第91章 THE EXAMINATION IN PRISON.LENT,(4)

Catherine and St.Margaret.Asked，whether she called them，or they came without being called，she answered，that they often came without being called，and if they did not come soon enough，she asked our Saviour to send them.Asked，if St.Denis had ever appeared to her；answered，not that she knew.Asked，if when she promised to our Lord to remain a virgin she spoke to Him；answered，that it ought to be enough to speak to those who were sent by Him that is to say，St.

Catherine and St.Margaret.Asked，what induced her to summon a man to Toul，in respect to marriage；answered，"I did not summon him；it was he who summoned me"；and that on that occasion she had sworn before the judge to speak the truth，which was that she had not made him any promise.She also said that the first time she had heard the voices she made a vow of virginity so long as it pleased God，being then about the age of thirteen.

It was the object of the judges by these questions to prove that，according to a fable which had obtained some credit，Jeanne during her visit to La Rousse，the village inn-keeper at Neufchateau，had acted as servant in the house and tarnished her good fame--so that her betrothed had refused to marry her：and that he had been brought before the Bishop's court at Toul for his breach of promise，as we should say.Exactly the reverse was the case，as the reader will remember.

Jeanne was further asked，if she had spoken of her visions to her curéor to any ecclesiastic：and answered no，but only to Robert de Baudricourt and to her King；but added that she was not bidden by her voices to conceal them，but feared to reveal them lest the Burgundians should hear of them and prevent her going.And especially she had much doubt of her father，lest he should hinder her from going.Asked，if she thought she did well to go away without the permission of her father and mother，when it is certain we ought to honour our father and mother；answered，that in every other thing she had fully obeyed him，except in respect to her departure；but she had written to them，and they had pardoned her.Asked，if when she left her father and mother she did not think it was a sin；answered，that her voices were quite willing that she should tell them，if it were not for the pain it would have given them；but as for herself，she would not have told them for any consideration；also that her voices left her to do as she pleased，to tell or not.

Having gone so far the reverend fathers went to dinner，and Jeanne we hope had her piece of bread and her /eau rougie/.In the afternoon these indefatigable questioners returned，and the first few questions throw a fuller light on the troubled cottage at Domremy，out of which this wonderful maiden came like a being of another kind.

She was questioned as to the dreams of her father；and answered，that while she was still at home her mother told her several times that her father said he had dreamt that Jeanne his daughter had gone away with the troopers，that her father and mother took great care of her and held her in great subjection：and she obeyed them in every point except that of her affair at Toul in respect to marriage.She also said that her mother had told her what her father had said to her brothers："If I could think that the thing would happen of which Ihave dreamed，I wish she might be drowned first；and if you would not do it，I would drown her with my own hands"；and that he nearly lost his senses when she went to Vaucouleurs.

How profound is this little village tragedy！The suspicious，stern，and unhopeful peasant，never sure even that the most transparent and pure may not be capable of infamy，distracted with that horror of personal degradation which is involved in family disgrace，cruel in the intensity of his pride and fear of shame！He has been revealed to us in many lands，always one of the most impressive of human pictures，with no trust of love in him but an overwhelming faith in every vicious possibility.If there is no evidence to prove that，even at the moment when Jeanne was supreme，when he was induced to go to Rheims to see the coronation，Jacques d'Arc was still dark，unresponsive，never more sure than any of the Inquisitors that his daughter was not a witch，or worse，a shameless creature linked to the captains and the splendid personages about her by very different ties from those which appeared--there is at least not a word to prove that he had changed his mind.She does not add anything to soften the description here given.The sudden appearance of this dark remorseless figure，looking on from his village，who probably in all Domremy--when Domremy got to hear the news--would be the only person who would in his desperation almost applaud that stake and devouring flame，is too startling for words.

The end of this day's examination was remarkable also for a sudden light upon the method she had intended to adopt in respect to the Duke of Orleans，then in prison in England，whom it was one of her most cherished hopes to deliver.

Asked，how she meant to rescue the Duc d'Orléans：she answered，that by that time she hoped to have taken English prisoners enough to exchange for him：and if she had not taken enough she should have crossed the sea，in power，to search for him in England.Asked，if St.

Catherine and St.Margaret had told her absolutely and without condition that she should take enough prisoners to exchange for the Duc d'Orléans，who was in England，or otherwise，that she should cross the sea to fetch him and bring him back within three years；she answered yes：and that she had told the King and had begged him to permit her to make prisoners.She said further that if she had lasted three years without hindrance，she should have delivered him.

Otherwise she said she had not thought of so long a time as three years，although it should have been more than one；but she did not at present recollect exactly.