The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-12

La BieGse at O'Clock or the morning
CT tomorrow, and there that you be
hanged and burned till you are dead.
And TO God, the just. be the gloryi'
The voice OF Pierre de PHopital rang
out through the silence of the hall OF
judgment
"Amenr' said Friar GILES, devoutly
crossing himself.
And so, in due course, on the meadow
of La. Biesse, by the side of the blue
Loire, the sinful soul of GILES de Retz
went to its own place, with all the
paraphernalia CT repentance, and in the
full odor of a somewhat hectic sanctity.
9
The day after the burning little
company of riders left the city of An
gers, journeying westward along the
Loire. 1t consisted of the maidens Mar
garet Douglass and Maud Lindsay,
with ShoIto MacKim and dozen horse
men belonging to his grace If Brittany.
1t had been arranged that they We're to
be Joined upon an eminence above the
rivec, on the right bank, by the Lord
James, Malise and Laurence, with the
escort which was to accompany them
to the little port of st. Nazaire. Thence
Gas was usual in order to escape the
and treacherouS upper reacheS) they
would find vessels ready to set sail for
Scotland.
As the little cloud of riders left be-
hind them the back towers of Anglers,
they passed through woodland glades,
wherein, in spite of the lateness of the
season, the birds were singing. The air
was mild and delightsome. Then, leav-
ing the river, they struck away inland,
h. ai11er
toce on their left as they rode. Pres
emily they came to a forest. wherein in
days before the great cruelty GILES de
Retz had often hunted the wolf and
the wild boar.
Here the woodland paths were COW
cred deep with fallen leaves, and the
naked branches spoke powerfully of the
desolation Of a dead year.
AS the maids rode forward, first Of
their company, and talked. as was nat
ural, of that which had taken place the
day before at Nantes;~ they became
aware of the Lady Sybilla, riding toward
them on her -palfrey of white. She
would have. passed them without speech
with her head downcast,. and her eyes
fixed upon the dank ground with its
covering drift of dead autumn leaves.
But Margaret, grateful for that which
the Lady Sybilla had done for them at
Machecoul, spurred her steed and rode
on to intercept her.
"Sybilla," she said, you also will
come with. us to Scotland. 1 have many
castles there, and, they tell me, prin-
cessdom of mine own. We shall all be
happy together and forget these i'll
times Maud and 1 can never repay
that which you have done for u.s.
Yes, l pray you come with us"
said Maud a little more slowly, I'VE
will be your sisters, and the i'll times
shall not come again.
The Lady Sybilla smiled a sad, sub
tie smile, and shook her head.
IT thank you. [ thank you more
| than you know, it eases my heart that
you should forgive one such as l for
all the evil she has brought you and
yours. But 1 am now no fit companion
for you or any 1 am become but a
wandering shape, speaking to one who
cannot answer and seeking him whom
l can never find
The little maid, being but a child,
mistook her meaning.
mo, no." she cried, your life is not
done, If the one whom you love hath
left you unkindly-well, bide awhile
and when the first smart is passed we
Will marry you to some Drawer and
more handsome knight. There are
many such in Scotland. 1 pray you
come with Maud and me as we wish
you. Why there will not be three like
us in all the land. 1 wager we will set
kings by the ears between us. Though
as for me, l will only marry Doug
lasi"
The smile of the Lady Sybilla grew
ever sadder and ever sweeter.
THE man whom / loved and who
loved me, I betrayed to the death. There
is no forgiveness for such as I in this
life. Perhops there may be in the next.
AT least he forgaVe me, and that is
enough. He believed in me against my
self. and I Will wait. Till then l go
hither and thither. and none shall him
der me nor mOlest-fOr God hath set
the seal Of Cain upon Sybilla de
Thouarsi"
Margaret Douglas hicked her steed
impatiently, causing the spirited little
beast to curvet.
Il think it very ill-done of you not
TO come to Scotland with us she said.
petulantly, when we would have been
so good to you!"
TOO good-too kind" said the Lady
Sybilla, very gently; such kindness is
not for such as / am. But II l may
while live I will keep the golden cross
you lent me-the crucifiX your brother
gave to you on your birthday!
''Keep tit is yours. do not want
it," cried Margaret, glad to have found
some way of showing her gratitude.
81 thank you said Sybilla de Thou
ars. some day may come to Scotland.
And If I do, you shall come out from
Thrieve and meet with me by the white
thorns of the Carlin wark at the hour
when the little children sing."
And so without other farewell she
turned and rode slowly away down the
avenues of fallen leaves, till the folding
woodlands hid her from the sight of
those two who watched her with tear
blurred eyes and hearts strangely stir
red with pity for the fate Of her whom
they had once hated with such good
cause.