ing the Maid's dress alone, she had also given orders to the
first armourer in Tours to fashion her a suit of light armour for
the coming strife. This armour was of white metal, and richly
inlaid with silver, so that when the sun glinted upon it, it shone
with a dazzling white radiance, almost blinding to behold. The
King, also, resolved to do his share, had ordered for her a light
sword, with a blade of Toledo steel; but though the Maid gratefully
accepted the gift of the white armour, and appeared before all the
Court attired therein, and with her headpiece, with its floating
white plumes crowning it all, yet, as she made her reverence before
the King, she gently put aside his gift of the sword.

"Gentle Dauphin," she said, "I thank you from my heart; but for me
there is another sword which I must needs carry with me into
battle; and I pray you give me leave to send and fetch it from
where it lies unknown and forgotten."

"Why, Maiden, of what speak you?" he answered; "is not this
jewelled weapon good enough? You will find its temper of the best.
I know not where you will find a better!"

"No better a sword, Sire," she answered; "and yet the one which I
must use; for so it hath been told me of my Lord. In the church of
Fierbois, six leagues from hence, beneath the high altar, there
lies a sword, and this sword must I use. Suffer me, I pray you, to
send and fetch it thence. Then shall I be ready and equipped to
sally forth against the foes of my country."

"But who has told you of this sword, my maiden?"

"My Lord did tell me of it, as I knelt before the altar, ere I came
to Chinon. It is in the church of St. Catherine; and suffer only my
good knight, Jean de Metz, to go and make search for it, and he
will surely bring it hither to me."

Now I did well remember how, as we knelt in the church at Fierbois
in the dimness of the early morn, the Maid had received some
message, unheard by those beside her; and gladly did I set forth
upon mine errand to seek and bring to her this sword.

When I reached Fierbois, which was in the forenoon of the day
following, the good priests of the church knew nothing of any such
sword; but the fame of the Maid having reached their ears, they
were proud and glad that their church of St. Catherine should be
honoured thus, and calling together some workmen, they made careful
search, and sure enough, before we had dug deep, the spade struck
and clinked against metal, and forth from ben