have failed to overtake -the Queen at the foot of the Jura mountains, into which she will not -dare to risk herself. The constable may be back with her from one moment -to another." - -"Warnachaire, I am in a hurry to be done with it; such a blow will be -of little moment to Brunhild; why delay it to wait for her to witness? -It should be done quickly." - -Saying this, the young King made a sign to the two men, who thereupon -stepped towards the three children on the straw pallet. The sleep of -childhood is so profound that little Merovee was not yet awakened by the -noise. His two brothers, however, crouched back into the remotest corner -of the pallet, stunned and frightened, especially at the sinister faces -of the two men clad in hide jackets. The two cowering children held each -other in a close embrace, trembling and without uttering a word. At a -second sign from Clotaire II, one of the two men, he who carried the -coil of rope, unwound it and stepped closer to the children, while his -companion drew from his belt a long, straight and sharp knife, of the -kind that is used by butchers; he slightly tested the freshly sharpened -edge of the blade with the tip of his thumb, while Fredegonde's son -urged the executioners on with the impatient order: - -"Move on, slaves; hurry up!" - -The executioner made to the King a sign with his hand, as if to say: -"You need not fear, I shall be quick about it." In the meantime his -assistant had come within reach of the children, who, livid and dumb -with terror, trembled so convulsively that their teeth were heard to -chatter. The executioner's assistant placed a hand on each, and without -turning his head asked: - -"Which first? The taller, the smaller, or the one asleep?" - -"Begin with the eldest," answered Clotaire II in a hollow imperious -voice. "Hurry up! Hurry up!" - -The two children retreated still farther back into the corner in which -the pallet was placed and did not loosen their hold upon each other. - -"Mercy!" cried Sigebert in a smothered and plaintive voice. "Mercy for -my brother! Mercy for me!" - -"We are a King's sons!" cried Corbe with even more anger than fear. "If -you do any harm to me, my grandmother will have you all killed!" - -At this moment, awakened at last by the noise, little Merovee sat up on -the pallet and looked around with wonderment but not in terror. The -six-year-old child could not understand what was going on; he rubbed his -eyes and turning his little head, with his eyes still swollen with -sleep, hither and thither, he looked alternately from the four new -arrivals to his brothers, as if asking what it all meant. The King -having said "Begin with the eldest," the assistant seized Sigebert. More -dead than alive, the hapless child offered no resistance, but let -himself be bound hands and feet, as the lamb does in the -slaughter-house; he only murmured in a woebegone voice: - -"Seigneur King! Good seigneur King, do not have us killed--why would you -have us killed? We are willing to be slaves. Send us out to herd your -sheep far away from here; we shall obey you in all things; but, O, -seigneur, mercy, good seigneur King, mercy! Mercy for my two little -brothers and for me!" - -As a worthy grandson of Clotaire I, Clotaire II remained unmoved by the -prayers of his victim. - -Sigebert passed from the hands of the assistant to those of the -executioner. The child's arms were bound behind his back, and his feet -were tied together; his physical prostration rendered him unable to keep -upon his feet. He fell upon his knees before the slaughterer. The latter -took hold of the child by its long hair and firmly bending its neck back -against his own knee left the child's throat well distended and exposed -to the knife. With a smothered voice and casting an agonizing glance at -the mayor of the palace Sigebert murmured: - -"Warnachaire, you who called me during our late journey your 'dear boy,' -will you not implore mercy for me--" - -These were the innocent child's last words. Clotaire II gave a motion of -impatience. The executioner approached his knife to the child's throat, -but doubtlessly experiencing a fleeting sentiment of pity, he turned his -head aside and shut his eyes as if to escape seeing the dying glance of -his victim. The movement was but transitory, the long knife quickly -plowed its way through the child's throat and, operated as a saw, cut -down until it struck the vertebrae of the neck. Two jets of purple blood -spurted from the wide-gaping wound and fell in opposite directions like -a ruddy dew on a fold of the robe of Fredegonde's son and upon the iron -greaves of Duke Warnachaire. Withdrawing his knee which had served him -for a block, the executioner left the body to its own weight. It fell -backward; the inert head rebounded upon the floor; a slight tremor ran -over the expiring child's shoulders and limbs, and the lifeless body of -Sigebert sank motionless in a pool of blood. - -During the time that the murder of Sigebert was enacting, Merovee wept -scalding tears on the straw where he remained seated; the child wept -because, as he murmured, 'they were hurting' his brother, but with one -so young no thought of death could enter his head. His brother Corbe, -however, a boy of violent and vindictive character, did not emulate the -gentle resignation of Sigebert. He fought and shrieked, and tried to -bite and scratch the assistant who was to bind him fast. The latter was -only tying the last knots when the first child's throat was cut. - -"Dogs! Murderers!" cried Corbe in his weak, shrill voice, while his eyes -flashed fire from the midst of his pale face. He straightened himself -and he writhed so convulsively in his bonds that the executioner was -hardly able to hold him. "Oh!" he screamed, grinding his teeth and -panting for breath in the struggle; "Oh, my grandmother will put you all -to the torture for this--you will see--you will see--Pog will get you, -yes--every one of you--you will be put to awful tortures!" - -Turning towards the mayor of the palace of Burgundy, Clotaire II said, -pointing his finger at Corbe: "Warnachaire, it would have been -impolitic to leave this hateful and vindictive child alive! Even if -dethroned he would have become a dangerous man." - -It took both the Frankish executioners to overpower Corbe. But neither -his screams nor leaps could avail him. Seeing that he struggled -violently in his bonds, the assistant knelt down upon the child's chest -in order to pin him to the ground, while the executioner himself wound -around his wrist the long hair of the young prince, and was thus able to -draw the head towards himself so as to leave the neck distended and -exposed to the knife. A second time the blade cut into the flesh; a -second time the blood spurted out--and the corpse of Corbe rolled over -upon that of his brother. - -Only little Merovee was left. The child had remained on the straw -pallet. Whether out of ignorance of the danger that he was in, or -whether due to the thoughtlessness of infancy, when he saw the -executioner's assistant approach him, he rose, walked towards him -submissively, and referring to the resistance that Corbe offered, said -with infantine innocence as he wiped off his tears: - -"My brother Sigebert did not resist--I shall be as gentle as -Sigebert--but do not hurt me." - -Saying this the child then threw his little blonde head back and himself -offered his neck to the executioner. - -At that instant, a rider covered with dust burst into the house crying -in a voice half choked with gladness: - -"Great King! I have ridden ahead of Constable Herpon. He brings Queen -Brunhild prisoner. After two days of the hottest chase, he succeeded in -overtaking her at Orbe, in the foot-hills of the Jura." - -"Oh, my mother! You will soon thrill with joy in your sepulchre. I have, -at last, in my power the woman whom you were not able to smite!" -exclaimed the son of Fredegonde. He then turned to the executioners who -still held Merovee in their hands: "Do not kill that child--let him be -taken to my tent. Wait for my orders. You do not know, oh, great Queen, -what glory awaits you!" added Clotaire II with an expression of diabolic -ferocity. And addressing Warnachaire: "Let us now go out and give a -worthy reception to this daughter of a King, this wife of a King, this -grandmother and great-grandmother of Kings--Brunhild, Queen of Burgundy -and Austrasia! Come, come!" - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -AT BAY. - - -What noise is that? It sounds like the distant and muffled tread and -cries of a large multitude. Aye, large indeed is the multitude that is -advancing towards the village of Ryonne, where the army of Clotaire II -is encamped. Whence does that multitude proceed? Oh, it comes from far. -It started as far away as the slopes of the Jura; it was swelled on the -road by large numbers of the people who inhabited the cities, hamlets -and villages that it crossed; slaves and colonists, young and old men, -women and children, poured from their homes, their fields, their huts; -at the risk of imprisonment, the lash and even mutilation at their -return, slaves and colonists joined the swelling multitude; at the risk -of the fatigue of the rapid march, that for some, lasted two days, for -others, one day, half a day, two hours, or one hour, according to where -they fell in line, city people left their pursuits and eagerly turned -into the surging human stream. But what was it that attracted so eagerly -the frantic, swelling crowd? It was these words, that flew from mouth to -mouth: "Queen Brunhild is passing--she is taken prisoner to be delivered -to Fredegonde's son!" - -Aye, such was the hatred, the disgust, the horror, the dread inspired in -Gaul by those two names--Fredegonde and Brunhild--that large numbers of -people found it impossible to resist the curiosity of knowing and seeing -what was to be the issue of the capture of Brunhild by Fredegonde's son. -The multitude, accordingly, moved in the direction of the village of -Ryonne. Fifty horsemen in arms headed the march and cleared the way. -Behind them rode Constable Herpon armed cap-a-pie, and closely after -him, riding between two other warriors on horseback who held her palfrey -by the bridle appeared Brunhild. The old Queen's arms were pinioned -behind her back and she was bound upon her saddle. Her long, -gold-embroidered purple robe was dusty and mud-bespattered, and hung in -tatters from her body. The indomitable woman had offered a desperate -resistance when she was finally overtaken by the constable and his men. -One of her sleeves, together with half her corsage, was torn off, and -left bare her neck and shoulders and one of her arms, all of which were -covered with livid, bluish bruises, partly hidden under her long, grey, -tangled and tumbled hair to which fragments of dung and ordure, that the -people had flung at her while whelming her with insults, were still seen -to cling. From time to time, the fettered lioness gave her head a -convulsive shake in the effort to disengage her face from the disheveled -locks before it--at such times, glimpses were obtained of her hideous, -horrible visage. Before being finally caught, the woman had defended -herself like a wild animal at bay. The desire of her captors was to take -her alive to the son of her mortal enemy. In the brutal hand to hand -struggle of Constable Herpon and his armed men with Brunhild she was -smitten with their fists in the face and kicked in the body. Her arms, -shoulders, bosom, limbs and face were severely bruised. One of her eyes -bore the mark of a violent blow, given with the hilt of a sword. The -eyelids and a portion of the cheek disappeared under a large blue and -black contusion. Her upper lip was slit and swollen as the result of -another blow, that broke in two of her teeth and bathed her lower face -in blood. The blood had since dried on her skin and added to the -hideousness of her appearance. Nevertheless, of such temper was that -being's savage energy, that her forehead retained its wonted -haughtiness, her eyes their wonted pride. Firmly fettered though she -was, bruised, tattered, covered with dust, mud and even dung, Brunhild -still looked redoubtable. Imprecations, hisses, jeers, threats, hurled -at her along the route--nothing had been able to shake her inflexible -soul. - -In his haste to relish the sight of his captive and victim, Clotaire -left the village and rode out accompanied by Warnachaire to meet her. -Other seigneurs of Burgundy and Austrasia, who sided with Clotaire, also -followed him. Among the latter were Dukes Pepin, Arnolfe, Alethee, -Eubelan, Roccon, Sigowald, the Bishop of Troyes and many more. - -Seeing the King from a distance, Constable Herpon hastened towards his -sovereign, after issuing his orders to the two riders who led Brunhild's -mount. The latter immediately spurred their horses and rode rapidly upon -the heels of the constable leading the fallen Queen between them. Old -though she was, had she not been pinioned, Brunhild would have held her -saddle like an Amazon. But hindered by the bonds that bound her, she was -unable to follow with suppleness the motion of her mount. As a -consequence, the gallop of her palfrey threw Brunhild's body into -ridiculous jumps and postures. The escort of armed men on horseback, -together with the mob, followed her on the run and whelmed her with -fresh jeers and hisses. Constable Herpon finally reached the King, -leaped from his horse and pointing to the old Queen said to his men: - -"Set her on the ground. Leave only her arms tied behind her back." - -The riders obeyed, and the cords that bound Brunhild to the saddle were -unfastened. But the long pressure of the ligaments had so benumbed her -limbs that she was unable to stand upon her legs and forced her to drop -upon her knees. Immediately she cried out, lest her fall be construed as -an evidence of weakness or fear: - -"My limbs are numb--Brunhild does not fall upon her knees before her -enemies!" - -The Frankish warriors raised and held the Queen. Her favorite palfrey, -the same that she rode on the day of the battle, and from which she had -just alighted, stretched out its intelligent head and gently licked the -Queen's hands, tied up behind her. For the first time, but only for a -moment, were Brunhild's features expressive of aught but savage pride -and concentrated rage. Turning her head over her shoulder, she said to -the animal in a voice that sounded almost tender: - -"Poor animal; you did your best to save me with the swiftness of your -flight--but your strength gave out; and now you bid me adieu in your own -way; you entertain no hatred for Brunhild; but Brunhild is proud of -being hated by all others--because she is feared by all--" - -Clotaire II drew slowly near to the old Queen. A wide circle consisting -of Frankish seigneurs, warriors of the army and the mob that had -followed formed itself around the son of Fredegonde and her mortal -enemy. What with the sight of that King, and what with her own -determination not to falter in his presence, Brunhild summoned an energy -and strength that seemed superhuman. Addressing the warriors who held -her under the arms she shouted savagely: - -"Back--take your hands from me--I can stand alone!" - -Indeed, she stood unsupported, and took two steps towards the King as if -to prove to him that she felt neither weakness nor fear. Thus Clotaire -II and Brunhild found themselves face to face in the center of a circle -that drew closer and closer. The vast crowd was hushed in profound -silence; with bated breath the issue of the terrible interview was -awaited. With his arms crossed over his heaving breast, Fredegonde's son -contemplated his victim wrapt in silent and savage joy. Brunhild broke -the silence. With head erect and intrepid mien she said in her sharp, -penetrating voice that resounded clearly at a distance: - -"First of all, good morning to good Warnachaire, the cowardly soldier, -who ordered my army to flee. Thanks to your infamous treachery, here am -I--I, the daughter, wife and mother of Kings--with my arms pinioned, my -face bruised with the fist-blows given me, soiled with dung, mud and -ordure thrown at me by the people along the road.--Triumph, son of -Fredegonde! Triumph, young man! For two days the populace have been -whelming with hisses, contempt and dirt the Frankish royalty, your own, -the royalty of your own family in my person! You have vanquished me, but -never will the royalty recover from the blow that you have dealt me!" - -"Glorious King," said the Bishop of Troyes to Clotaire II in a low -voice, "order that woman to be gagged; her tongue is more venomous than -an asp's." - -"On the contrary, I wish her to speak; I shall enjoy the torture that -her pride undergoes." - -While the prelate and the King were exchanging these words, Brunhild had -proceeded with an ever more resonant voice, waving her head at the crowd -of warriors: - -"Stupid people! Besotted people!--You respect us, you fear us, us of the -royal family,--and yet it is a royal face that you see before you, -bruised with fist-blows, like that of any vile slave! The mother of your -King--that Fredegonde who was prostituted to all the lackeys of -Chilperic's palace--must often have looked as I do now, every time that -she was beaten by one of her vulgar associates!" - -"Dare you speak of prostitution, you old she-wolf bleached in -debauchery!" cried Clotaire II in a no less resonant voice than -Brunhild. - -"Your mother Fredegonde had my husband Sigebert and my son Childebert -stabbed to death by her pages--" - -"And you, miscreant, did not you have Lupence, the Bishop of St. Privat -murdered by Count Oabale, one of your lovers?" - -"And did not Fredegonde in turn cause Pretextat to be assassinated in -the basilica of Rouen, as a punishment for his having married me to your -brother Merovee--" - -"My brother Merovee married you, thanks to your sorceries, abominable -witch! And after you abused his youth you goaded him to parricide--you -armed him against his own father, who was also mine." - -"And a loving father! Not content with having his son Merovee's throat -cut at Noisy, Chilperic delivered to the dagger and the poison of -Fredegonde all the children whom he had from his other wives." - -"You lie, monster! You lie!" cried Clotaire II livid with rage and -grinding his teeth. - -"Seigneur King, do order the woman to be gagged," again whispered the -Bishop of Troyes to the King. - -"Of the many wives whom your father Chilperic repudiated there still -remained one alive, Andowere," Brunhild proceeded; "Andowere had two -children, Clodwig and Basine; the mother was strangled, the son stabbed -to death, and the daughter delivered to the pages of Fredegonde!" - -"Hold your tongue, infamous woman, who introduce concubines into your -grandsons' chamber for the purpose of enervating them and reigning in -their stead; who order the assassination of whatever honorable people -revolt at such a crime--as happened to Berthoald, the mayor of the -palace of Burgundy, whom you ordered killed; as happened to Bishop -Didier whom you had stoned to death." - -"After Chilperic had my husband assassinated, he seized my relative -Sigila and ordered the joints of his limbs to be burned with red-hot -irons, his nose cut off, his eyes put out, red-hot irons thrust under -his nails, and finally his hands, then his arms, then his lower legs and -finally his upper legs cut off--every imaginable torture!" - -"Warnachaire!" cried Clotaire purple with rage, "remember all those -tortures; forget not one; we shall presently find whom to apply them -to;" and addressing Brunhild, "And did not you yourself stain your hands -with the blood of your grandson Theudebert after the battle of Tolbiac? -And was not the head of his son, a child of five years dashed against a -stone at your orders?" - -"And what blood is that, still fresh, with which your own robe is -bespattered? It is the innocent blood of three children, my grandsons, -whose kingdoms you have secured to yourself by their murder! And that is -the manner in which we all of us, people of the royal family, act. In -order to reign we kill our children, our relatives, our mates. Chilperic -stood in the way of your mother Fredegonde's vulgar pleasures, and she -had him despatched!" - -"Gag that woman!" commanded Clotaire in a paroxysm of rage. - -"Oh, my dear sons in Christ," shouted the Bishop of Troyes, endeavoring -to drown the panting voice of Brunhild; "place no faith in the words of -this execrable woman in matters that concern the family of our glorious -King Clotaire II.--These are infamous calumnies!" - -"Warriors, I wish before I die, to unveil to you all the crimes of your -Kings." - -"Hold your tongue, demon! Female Beelzebub!" again broke in the Bishop -of Troyes in a thundering voice, and he added in a lower voice to -Clotaire: "Glorious King, do you not think it is high time to have the -woman gagged? If you do not, you must prepare to hear even worse -accusations." - -Two leudes, who at the first orders of Clotaire had looked for a scarf, -threw it over Brunhild's mouth and tied it behind her head. - -"Oh, monster, spewed out of Hell!" the Bishop of Troyes thereupon -proceeded to apostrophise Brunhild, "if this glorious family of Frankish -Kings, to whom the Lord granted the possession of Gaul in reward for -their Catholic faith and their submission to the Church, if these Kings -had committed the crimes that you have the audacity of charging them -with in your diabolical spirit of mendacity, could they, as the visible -support given to them by God in overpowering their enemies, shows them -to be--could they be the beloved sons of our holy Church? Would we, the -fathers in Christ of the people of Gaul, order these to obey their Kings -and masters, and to submit to their will?--would we do so if they were -not the elect of the Lord? Go to--witch! You are the horror of the -world! The world now spews you back into hell, where you come from. -Return thither, Oh, monster, who sought to unnerve your grandsons with -debauchery, in order that you might reign in their place! Oh, my -brothers in Christ, who of you all does not shudder with horror at the -base thought of the unheard-of crime that this execrable woman has -gloried in?" - -That crime, the most execrable of all that the infamous Queen had -admitted, aroused so profound an indignation among the assembled crowd -that one, unanimous cry of vengeance issued from its midst:-- - -"Death to Brunhild! Let the earth be rid of her! Let her perish amidst -tortures!" - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE DEATH OF BRUNHILD. - - -Three days had elapsed since Brunhild fell into the power of Clotaire -II. The sun had crossed the zenith. A man with a long white beard, clad -in a hooded brown robe, and mounted upon a mule was following the road, -upon which, escorted by the armed men of her mortal foe, and leading -behind her a mob that rent the air with execrations, Brunhild had -shortly before ridden to the village of Ryonne. The venerable old man -was Loysik. He had escaped death by reason of the Queen's precipitate -departure from the castle. One of the young brothers of the community -accompanied the old monk on foot, guiding his mule by the bridle. From -the opposite direction, a warrior, armed cap-a-pie, was climbing on -horseback the rough road that Loysik was at the same time slowly -descending with his mule. When the Frank had come within a few paces of -the old man, the latter opened up a conversation with him: - -"Are you of King Clotaire's suite?" - -"Yes, holy man." - -"Is he still at the village of Ryonne?" - -"Yes; he will be there till this evening.--I am to ride ahead and -prepare his lodgings on the route." - -"Is Duke Roccon among the seigneurs who accompany the King?" - -"Yes, monk; Duke Roccon is with the King." - -"Is it true, as I hear, that Queen Brunhild has been taken prisoner and -carried to King Clotaire, who has also captured her grandchildren?" - -"That is all old news. Where do you come from that you do not know what -has happened?" - -"I come from Chalon.--What did the King do with his prisoner and her -grandchildren?" - -"The steep ascent has taken the wind out of my horse and he needs a -little rest. So I shall tell you what has happened--all the more -willingly, seeing that it is a good augury to meet a priest, especially -a monk, at the start of a journey." - -"Do let me know, I beg you; what has been done with Brunhild and her -grandchildren?" - -"There were only three of the children captured on the banks of the -Saone. The fourth, Childebert, could be found nowhere.--Was he killed in -the melee?--Did he escape?--No one can tell.--" - -"And the other three?" - -"The eldest and the second one were killed." - -"In the battle?" - -"No--no.--They were killed in the village--yonder. The King had them -killed under his own eyes, in order to be certain of their death; he -wanted to obviate having them turn up some day, and demand their kingdom -back from him. But it is said that the King granted his life to the -third.--I think he was wrong in that.--But what ails you, holy father; -you seem to shiver. To be sure, the morning is rather chilly." - -"And what became of Queen Brunhild?" - -"She arrived at the village with a magnificent escort! A veritable -triumphal march! Dung for incense, and hootings for acclamation!" - -"I suppose the King ordered her to be put to death immediately upon her -arrival?" - -"No; she is still alive." - -"Did Clotaire have mercy upon her?" - -"Clotaire--have mercy upon Brunhild!--Holy man, you must come from far -away to talk as you do! Brunhild was taken three days ago to that -village that you see yonder; she was taken to the house where her -grandchildren were killed. Two expert executioners and four assistants, -equipped with all manner of instruments, were locked up with the old -Queen; that was three days ago, and she is not yet dead. I must add that -she was not tortured at night; the nights were left to her to recover -strength. Moreover, seeing that she undertook to starve herself, food -was forced down her throat--spiced wines and flour soaked in milk. That -has kept her sufficiently alive.--But what makes you shiver so? It is -not so chilly!" - -"Yes; the morning is chilly.--And did Clotaire witness the tortures that -were inflicted upon the Queen during those three days?" - -"The door of the house was locked and guarded by sentinels. But there is -a little window through which one can look inside. Through that opening, -the King, the dukes, the leudes, the Bishop of Troyes and a few other -preferred personages went from time to time to contemplate the victim in -her agony. Being a connoisseur, Clotaire never took a look inside when -Brunhild was screaming; at times the woman screamed loud enough to be -heard clean across the village; he never went to see her at such times; -but the moment she began to moan, he walked to the window and peeped in; -it is said the sufferings of victims in the torture are intenser when -they moan than when they scream out aloud. It was a protracted holiday -for the whole village. Like the generous King that he is, Clotaire -allowed a large number of people, who followed Brunhild to the village, -to remain to the end of the tortures, and had provisions distributed -among them. Oh, holy man, you should have heard how they kept time with -their hootings to the screams of the Queen.--But I see my horse has -regained his wind--adieu, holy man. If you wish to witness a spectacle -that you never saw and never will see again you would better hurry. They -say there are yet to be some extraordinary incidents to wind up the -torture. The King has sent for one of the camels that carry his -baggage. What he purposes to do with the camel is still a secret. Adieu, -give me your blessing." - -"I wish you a happy journey." - -"Thank you, holy man; but you had better hurry, because as I was leaving -the village they went for the camel and took him out of his stable." - -Pricking his horse with his spurs, the rider rode off at a brisk pace. -Shortly afterwards, Loysik arrived at the entrance of the village of -Ryonne. The aged monk alighted from his mule and asked the young brother -to wait for him. A leude, from whom Loysik inquired after Duke Roccon, -took him to the tent of the Frankish seigneur, contiguous to that of the -King. Almost immediately afterwards the monk was taken to the duke, who -said to him in a tone of respectful deference: - -"You here, my good father in Christ?" - -"I come with a just petition to you." - -"If it is at all in my power, the matter is granted." - -"Are you a friend of King Clotaire? Have you any influence with him?" - -"If you have any favor to prefer to him, you could hardly arrive at a -better time." - -"I come for no favors from the King--I come for justice. Here is a -charter given by his grandfather Clotaire I. As a matter of law, it -requires no confirmation, seeing that the concession is absolute. But -the Bishop of Chalon is giving us trouble. He is laying claims upon the -goods of the monastery, upon those of the inhabitants of the Valley, -and, as a consequence, upon their freedom, notwithstanding both their -goods and their freedom are guaranteed by this charter.--Would you be -willing to request Clotaire, who is now the King of Burgundy, to attach -his seal to the charter issued by his grandfather, in order to insure -its enforcement?" - -"Is that all you wish to ask of the King?--The King honors the memory of -his glorious grandfather too highly to fail to confirm a charter issued -by that great Prince. Clotaire must now be in his tent. Wait for me -here, my father in Christ. I shall be back soon." - -During the short absence of the Frankish seigneur, Loysik could hear the -uproar of the impatient crowd and warriors calling aloud for Brunhild. -Duke Roccon returned quickly with the old charter of Clotaire I, to -which Clotaire II had attached his seal under the following freshly -written words: - - "We will it, and we so order all our leudes, dukes, counts and - bishops, that the above charter, signed by our glorious grandfather - Clotaire, be upheld in force and respected in all its provisions in - the present and in the future, and we do so in the belief that we - thereby do honor to our glorious ancestor. And those who are to - succeed me will uphold this donation inviolate, if they wish to - share the life everlasting, and if they wish to be saved from the - everlasting flames. Whoever in any manner does violence to this - donation, may the gateman of heaven diminish his share of heaven; - whoever may add to the donation, may the gateman of heaven add - something unto him." - -The aged monk inquired from the duke who it was that wrote the last -words to the charter, and was not a little surprised to hear that it was -the Bishop of Troyes. - -"You must, then, have said nothing to the King concerning the -pretensions of the Bishop of Chalon--" - -"I did not consider that necessary. I said to Clotaire: 'I request you -to confirm this charter, which your grandfather granted to a holy man of -God.' 'I can refuse nothing to my loyal servitors,' he answered, and he -charged the bishop to write what was proper. That being done, the King -attached his royal seal under the writing." - -"Roccon," said the venerable monk, "I thank you--adieu--" - -But recollecting himself, Loysik added: - -"You told me that the moment was favorable to obtain favors from the -King--promise me that you will ask him to enfranchise a few slaves of -the royal fisc, and to send them to me to the monastery of the Valley of -Charolles." - -"Ah, my father in Christ! I knew full well that our conversation would -not be done without your making some demand of enfranchisement." - -"Roccon, you have a wife and children--the accidents of war are -changeable. Brunhild is now vanquished and a prisoner; but, if that -implacable Queen, who has emerged so often victorious from the field of -battle, had not been betrayed by her own army and her auxiliaries--had -she, on the contrary, vanquished Clotaire, what would your lot have -been, what the lot of all the seigneurs of Burgundy, who took the side -of the King? What would have become of your wife, of your daughters?" - -"Brunhild would have ordered my head cut off; she would have delivered -my wife and daughters to the savage tribes of the other side of the -Rhine as slaves!--Malediction! My two daughters Bathilde and -Hermangarde, slaves!--The perspiration gathers on my temples at the bare -thought of such a thing--let us not speak of it!" - -"On the contrary, do let us speak of it! Who knows but that among those -unknown slaves, whose freedom I am asking, there may be some with -daughters whom they love as much as you love yours.--Judge of the joy -that their deliverance would give them by the joy that you and your -children would feel if, having become slaves, you were to be set free. -Roccon, it is in your power to afford such ineffable joy to some -captives.--Keep your dear daughters in mind." - -"Very well my dear father in Christ, I promise you ten slaves. Clotaire -will not refuse them to me as my share of the booty of this war." - -"Seigneur duke," said a servant who hurried into the tent, "the -promenade of the camel is about to begin." - -"Oh! Oh! It is to be one of the best spectacles of the feast.--Come, my -father in Christ!" - -"Oh!" cried the aged man horrified. "I do not wish to stay an instant -longer in this horrible place.--Adieu, Roccon!" - -"Adieu, good father, you will pray to God for me, in order that I may -have a good part of paradise." - -"Man finds paradise in his own heart when he acts justly: the priests -who promise heaven are knaves. I shall pray to God that He may inspire -you to perform charitable deeds.--Adieu." - -Loysik left the duke's tent expecting to be able to leave the village -instantly. His hope was not verified. As he walked away he found himself -in a narrow street that divided two rows of huts and was cut at right -angles by a wide highroad. Loysik was walking thither in order to rejoin -the young brother who guarded his mule, when suddenly the uproar of -voices, that had before smitten his ears several times, broke out louder -and nearer. Immediately thereupon, a crowd of the people who had -followed Brunhild to the village in order to enjoy the sight of her -death, broke forth like an eruption out of the highway, poured over the -narrow street, and despite Loysik's efforts to disengage himself, -carried him away like a straw by the torrent. The flood of people -consisted of men, women and children; they were all in rags; they were -slaves and were of the Gallic race. All cried at the top of their -voices: - -"Brunhild is coming out of the camp! She will pass this way!" - -Loysik made no further efforts to contend against the crowd; he found -himself pushed forward until further progress was barred at the sort of -square in the center of which rose the tent of Clotaire II. A strong -cordon of warriors drawn around the place, prevented the mob from -entering it. As he stood there, in the very front ranks of the surging -crowd Loysik witnessed the following spectacle: - -Before him extended a rather wide avenue, now completely deserted of -people; to his left the entrance to the royal tent; before the tent, -Clotaire II, surrounded by the seigneurs of his suite, among whom was -the Bishop of Troyes. Two slaves on foot brought and kept before the -King a spirited stallion, which they were hardly able to curb by means -of two thongs attached to his bit; the animal reared violently although -his hind legs were hoppled. With blood-shot eyes and dilated nostrils, -the powerful beast made such frantic efforts to tear himself from the -two slaves that his deep black coat streamed with sweat on his flanks -and chest. The animal carried no saddle; his long mane floated to the -breeze, or fell down over and almost completely covered his savage head. -Despite all, the slaves succeeded in leading the stallion to Clotaire's -tent. The King made a sign. Immediately, at the imminent risk of being -trampled to pieces, the unhappy slaves crawled down upon their hands and -knees, and slipped a rope with a running knot over each of the animal's -hind legs; other slaves thereupon kept the horse in sufficient control -to allow the removal of his hopples. During this perilous process, the -stallion became so furious that he reared and struck one of the slaves -on the head with his front hoofs; the luckless fellow fell bleeding -under the feet of the animal that then stooped, bit him ferociously, and -crushed his bones with the trample of his hoofs. The corpse was removed, -and two other slaves received orders to join those who, in order to -control the stallion, clung with all their might to the thongs from his -bit. Again cries were heard, first from a distance, but drawing nearer -and nearer. The highroad, deserted but a moment before and running into -the square in front of Loysik, was suddenly filled with a dense mass of -foot soldiers, and presently a camel that towered by the full height of -its body over the armed multitude, hove in sight of the aged monk. The -troop of Frankish soldiers rent the air with their clamor: - -"Brunhild! Brunhild! Triumph to Brunhild--Queen, look down upon your -good people of Burgundy who are at your feet!" - -Although in a dying state, although broken down by the tortures that she -had undergone during the last three days, still the old Queen, recalled -from her stupor by the loudness of the yells that broke out all around -her, found strength enough to raise herself for a last time upon the -back of the camel, astride of whose back she had been placed and firmly -bound. She was only a few steps from where Loysik stood. What the -venerable monk then saw--Oh, what he saw is nameless, like the crimes of -Brunhild herself. Her long, white, tangled, blood-clotted hair was the -only--the only cover to the nakedness of the old Queen. The woman's -legs; her thighs, her shoulders, her bosom, in short her every limb was -no longer of human shape; it was but a heap of palpitating wounds and -swollen, blackened, bleeding burns; two of her toe-nails, that had been -pulled out, still hung dangling from reddening pellicules at her great -toes; in the other toes of her feet and in her fingers, long iron -needles were seen inserted between the nail and the flesh. Only her face -had been spared. Despite its cadaverous paleness; despite the traces of -the unheard-of superhuman sufferings that it registered, left there by -the tortures inflicted during the three consecutive days;--despite all, -her face still bore the stamp of pride; a frightful smile curled the -Queen's purplish lips; a flash of savage haughtiness illumined from time -to time her breaking eyes. And, oh, fatality, those eyes alighted -accidentally upon Loysik at the moment that Brunhild passed before him. -At the sight of the monk, whose robe, long white beard and tall stature -had attracted the dying Queen's eyes, her body seemed thrilled by a -sudden emotion; she straightened in her seat; and gathering the little -strength that still remained to her, she cried in a voice of despair, -that sounded almost repentant: - -"Monk, your speech was soothe--there is a justice in heaven! At this -hour I am thinking, I am thinking--I am thinking of the death of -Victoria." - -The furious hootings of the crowd drowned Brunhild's voice; her last -effort, put forth in raising herself and speaking to Loysik exhausted -her failing strength. She fell over backward, and her inert body jolted -up and down over the camel's crupper. Loysik had long struggled against -the horror of the shocking spectacle. Hardly had Brunhild's voice ceased -to be heard than he felt his head swim and his knees sink under him. But -for two poor women, who, struck with compassion for his old age, -supported him, the monk would have fallen to the ground and been -trampled to death. - -Loysik remained for a long time deprived of consciousness. When he -recovered, night had come. He found himself lying in a hut upon a bed of -straw. Beside him sat the young brother, who had succeeded in finding -him. The two poor slave women had transported Loysik to their miserable -hut. The first words pronounced by the monk, whose mind still labored -under the effect of the horrible scene that he had witnessed, was the -name of Brunhild. - -"Good father," said one of the women, "the hated Queen was taken down -from the camel; she was then only a corpse; she was fastened with ropes -by the hands to the tail of a fiery horse, and the animal was then let -loose; but that part of the execution did not last long; at the very -first bound given by the horse it shattered Brunhild's head; her skull -broke like the shell of a nut, and her brains were scattered in all -directions." - -Suddenly the young monk laborer said to Loysik, pointing in the -direction of the glimmer that must have been produced by the reflection -of a great but distant fire: - -"Do you hear those distant yells? Do you see that light?" - -"That light, my son, is the light cast by the pyre that Clotaire II -ordered raised," said one of the two old women; "those yells are the -yells of the people dancing around the fire." - -"What pyre?" asked Loysik with a shudder. "Of what pyre are you -speaking?" - -"After the wild horse broke the head of Brunhild, the people who came to -the village in order to see her die besought the King to have the -accursed remains of the old she-wolf placed upon a pyre; the King gave -his consent before his departure; he departed soon afterwards. The pyre -was raised yonder at the square, and the light reaches us." - -The evening breeze carried to Loysik's ears the cries of frantic joy, -uttered by the crowd, wild with the intoxication of vengeance: - -"Burn, burn, old bones of Brunhild, the accursed! Burn, burn, old -accursed bones!" - -As Loysik caught these words he cried: - -"Oh, formidable contrast, formidable like the voice of history! The pyre -of Brunhild--the pyre of Victoria!" - - - - -EPILOGUE - - -Ronan, old little Odille, the Master of the Hounds and the Bishopess -were promenading along the bank of the river Charolles, near the lodge -where the monks of the monastery and the inhabitants of the Valley took -their turns as sentinels near the landing-place of the punt. Since the -revelation of the pretensions of the Bishop of Chalon, besides the -regular sentinel, ten brothers and twenty colonists, all well armed, -took turns in guarding the crossing, and encamped in an improvised -block-house. - -"Old Master of the Hounds," Ronan observed sadly, "this is the seventh -day since Loysik left; he is not yet back; I can not overcome my -uneasiness." - -"Why, there he is!" cried Odille in great glee. "Do you not see his -white mule? He is riding down the slope of the hill in great hurry; he -is coming down to the river bank; send the punt across for him." - -Ronan, the Master of the Hounds, Odille, the Bishopess, all their -children, together with several monks and colonists threw themselves -into the punt. The river was quickly crossed, the landing made, and all -ran to meet the monk. Old Odille and the venerable Bishopess found again -on that day their young limbs of girlhood. Loysik was given hardly time -to alight from his mule. It was a pell-mell of arms, hands, heads around -the respected old man. Whom was he to embrace first? He knew not whose -caresses to respond to. After a while the tempest of tenderness -subsided. Calm was restored. Joy no longer choked their throats. -Conversation started on the way to the monastery, and Loysik narrated to -his friends what he learned concerning the tortures of Queen Brunhild. -He informed them of the confirmation of the charter of Clotaire I by -Clotaire II. - -"And lastly," Loysik proceeded to say, "upon my return from Ryonne, I -called upon the Bishop of Chalon. The confirmation of the charter by -Clotaire II was a good deal, but that was not all that was needed. There -were still some formalities to fulfill." - -"Brother Loysik," put in Ronan, "we heard from the Bishop of Chalon. It -came about this way: After the departure of Brunhild's men-at-arms, whom -we released upon receipt of the orders you sent us when you escaped -death at the monster's hands, what should the archdeacon do but have the -audacity to return at the head of about fifty of his tonsured -fraternity, together with as many poor slaves of the bishopric. The -slaves and the tonsured friars were armed at haphazard, and bore before -their clerical troop a cross in lieu of a banner; they approached -bravely to declare war to us, if we refused to obey the orders of the -bishop, and to allow him to place our goods into his episcopal pockets." - -"Ah! What a fine day we had of it!" said the Master of the Hounds. "The -clerical troop brought along a boat upon their wagons in order to cross -the river. That day I was on guard with about thirty of our men. We saw -the boat launched, and the archdeacon step in with two clerks for -oarsmen. Three men gave us little concern. We allowed them to land. The -archdeacon stepped ashore with casque and cuirass over his priestly -robes, a long sword in his hand. - -"'If you will not submit to the orders of the Bishop of Chalon,' the -basilica captain cried out to us in a triumphant voice, 'my troop will -enter the Valley and reduce it to obedience by force of arms. I grant -you a quarter of an hour to surrender yourselves.' - -"It does not take me quite so long to make up my mind what to do. So I -answered him back on the spot: 'We have already once set you free with -your skin whole, notwithstanding your insolent language; this time, -however, you will receive a rougher lesson, my basilica captain!'" - -"Oh, old Vagre, old Vagre!" said Loysik shaking his head. "I disapprove -of such violent language. Had I been here, you would not have spoiled -your cause in that manner." - -"Good father," answered the Master of the Hounds, smiling, as well as -Ronan, "the only thing spoiled was the archdeacon's hide. As soon said -as done. Our good man was seized, his clerical robe raised, and the -straps of our belts administered a thorough discipline to the basilica -captain, all casqued and cuirassed as he was. After that he was -deposited into our punt; my men and I stepped in, crossed the river and -met the clerical army drawn up in line of battle on the opposite bank. -Five or six of the tonsured gentry had armed themselves with bows and -arrows. They shot a volley at us; the aim was taken badly enough; but -accident willed it that they killed one of our men and wounded two. We -were thirty at the most, but entered upon close quarters with the five -score churchmen and poor slaves that they dragged after them. They tried -to withstand us, but we invoked our own special trinity--lance, sword -and axe. It was not long before the redoubtable warriors of the Bishop -of Chalon displayed to us the seams of the backs of their breeches in -full view. The glorious episcopal captain leaped upon his mule and gave -the signal to retreat by himself fleeing at full tilt; his tonsured -brethren followed his example--we buried about a dozen dead, and picked -up a few wounded ones, who were taken care of at the monastery and -afterwards set at large. We have not since heard again from the brave -episcopal army." - -"I knew all that, my friends, and I approve your action, except the -discipline that you administered to the archdeacon, that I strongly -condemn," said Loysik; "I had much trouble in calming the anger of the -Bishop of Chalon upon that particular head. For the rest, you deported -yourselves as the occasion demanded. Aye, to defend one's rights and -repel force with force is but just; moreover, a resistance carried to -the point of heroism is often politic. Brunhild recoiled before the idea -of driving you to desperate means. Well, as I was saying to you, I -called upon the bishop on my return from Clotaire's camp. I found him -furious by reason of your resistance, and the insult to the archdeacon. -I told him that I condemned the insult, but that I approved the -legitimate resistance of my brothers of the Valley. 'What is the good of -your resorting to violent means?' I said to him. 'You, a churchman, sent -armed men against monks and colonists, who only ask to be allowed to -live in quiet and by the sweat of their brow, as is their right. Your -men were beaten back, and will be beaten back again if they return to -the charge. I pray you to renounce all claims against the Valley; we, on -our part, will recognize your right to spiritual jurisdiction, but -nothing more.' The bishop answered me furiously: 'I shall then take away -from you the priests that I send you to say mass at the monastery! I -shall excommunicate the Valley!' 'If that be your pleasure, bishop, why, -then we shall be excommunicated; for all that you will see the grass on -our meadows continue to grow green, our woods to set forth fresh -branches, our fields to produce wheat, our vines to yield their juice as -plentifully as ever, our cattle their milk, our bees their honey; -children will continue to be born robust and ruddy as hitherto; your -excommunication can in no manner change things. The only thing that -could happen is that our neighbors will say: "Oh, behold an -excommunicated Valley continuing to be fertile; excommunicated people -remaining in a happy frame of mind and thriving; why, excommunication -must be a farce!" So, then, bishop, the ultimate result would be that a -punishment, that so many poor people imagine to be frightful, will be -thought little or nothing of. Take my advice; give up all thought of -violence and of coercion; respect our goods, our rights, our freedom, -and we, in turn, will respect your spiritual jurisdiction--if not, not; -the misfortunes that your iniquity may lead to will then fall upon your -own head!' To make a long story short, my friends, after protracted -debates, I obtained a new charter from the bishop. I shall read it to -you. Listen carefully. It bears, perhaps, the germ of the -enfranchisement of Gaul." - -And Loysik read as follows: - - "To the holy and venerable brother in Christ--Loysik, superior of - the monastery of Charolles, built in the valley of that name, - conceded to the said brother Loysik in perpetual donation, by - virtue of a charter granted by the glorious King Clotaire I in the - year 558, and confirmed by the illustrious Clotaire II this year of - 613, I, Salvien, Bishop of Chalon. We believe it our duty to insert - on this leaf what we and our successors must do with the aid of our - Lord God: - - "1st. The Bishop of Chalon, out of respect for the place, and - without receiving therefor any price whatever, shall bless the - altar of the monastery of Charolles, and, if requested shall grant - the holy chrism every year. - - "2nd. Whenever by the will of God a superior may have passed from - the monastery to the bosom of God, the bishop shall, without - receiving any recompense therefor, raise to the rank of superior - the monk who, by virtue of the worthiness of his life, may have - been chosen by the community. - - "3rd. Our successors, both bishops and archdeacons, or any other - administrators, or any other dignitaries whatever of the city of - Chalon, shall arrogate no other power over the monastery of - Charolles, either in the ordination of persons, or the goods, or - the farms of the Valley already given by the glorious King Clotaire - I and confirmed by the illustrious King Clotaire II. - - "4th. Our successors are forbidden to demand, or extort, under the - title of presents, anything whatever from the monastery or from the - parishioners of the Valley. - - "5th. Our successors, unless they shall be requested by the - superior of the community to come and pray at the monastery, shall - never enter the said monastery, nor cross its outer precincts; and - after the celebration of the holy mysteries, and after receiving - short and simple thanks, the bishop shall forthwith return to his - own residence without having to be requested to do so by anyone. - - "6th. If any of our successors (which may God forfend) filled with - perfidy, and driven by cupidity, should, in a temerarious spirit, - attempt to violate the matters hereinabove set forth, then, smitten - by divine vengeance, he shall be submitted to anathema. - - "And in order that this constitution may ever remain in full force - and vigor, we have willed that it be corroborated by our own - signature.--SALVIEN. - - "Done at Chalon, on the 8th day of the calends of November, of the - year of the incarnation, 613." - -"Good brother Loysik," said Ronan, "this charter guarantees our rights; -thanks to you for having obtained it; but did we not have our swords to -defend ourselves?" - -"Oh, always that old leaven of Vagrery! The swords, always the swords! -Thus the best of things turn to evil through abuse and hot-headedness! -Yes, the sword, resistance, revolt carried to the point of martyrdom -whenever your rights are violated by force! But why shed blood, why -fight when one's right is recognized and guaranteed? Moreover, who tells -you that you would again prevail if again put to it? Who tells you that -the Bishop of Chalon, or his successor, would not, in case you refused -to recognize his spiritual jurisdiction, call some Burgundian seigneur -to his aid? You would know how to die, but why die if one can live free -and peaceful? This charter binds the bishop and his successors to -respect the rights of the monks of the monastery and of the inhabitants -of this valley. It is an additional guaranty. Should it ever be trampled -under foot, then the hour will have sounded for heroic measures. Until -then, my friends, spend your days in the tranquility that this charter -insures to you." - -"You are right, Loysik," replied Ronan, "that old leaven of Vagrery is -ever fermenting in our heads. But is not this submission to the -spiritual jurisdiction of the bishop, a submission that the charter -consecrates, is it not a humiliation?" - -"Did he not before now exercise more or less spiritual authority over -us? Formally to recognize his spiritual authority is a matter of but -slight importance; to deny it would be to expose ourselves to -interminable troubles. And all to what purpose? Is not the inviolability -of our goods and our property acknowledged?" - -"That is so, brother." - -"This charter, that, thanks to the firmness with which you resisted his -iniquitous claims, instead of cowardly resigning yourselves to -usurpations--this charter bears in itself the germ of the progressive -enfranchisement of Gaul." - -"How it that, Loysik?" - -"Sooner or later, what we have done in the Valley of Charolles will be -repeated in other provinces; the old Gallic blood will not forever -remain torpid; some day, waking up at last to their own numbers and -power, our sons will in their turn say to the seigneurs and bishops: -'Recognize our rights and we will recognize the powers that you have -arrogated to yourselves; if not, war--war to the bitter end--war to the -death--war to the point of extermination!" - -"And yet, Loysik," cried Ronan, "what a shame, what an iniquity to -recognize that accursed power, born of a bloody and confiscatory -conquest! To recognize the right of theft, of brigandage and of murder! -The oppression of the Gallic race by the bishops and the race of -Franks!" - -"Brother, as much as yourself do I deplore these misfortunes. But what -is to be done? Alas, the conquest and its accomplice the Church weigh -down upon Gaul for over a century, and they have cast deep roots. Our -descendants will be compelled to reckon with a power that years have -fortified; they can not choose but recognize that power, while at the -same time wresting from it, by force if necessary, a portion of the -rights that our fathers were deprived of by the conquest. But what does -it matter, my friends! The first step being taken others will certainly -follow; and with each such step, marking its track with its own blood, -our race will draw steadily nearer and nearer to ultimate deliverance. -Aye, the brilliant day will finally dawn, the day that Victoria -foretold, the brilliant day when Gaul, trampling under foot both the -crown of the Frankish Kings and the tiara of the Popes of Rome, will -re-arise proud, radiant and free. Have faith in the future!" - -The news of Loysik's return flew from mouth to mouth, and spontaneously -brought all the inhabitants of the Valley to the monastery. The day was -celebrated with cordial joy. It gave new earnest of many years of quiet, -prosperity and freedom to the monks of the monastery and to the -colonists of the Valley of Charolles. - - * * * * * - -I, Ronan, the son of Karadeucq, finished writing the above narrative two -years after the death of Queen Brunhild, towards the end of the calends -of October of the year 615. Clotaire II continues to reign over Gaul as -the sole ruler, as his great-grandfather Clovis and his grandfather -Clotaire I before him. The murderer of Brunhild's grandchildren does not -belie with his subsequent conduct the sinister character with which he -started his reign. Nevertheless both the royal and the episcopal charter -regarding the colony and the community of Charolles have been respected -down to this date. My brother Loysik, my good old little Odille, the -Bishopess and my friend the Master of the Hounds continue to defy age -with their good health. - -I hereby entrust my son's son with the mission of carrying this -narrative to the descendants of Kervan, my father's brother, both of -whom were the sons of Jocelyn. Brittany still remains the only province -of Gaul that preserves its independence. It has repelled the Frankish -troops of Clotaire II as it repelled the attacks of his ancestors. - -My grandson will, I hope, arrive without encountering any mishap at the -cradle of our family, situated near the sacred stones of Karnak. I hope -he may successfully accomplish the pious pilgrimage, the same as I did -more than fifty years ago. - -I wish to enter upon this leaf a matter of importance to our family, -divided as it now is in two branches, one inhabiting Burgundy, the other -Brittany. In these days of civil wars and general disorder, the peace -and freedom that we now enjoy may at any time be violently assailed. Our -descendants will know how to die rather than relapse into slavery. But -should it happen that unforeseen causes prevent a heroic resolution, if -our family should again be brought under the yoke of servitude and its -members carried away captive, it will be well, as a matter of precaution -against unhappy days, alas! always possible, that the members of our -family should carry some sign of recognition indelibly marked upon an -arm with the point of a needle reddened in the fire and dipped in the -juice of the privet berry. The smart is but slight, and the tender skin -of a child receives and forever keeps the indelible mark. The Gallic -words _Brenn_ and _Karnak_, words that recall the glorious past of our -ancestors, are henceforth to be traced on the right arm of all the -children that may succeed us, and so forward from generation to -generation. Who knows but it may happen that members of our family, now -divided into two branches, may, in the course of the ages cross one -another's path? In that sign they will find the means of recognizing -each other, and render each other mutual assistance. - -And now, Oh, our children, leaving the branding needle that I have used -upon my own grandchild as the symbol to accompany this narrative and be -joined to Hena's gold sickle, Guilhern's little brass bell, Sylvest's -iron collar, Genevieve's silver cross, Schanvoch's casque's lark and -Loysik's poniard's hilt, I fervently hope that this narrative may, as -all the preceding ones left by our ancestors, keep alive in your breasts -the flame of an ardent love for your country and for your family. And -may, Oh, my children! the moral conveyed by the adventures of my life, -and of the lives of my father Karadeucq and my brother Loysik never be -lost upon you. Gather from them instruction, example, hope and courage. - -THE END. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Branding Needle, or The Monastery -of Charolles, by Eugène Sue - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRANDING NEEDLE *** - -***** This file should be named 33618.txt or 33618.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/3/3/6/1/33618/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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