THE FEENCH SPIRIT 27 



cess would go with her, and the English be driven from 

 Orleans and France. Persevering and dauntless, urged j^P^^^^fon 

 on by the voices sounding in her ears, she overcame 

 seemingly insui'mountable obstacles, until at length she 

 reached audience with the French ofl&cer in command. 

 No wonder he thought her mad, the victim of religious 

 delusion. The real wonder is that he, commander of 

 men, soldier and not sentimentalist, was at last so stirred 

 by her spirit and story, and by something in her person- 

 ality which he could not fathom, that he decided to send 

 her with armed escort to the King. 



This was the direct result of Joan's visions. St. Mich- 

 ael appeared to her in a flood of light and told her 

 to go to the help of the King, and restore to him his 

 realm. This she must do, since it was God's will. She 



Overcoming 



had not only to persuade the commander but to meet Bitter 

 opposition on all sides. Her father, when he heard of ^^ 

 her audacious purpose, threatened to drown her, but 

 without effect. Her appeals for aid to reach the King 

 were again and again refused with contempt. But she 

 persisted. "I must go to the King, even if I wear my 

 limbs to the very knees. I had far rather rest and spin 

 by my mother's side, for this is no work of my choosing ; 

 but I must go and do it." 



They asked, thinking to confuse her, "Who is your 

 Lord?" "He is God," was her reply. The theologians 

 proved to their own satisfaction from their books that 

 they ought not to believe her, but they could not move 

 her. "There is more in God's books than in yours," she 

 said. And by and by the French officer was sufficiently 

 impressed to give her at least her coveted chance to make 

 her strange story known to the King. 



So at last she was ushered into the presence of the as Maid and 

 yet uncrowned monarch, and a strange scene it was. ^°'"^^'^^ 

 This country girl, never before away from her simple 

 home surroundings, appeared not the least daunted by 

 the ordeal of a court presentation. She had a mission, 



