e my consent. And
now go, I must dress."

"At last," said the king to Le Catt, "fortune will be again favorable to
me. Signs and wonders are taking place, as they did with Charles VII.
of France. When he was in the most dire necessity, surrounded by his
enemies, the Lord sent the Maid of Orleans to save him. To me, also, has
the Lord now sent a Joan d'Arc, a maid of Brunen. With her help I will
overcome all my enemies."

CHAPTER XVI. THE AMBASSADOR AND THE KHAN OF TARTARY.

The preparations were completed; the room of the king had become, by
means of his inventive genius, a magnificent throne saloon. The great
arm-chair, draped with rich hangings, looked almost imposing; the dirty
floor was concealed by a costly Turkish carpet. The door which led into
the entry had been removed, and the opening hung with banners. The entry
itself had been changed by means of carpets, banners, and standards into
a tasteful antechamber.

The king wore his general's uniform, and the chain of the order of the
Black Eagle, and the generals and staff officers stood near him in their
glittering dresses. The room of the sheriff had indeed become a royal
apartment.

And now an imposing train approached this improvised palace. First
appeared two riders, whose gold-embroidered mantles fell below their
feet and concealed the well-shaped bodies of the small Arabian horses on
which they were mounted, only displaying their slender necks, with their
flowing manes and their graceful legs. It was evident from their dark
complexions and flashing eyes that these men were foreigners, the sons
of the South. On each appeared the diamond-headed hilt of a sword,
glittering amid the folds of the costly Turkish shawls which encircled
their slender waists; and at the side of each hung the jewelled sheath
of a Damascus blade, which was held in the right hand, and presented in
salutation. These Turkish warriors were followed by two others, scarcely
less richly dressed, and behind them rode four men, in long black robes,
with eyes closed, each bearing in his right hand a book bound in gold
and velvet, which he pressed prayerfully to his breast; a golden pen
was worn in their girdles in place of a weapon, and on the fez an
artistically arranged and jewelled peacock's feather. Now followed two
other riders; but these were not alike, as the others had been, but bore
the most remarkable and striking contrast to one another. One of
them was dressed in the la