d ducats to form part of thy marriage portion."

The damsels would fain have declined his generous offer, but he would
not hear nay; and he said to their mother, who had once more entered--

"Madam, these five hundred ducats I leave to thee to distribute amongst
the convents that have suffered most from the pillage. And I must now
make ready to depart."

Again they fell on their knees, this time pressing his hands and weeping
as if their hearts would break; and the mother exclaimed through her
tears--

"Too generous knight, God alone can reward thee!"

Then, amid tears and farewells, he departed.

On leaving these good ladies, the knight took his way to the French
camp, where he was received with as much joy as if he were a
reinforcement of ten thousand men.

Now at that time the French were masters of the Duchy of Milan, in
northern Italy, and the presence of the Spanish army in that part of the
country was adjudged by Louis to be a constant menace to his interests
there. The king was in France, but his nephew, the Duke of Nemours,
commanded the French army in Italy.

Scarcely had Bayard arrived in camp, when Nemours determined to give
battle to the Spanish. All was soon astir in the French camps, in
preparation; and Bayard and the duke were in high spirits.

Nemours admired the chevalier extravagantly. He was too truly great to
be envious of Bayard's fame, and nothing delighted him more than to hear
the knight's praises.

"My Lord Bayard," he said, shortly after the chevalier's arrival, "I am
told that the Spanish fear thee more than they fear any other man on
earth, and that they are constantly asking if thou art in camp. I wish
thou wouldst go out and show thyself to them."

"By thy leave," answered the knight, laughing, "I will pay them a little
visit to-morrow."

On the next morning, which was Good Friday, Bayard paid the "little
visit" he promised. He had a way of calling on his enemies very scantily
attended, and this time he took with him a mere handful of men.

The two armies were encamped within a few miles of each other before the
city of Ravenna, which the Spaniards had undertaken to defend against
King Louis's forces.

It is needless to say that the Spanish were not expecting Bayard's
visit. They were in readiness, however, for another skirmishing party of
French had descended upon them only an hour before. It seems that these
earlier visitors were being badly worsted when the fearless kni