Page:Daughters of Genius.djvu/470

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458 THE TEIAL OF JEANNE DAEC. She did not answer this foolish question, but immedi- ately resumed, thus : " If I was in a forest I would hear the voice, for it would come to me. It appeared to me to come from lips worthy of respect ; I believe it was sent to me by God. When I heard it for the third time I recognized that it was the voice of an angel. That voice has always guarded me well, and I have always well understood it. It told me to behave well and to go often to church ; it said to me that I must go into France. Do you ask me in what form that voice appeared to me ? You will not have more about it from me this time. Two or three times a week it said to me, ' You must go into France ! ' My father knew nothing about my going. The voice said to me, ' Go into France ! ' I could bear it no longer. It said to me : ' Go ; raise the siege of the city of Orleans. Go,' it added, ' to Robert de Baudricourt, commandant of Yaucouleurs ; he will furnish people to accompany you.' But I am a poor girl, who knows neither how to ride on horseback nor make war ! I went to my uncle's house, and told him my wish to remain with him some time ; and there I remained eight clays. To him I said I must go to Yaucouleurs. He took me there. When I arrived I knew Robert de Baudricourt, although I had never seen him. I knew him, thanks to my voice, which caused me to know him. I said to Robert, ' I must go into France.' Twice Robert refused to hear me, and repelled me. The third time he received me, and furnished me men ; the voice had said that it would be so. The Due de Lorraine sent orders to have me brought to him. I went ; I said to him that I wished to go into France. The duke ques- tioned me upon his health, and I told him I knew nothing about it. I spoke to him little about my journey. I told him he had to furnish me his son and some people to conduct me into France, and that I would pray to God for