overlooked on one side by
the dark facade of the cathedral, on the other three sides by houses more
or less illumined. The rabble swept into this open space with them and
before them, filled much of it in an instant, and for a while eddied and
swirled this way and that, thrust onward by the worshippers who had
issued from the church and backwards by those who had been first in the
square, and had no mind to be hustled out of hearing. A stranger,
confused by the sea of excited faces, and deafened by the clamour of
"Vive le Roi!" "Vive Anjou!" mingled with cries against the Huguenots,
might have fancied that the whole city was arrayed before him. But he
would have been wide of the mark. The scum, indeed--and a dangerous
scum--frothed and foamed and spat under Tavannes' bridle-hand; and here
and there among them, but not of them, the dark-robed figure of a priest
moved to and fro; or a Benedictine, or some smooth-faced acolyte egged on
to the work he dared not do. But the decent burghers were not there.
They lay bolted in their houses; while the magistrates, with little heart
to do aught except bow to the mob--or other their masters for the time
being--shook in their council chamber.

There is not a city of France which has not seen it; which has not known
the moment when the mass impended, and it lay with one man to start it or
stay its course. Angers within its houses heard the clamour, and from
the child, clinging to its mother's skirt, and wondering why she wept, to
the Provost, trembled, believing that the hour had come. The Countess
heard it too, and understood it. She caught the savage note in the voice
of the mob--that note which means danger--and, her heart beating wildly,
she looked to her husband. Then, fortunately for her, fortunately for
Angers, it was given to all to see that in Count Hannibal's saddle sat a
man.

He raised his hand for silence, and in a minute or two--not at once, for
the square was dusky--it was obtained. He rose in his stirrups, and
bared his head.

"I am from the King!" he cried, throwing his voice to all parts of the
crowd. "And this is his Majesty's pleasure and good will! That every
man hold his hand until to-morrow on pain of death, or worse! And at
noon his further pleasure will be known! Vive le Roi!"

And he covered his head again.

"Vive le Roi!" cried a number of the foremost. But their shouts were
feeble and half-hearted, and were quickly drowned in a rising