Belle-Rose — page 156: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

DICE AND CARDS. | ee: golden fleurs-de-lis sewed to his coat, tore the white cockade. attached to his hat, and trampled it under his feet, picked up, at the foot of the wall where it was lying, the euard of his broken sword, slipped the stump of it in his scabbard, and went away. An hour after a man on horseback left the camp. When he had reached a certain distance, he stopped his horse upon a slight elevation and turned in the direction of the lines which he had just abandoned. A thousand flames shone in space, where the cries of the sentinels echoed unceasingly. Monsieur de Villebrais—for it was he—contemplated the warlike city where floated the flag of France. His arms were raised to heaven, whose terrible maledictions he seemed to be ap- pealing for. ‘'Vengeance!’’ said he, and urging on his horse toward the Belgian frontier, he disappeafted in the shadows. ‘Three leagues in front sparkled the first fires of the enemy’s lines. Halted by the Spanish sentinels, Mon- sieur de Villebrais asked the officer who commanded the post to conduct him to the general. A moment after Mon- sieur de Villebrais, guided by the officer himself, arrived at the tent of the Duke of Castel-Rodrigo, who soverned Belgium for the King of Spain. The duke was seated be- fore a table loaded with maps and plans. Some aides-de- camp, booted and spurred, were sleeping in the corners of the tent. “What is if now?’’ exclaimed the duke, at the noise made by the sentinels in presenting arms. ‘*T bring you a stranger, my general, who desires to speak to you,’’ replied the officer. The duke looked at Monsieur de Villebrais. | “You are a Frenchman, monsieur,”’ he said to him. ‘‘Yes, general.”’ ‘*Whence come you?’’ | “From over yonder,’’ said the lieutenant, pointing in the direction of the French camp. ‘‘Prom the French camp?” exclaimed the duke. ‘‘Yes, general.’’ — “And what do you want?”’ : ; | ‘I come to offer you my sword and my arm.”” = ~ “Ah?” said the duke, with a gesture in Saat there was as much surprise as scorn. ‘‘That is to say,’’ he resumed, after a short silence, ‘‘that you come as a deserter?’’ . ‘‘I come as a man who wishes to avenge himself. ”’ ‘Very well, monsieur. Then you have a grave insult to punish?’’ “Look! exclaimed Monsieur de Villebrais, drawing the 99 EComichbooks (Elo)