The Branding Needle, or The Monastery of Charolles

hiefs and fill them with grace! May He protect the army, may He fortify the faith, may He gr

he very banks of the Saone. It is a palace at once gorgeous and martial. In these days of incessant feuds, kings and seigneurs always turn their homes into fortifications. So also did Brunhild. Her palace is girt by thick walls, flanked with massive towers. One only entrance-a vaulted passage closed at its two extremities by enormous iron-barred doors-leads within. Night and day Brunhild's men-at-arms mount guard in the vault. In the inside courtyards are numerous other lodges for horsemen and footmen. The halls of the palace are vast; they are paved in marble or in mosaics, and are ornamented with colonnades of jasper, porphyry and alabaster surmounted with capitals of gilded bronze. These architectural wond

nd the table a number of chairs are arranged, all of which are furnished with soft purple cushions. Here and there the shafts of pillars serve as pedestals for vases of jasper, of onyx, or of Corinthian bronze, a material more precious than gold or red alabaster. Upon an antique green plinth rests a group exquisitely wrought in Parisian marble and representing the pagan god of Love caressing Venus. Not far from that group, two statues of bronze that age has turned green represent the obscene figures of a fawn and a nymph. Between these two masterpieces of pagan art, a picture painted upon wood and

this! That august, that ve

here and now, in order to terrify evildoers! That bronze effigy

nkish extraction and Chrotechilde by name, has long been the confidante in all the Queen's crimes and debaucheries. She steps to a bell, rings it and waits. Shortly

oble dame Chrotechil

slave merchant,

n hour with two young girls, and also

that o

ew is to take somewhere else, a

ng up the two young

d the curtain. Almost at the same mome

sunken eyes, which were surrounded with deep, dark circles. They were black, like her long eyelashes; only her hair was white. A front of brass, cruel lips, penetrating eyes, a head haughtily poised

ng up the li

t; he has two youn

in-let

to present with the two s

in a hurry to examine the two cr

here is

to such traffic, entered, followed by the two slaves whom he brought with him. They were w

dient to your orders; here are two young female slaves; they are veritable treasures of beauty, of sweetness, of gracefulness, of g

ght of the redoubted Queen, had fallen on their knees at the threshold of

me girl, wore a white tunic; her eyes were blue; a strand of corals wound itself in the braids of her black hair; eighteen or twenty years was the utmost age that she could be taken for. The girl's face, touchingly beautiful and open, was bathed in tears. Steeped in sorrow and shame, and trembling at every limb, she dared not raise h

country

Toul," answered the gir

u remember my lessons? You should answer: 'Glorious Queen, I am from the city of Toul.'" A

flow of words and proceed

were yo

the city was sacked by

u free o

father was a

ve you pleasing accomplishm

y mother taught me to play u

girl was unable to repress the sobs that suff

do that better than anything else. But, as you know, great Queen, one has

ly slandering the human race," observed the Queen with a

r been a slav

slave breaking out anew into sobs, and unable to make answer. "I bought Aurelie on the very day of the battle of Toul, and since then my wife Rebecca

l, who now hid her face in her

let her stop whimpering;

chief and fire; her thin and slightly upturned nose, her rosy and palpitating nostrils, her ruby but rather fleshy lips, her little enamel teeth, her dimpled cheeks and chin, imparted to this girl the liveliest, gayest and most impudent look imaginable. Her tunic of green silk added luster to the whiteness of her bosom and shoulders. Oh! the Jew had no need of telling this one to turn around, and turn again, in order t

ueen! One would think you had quicksilver in your veins! May your excellence excuse her, illustrious princess. She is so young, so gay, so giddy-headed-all she

atch and mischievously to challenge them, all the while smiling with a confident m

s not seem t

ious Queen, to me slav

hat, impu

ly took my nose off my sewing and smiled at some lad at the window. Accordingly, great Queen, what a sad lot was mine! Ill fed, I who am so fond of dainties; ill clad, I who am so coquettish; on my feet at the first cr

y s

Perhaps I may be captured by some baron of Burgundy, a count, or perhaps even a duke, and once I am

like Fredegonde, no

t then have the fortune of falling into the hands of a seigneur. An old leude, with long white moustaches and not a bit amorous, had me for his share of the booty, and he immediately after sold me to seigneur Samuel. But perhaps it is not ye

flection, Brunhild

one of these two

h of the two do you pref

he palace until this evening-they sha

g the bell; the second old woman again ap

two slaves

was carefully wrapping the devilish girl in her veil. "Queen, choose me, glori

ne towards the Queen's bedroom, at the door of which Chrotechilde pointed her finger

of her grief, stepped into the Queen's apartment. The Jew humbly bowed before Brunhild, left by the same door

er confidante