第114章 THE SACRIFICE.MAY 31,1431.(3)

"Ah，Sieur Pierre，"she said to Morice，"where shall I be to-night？"The man had condemned her as a relapsed heretic，a daughter of perdition.He had just suggested to her that her angels must have been devils.Nevertheless perhaps his face was not unkindly，he had not meant all the harm he did.He ought to have answered，"In Hell，with the spirits you have trusted"；that would have been the only logical response.What he did say was very different."Have you not good faith in the Lord？"said the judge who had doomed her.Amazing and notable speech！They had sentenced her to be burned for blasphemy as an envoy of the devil；they believed in fact that she was the child of God，and going straight in that flame to the skies.Jeanne，with the sound，clear head and the "sane mind"to which all of them testified，did she perceive，even at that dreadful moment，the inconceivable contradiction？"Ah，"she said，"yes，God helping me，I shall be in Paradise."There is one point in the equivocal report which commends itself to the mind，which several of these men unite in，but which was carefully not repeated at the Rehabilitation：and this was that Jeanne allowed "as if it had been a thing of small importance，"that her story of the angel bearing the crown at Chinon was a romance which she neither expected nor intended to be believed.For this we have to thank L'Oyseleur and the rest of the reverend ghouls assembled on that dreadful morning in the prison.

Jeanne was then dressed，for her last appearance in this world，in the long white garment of penitence，the robe of sacrifice：and the mitre was placed on her head which was worn by the victims of the Holy Office.She was led for the last time down the echoing stair to the crowded courtyard where her "chariot"awaited her.It was her confessor's part to remain by her side，and Frère Isambard and Massieu，the officer，both her friends，were also with her.It is said that L'Oyseleur rushed forward at this moment，either to accompany her also，or，as many say，to fling himself at her feet and implore her pardon.He was hustled aside by the crowd and would have been killed by the English，it is said，but for Warwick.The bystanders would seem to have been seized with a sudden disgust for all the priests about，thinking them Jeanne's friends，the historians insinuate--more likely in scorn and horror of their treachery.And then the melancholy procession set forth.

The streets were overflowing as was natural，crowded in every part：

eight hundred English soldiers surrounded and followed the cortège，as the car rumbled along over the rough stones.Not yet had the Maid attained to the calm of consent.She looked wildly about her at all the high houses and windows crowded with gazers，and at the throngs that gaped and gazed upon her on every side.In the midst of the consolations of the confessor who poured pious words in her ears，other words，the plaints of a wondering despair fell from her lips，"Rouen！Rouen！"she said；"am I to die here？"It seemed incredible to her，impossible.She looked about still for some sign of disturbance，some rising among the crowd，some cry of "France！France！"or glitter of mail.Nothing：but the crowds ever gazing，murmuring at her，the soldiers roughly clearing the way，the rude chariot rumbling on.

"Rouen，Rouen！I fear that you shall yet suffer because of this，"she murmured in her distraction，amid her moanings and tears.

At last the procession came to the Old Market，an open space encumbered with three erections--one reaching up so high that the shadow of it seemed to touch the sky，the horrid stake with wood piled up in an enormous mass，made so high，it is said，in order that the executioner himself might not reach it to give a merciful blow，to secure unconsciousness before the flames could touch the trembling form.Two platforms were raised opposite，one furnished with chairs and benches for Winchester and his court，another for the judges，with the civil officers of Rouen who ought to have pronounced sentence in their turn.Without this form the execution was illegal：what did it matter？No sentence at all was read to her，not even the ecclesiastical one which was illegal also.She was probably placed first on the same platform with her judges，where there was a pulpit from which she was to be /preschée/for the last time.Of all Jeanne's sufferings this could scarcely be the least，that she was always /preschée/，lectured，addressed，sermonised through every painful step of her career.