The Maids of Paradise

or us to stay?" she asked. H

r. I beg you

ower of slates and knocked a

that loop-hole?" she asked, w

d I. "Will you g

e said,

oom, hesitate, sink down by the edge of

ell after shell came howling, whistling, whizzing into the village; the two hussars had disappeared, but a com

nd chimney; the Turcos tucked up their blue sleeves, spat on their hands, and dug away like terriers, while th

, filling the room with an acrid, smarting dust. Again and again metal fragments from shells rang out on the heavy walls of our turret;

a steady roar; the Turcos dropped pic

the tumult increased to a swelling uproar, shouting

ellowed the captai

ugh the smoke, the Turcos were whirled about like brilliant butterflies in a tornado; the fusillade swelled

clicking of steel, till of a sudden a voice burst out into a dreadful screaming. A shot

otecting hand resting lightly on my shoulder; a lieutenant of Prussian infantry confronted us; straight, heavy

nch, "because there has been no firing from the windows in this village. Ot

ropped the point of his sword to the stone floor

d through here yesterd

sile

rtillery, wa

looked

sharply. "You are a prisoner

useless privile

have you shot!" he retorte

out of t

d of the Countess de Vassa

stepped to the loop-hole and looked out, then hastily removed his helmet and thrust his

t of black leather, faced with the glittering Prussi

nding outside, the door was flung open, and thr

ear the bed, but I could only make out that one was a Turc

p-hole and glanced out, then shook h

to hold the stairs, ten men and a sergeant in the room below, and you'd better take y

ognized Salah Ben-Ahmed in the 78 dishevelled Turco, but could

, "turn your head and busy yourself with what concerns you. And you, madame," he added, pompou

nsieur?" asked the Countess, am

" she said. "Go to your French prisoner

e, near-sighted eyes became stupid and fixed; he smoothed

rched out, slamming the d

Countess began to sparkle, and an

his own importance and his first battle. But he will never

r, and the lieutenant reappeared, bowing rigidly, one hand on

he said, jerkily, red as a beet. "Begs permissio

h may take the wine," s

graciously well-born lady not to judge my regiment or m

Countess. "The merciful treatment of Fr

less dignity, and the Countess drew a chair beside my sofa-chair and sat dow

ooked down in

whole street undulated with masses of gray-and-black uniforms, moving forward through th

th a dull flash of instruments; a thousand brass helmet-spikes pri

on has begu

onless, save for the

omrade!" and the whole street began to ring with

rve and came swinging up the street; for I could see the yellow crown on the coll

inty horses, under a canopy of little black-and-whit

eard the faint click of h

, half carbine, half pistol, followed the Uhlans, fil

ses on either side of the street. At the same time Prussian infantry came hurrying past, dragging behind them dozens of vehicles, long

ig their ditch and breastworks-a barricade high enough to check a charge, and cunningly arranged, too, for the wooden abatis could no

d thrust out helmeted heads. More soldiers came, running heavily-the road swarmed with them; some threw themselves flat under the wagons, some kne

smartly uniformed officers appeared on the roof of the

cross the roof-tops; the windows of every house as far as I could see were black with helmets; a regiment in

rew bridle under our loop-hole and looked up

there!" he shoute

to his cheek. "It's their brigade of he

me! And-oh, the barricade!" I groaned, twisting my fingers in helpless ra

eet is blocked? Can't they find out before they ride into this

moment, then stepped swiftly for

!" she crie

ck!" I said. She d

ove the ruins I could see out into the country. And what I saw was a line of hills, crowned with smoke, a rolling stretch of meadow below, set here and there with sho

an batteries on the heights. Long, rippling crashes broke out, belting the fields with smoky breast

of fire on their armor; now and then a horse tossed his be

Madame, there rides the finest cav

that they rode with death heavy on their souls, knowing well there was no hop

French flank; I heard the French mitrailleuses rattling through the cannon's thunder, and I saw a

Prussian army rode the "gross

muttered-"sons of the cuirassiers of Wa

started and stood

he men of France! You say you do not under

le," she said, hoarsely. "How

thicker than tha

gun to gallop! They are coming!

were cheering. It was the first charge they had ever made; nobody had ev

us gallop, and that mass of steel-clad men burst straight down the first slope of the plat

at their head; the Ninth Cuirassiers thundered behind them; then came the lancers under a torr

ming, iron hoofs battering the shaking earth; the steel-clad ride

nt down in the smoke of the Prussian rifles, the sinister clash and crash of falling armor filled the air. Sheets of lead poured into them; the rattle of empty scabbards on stirrups, the metallic ringi

ping squadrons, a solid cataract of impetuous horses, a flashing torrent of armored men-and t

eir maddened horses, and into these thundered squadro

human whirlpool formed at the barricade, hurling bodily from its centre horses and riders. Men

om the rifles set the jackets of the cuirassiers on fire: a German captain opened the shutters of a window and fir

e opposite, and flung himself from the window into the mass of writhing horsemen. Tall cuirassiers, in impotent fury, began slashing at the walls of the house

reined in his horse and turned, white-

HALT!' H