who or
what it was.

Then her silver trumpet voice rang out. She called upon them to
reform, to follow her. She cried that her Lord would give them the
victory, and almost before we who had accompanied her had formed
into rank for the charge, the flying, panic-stricken men from the
front, ashamed and filled with fresh ardour, had turned themselves
about, closed up their scattered ranks, and were ready to follow
her whithersoever she might lead them.

Yet it was to no speedy victory she urged them. No angel with a
flaming sword came forth to fight and overcome as by a miracle. But
it was enough for that white-clad figure to stand revealed in the
thickest of the carnage to animate the men to heroic effort. As I
say, it was the story of St. Loup over again; but if anything the
fighting was more severe. What the Generals had meant for a mere
feint, the Maid turned into a desperate battle. The English were
reinforced many times; it seemed as though we had a hopeless task
before us. But confidence and assurance of victory were in our
hearts as we saw our Deliverer stand in the thick of the fight and
heard her clarion voice ringing over the field. Ere the shades of
night fell, not only was Les Augustins ours, but its stores of food
and ammunition had been safely transported into the city, and the
place so destroyed and dismantled that never again could it be a
source of peril to the town.

And now the Maid's eyes were fixed full upon the frowning bulk of
Les Tourelles, rising grim and black against the darkening sky,
with its little "tower of the Boulevard," on this side the
drawbridge. Thither had the whole English force retired--all who
were not lying dead or desperately wounded on the plain or round
the gutted tower of Les Augustins--we saw their threatening faces
looking down fiercely upon us, and heard the angry voices from the
walls, heaping abuse and curses upon the "White Witch," who had
wrought them this evil.

"Would that we could attack at once!" spoke the Maid. "Would that
the sun would stay his course! Truly I do believe that we should
carry all before us!"

The leaders came up to praise and glorify her prowess. They heard
her words, but answered how that the men must needs have a night's
rest ere they tried this second great feat of arms. But, they
added, there should be no going back into the city, no delay on the
morrow in crossing the river.

It was a warm summer-like night. Provisions were abundant,