f came up on to
the wall, when the knight raised his vizor.

"Countess Amelie de Laville, I summon you, in the name of his
majesty the king, to surrender. I have with me an ample force to
overcome all resistance; but his gracious majesty, in his clemency,
has empowered me to offer to all within the walls their lives; save
only that you and your son shall accompany me to Paris, there to be
dealt with according to the law, under the accusation of having
taken up arms against his most sacred majesty."

"Methinks, sir," the countess said, in a loud clear voice, "that it
would have been better had you delayed until this morning, instead
of attempting, like a band of midnight thieves, to break into my
chateau. I fancy we should have heard but little of his majesty's
clemency, had you succeeded in your attempt. I am in arms, not
against the king, but against his evil counsellors; the men who
persuade him to break his pledged word, and to treat his
unoffending subjects as if they were the worst of malefactors.
Assuredly their royal highnesses, the Princes of Conde and Navarre,
have no thought of opposing his majesty; but desire, above all
things, that he should be able to act without pressure from
Lorraine or Guise, from pope or King of Spain; and when they lay
down their arms, I shall be glad to do so. Did I know that the king
himself, of his own mind, had sent you here to summons me, I would
willingly accompany you to Paris, to clear myself from any charges
brought against me; but as your base attempt, without summons or
demand, to break into my chateau last night shows that you can have
no authority from his majesty to enter here, I refuse to open my
gates; and shall defend this place until the last, against all who
may attack it."

The knights rode away. They had, after the rough reception on their
arrival, perceived that the countess was determined to defend the
chateau, and had only summoned her to surrender as a matter of
form.

"I would we had never entered upon this expedition, De Brissac.
They told us that the house was but poorly fortified, and we
thought we should assuredly carry it last night by surprise; and
that by taking this obstinate dame prisoner, burning her chateau,
and sweeping all the country round, we should give a much needed
lesson to the Huguenots of the district. One could not have
expected to find the place crowded with men, and everyone ready
with lighted matches and drawn crossbows to recei