Joan of the Sword Hand

full and strong from the

n lifting it now. In fact, he did not seem able to let it down. Every man in the hall exce

ceedingly commanding, and her beautiful eyes shining w

" said Jorian, enrapture

ed into the hall, every man

ipline!" s

outh!" respo

! You shall see whether I am called Joan of the Sword Hand for naught. You would t

shake to feel the elastic return, she looked at the poor knave fixed before her in the centre of the hall with his wrist stra

there!"

back her arm

en's sake, lady, do not soil the skirts of your dress with his villain blood. He but obeyed his orders. Let me be set free, and I will fi

eaned on the sword, hold

was this thing do

o tell tales even on his enemies.

Werner von Orseln, a deep

she said, "the Dane shall fight Werner for his life. Loose him and

now rising to

ss," he said. "I as

d yet," said Boris; "we shall se

," growled Jori

ld in her hand. And going first she went forth from the hall of the soldiery, down the broad stairs, and soo

Danish marches, make good his words. That, surely, is bette

ngly and with deep flus

eight years-or well-nigh twice the years you have lived-fought for you and your father and shed my blood in a score of pitched battles, t

ning the dropping of the ba

ded soldier

order," he s

tand to it!" cried this fiery young woman. "Else

lightly ironic smile

obedience. If you say that I am to get down on my knees and

ed calmly at him with a cer

e you would!"

e work before him with quick little guards and feints and attacks. There was a proud look in his eyes, and

lish lean Bohemian wh

be my second? Agreed! And who will

at will arrange itself!" sa

king turrets of the quadrangle, and in a tierce of seconds she was out again, in

yes, "will be this young man's second, in this pl

stood up together, the guards murmured in

ther and sister, they could not have

se to the youth

the lithe figure of the girl in its array of well-f

Balta, are you seconding Werner? Come hither. Let us try the swords, you and I. Will not these two serve? Guard! Well smitten! There, enough. What, you are touched on the sword arm? Faith, man, for the moment I forgot that it was not you and I who were to drum

were opposed in the clear shadow of the quadrangle, where neither had any advantage of light, and

of what was to follow. Yet for full twenty minutes Werner von Orseln, the oldest sworder of all the north, from the marshes of Wil

, and the point of his adversary's blade ever missing him an inch at this side, and coming an inch short upon that other. The Dane kept as s

aying with him!" said

. He had no b

ifted an eyebrow for the fraction of a second towards his mistress. And then at the end of the next rally his sword just

down his sword and

need lads of such metal to ride the forays from the h

scores!" replied the yo

e, but Werner's is somewhat the deeper. You can keep each other company at the dice-box these next days. And, as I warrant ne

ad, one reason of whose wounding had been that he als

re one of us now. We have blooded

r, and my uncles are all dead, and there is small service in going back to Denmark, where there are more than enough of hungry gentlemen with

o to the men's quarters. George the Hussite, I deliver him to you. See that he does not get into any more quarrels till his arm