e french, and france shall have

them."

"but not bordeaux?" cried sir nigel excitedly.

"bordeaux also is for france."

"but calais?"

"calais too."

"woe worth me then, and ill hail to these evil words! if

bordeaux and calais be gone, then what is left for england?"

"it seems indeed that there are evil times coming upon your

country," said du guesclin. "in our fondest hopes we never

thought to hold bordeaux. by saint ives! this news hath warmed

the heart within me. our dear country will then be very great in

the future, tiphaine?"

"great, and rich, and beautiful," she cried. "far down the

course of time i can see her still leading the nations, a wayward

queen among the peoples, great in war, but greater in peace,

quick in thought, deft in action, with her people's will for her

sole monarch, from the sands of calais to the blue seas of the

south."

"ha!" cried du guesclin, with his eyes flashing in triumph, "you

hear her, sir nigel?--and she never yet said word which was not

sooth."

the english knight shook his head moodily. "what of my own poor

country?" said he. "i fear, lady, that what you have said bodes

but small good for her."

the lady sat with parted lips, and her breath came quick and

fast. "my god!" she cried, "what is this that is shown me?

whence come they, these peoples, these lordly nations, these

mighty countries which rise up before me? i look beyond, and

others rise, and yet others, far and farther to the shores of the

uttermost waters. they crowd! they swarm! the world is given

to them, and it resounds with the clang of their hammers and the

ringing of their church bells. they call them many names, and

they rule them this way or that but they are all english, for i

can hear the voices of the people. on i go, and onwards over

seas where man hath never yet sailed, and i see a great land

under new stars and a stranger sky, and still the land is

england. where have her children not gone? what have they not

done? her banner is planted on ice. her banner is scorched in

the sun. she lies athwart the lands, and her shadow is over the

seas. bertrand, bertrand! we are undone for the buds of her bud

are even as our choicest flower!" her voice rose into a wild cry,

and throwing up her arms she sank back white and nerveless into

the deep oaken chair.

"it is over," said du guesclin moodily, as he raised her drooping

head with his strong brown hand. "wine for the lady, squire!

the blessed hour of sight hath passed."

chapter xxx.

how the brushwood men came to the chateau of villefranche.

it was late ere alleyne edricson, having carried sir nigel the

goblet of spiced wine which it was his custom to drink after the

curling of his hair, was able at last to seek his chamber. it

was a

stone-flagged room upon the second floor, with a bed in a recess

for him, and two smaller pallets on the other side, on which

aylward and hordle john were already snoring. alleyne had knelt

down to his evening orisons, when there came a tap at his door,

and ford entered with a small lamp in his hand. his face was

deadly pale, and his hand shook until the shadows flickered up

and down the wall.

"what is it, ford?" cried alleyne, springing to his feet.

"i can scarce tell you, said he, sitting down on the side of the

couch, and resting his chin upon his hand. "i know not what to

say or what to think."

"has aught befallen you, then?"

"yes, or i have been slave to my own fancy. i tell you, lad,

that i am all undone, like a fretted bow-string. hark hither,

alleyne! it cannot be that you have forgotten little tita, the

daughter of the old glass-stainer at bordeaux?"

"i remember her well."

"she and i, alleyne, broke the lucky groat together ere we

parted, and she wears my ring upon her finger. 'caro mio,' quoth

she when last we parted, 'i shall be near thee in the wars, and

thy danger will be my danger.' alleyne, as god is my help, as i

came up the stairs this night i saw her stand before me, her face

in tears, her hands out as though in warning--i saw it, alleyne,

even as i see those two archers upon their couches. our very

finger-tips seemed to meet, ere she thinned away like a mist in

the sunshine."

"i would not give overmuch thought to it," answered alleyne. "our

minds will play us strange pranks, and bethink you that these

words of the lady tiphaine du guesclin have wrought upon us and

shaken us."

ford shook his head. "i saw little tita as clearly as though i

were back at the rue des apotres at bordeaux," said he.

"but the hour is late, and i must go."

"where do you sleep, then?"

"in the chamber above you. may the saints be with us all!" he

rose from the couch and left the chamber, while alleyne could

hear his feet sounding upon the winding stair. the yo