waiting for me; and thus it happened, in all the splendour of majesty, surrounded by his whole court, he descended. He did not embarrass me, it was merely dazzling, as when the sun upon his journey suddenly darts through a vapour, and we still retain and know all our ideas and purposes. Now then was the moment upon which the fate of our country hung, in which to say all to him, who had requested to speak to me, and to move his humane, his kingly heart. This hour will come, in which the salvation of many, many thousands will repose on my tongue, and the Lord will then lay his fiery flame upon it, that its brand may also light his spirit; then will our brethren and our faith be free, then will all our foes fall powerless to the ground, and the sword be no more required. I will pray that this glorious day may only soon arrive, soon be sent by the Lord; that there may be an end to this unhappy warfare. When, just as I intended to address the King, we issued from the wood; thou spakest to me, and the prophetic vision disappeared." "How camest thou lately, my friend and brother, into our house?" asked Edmond, "a multiplicity of events has prevented me until this moment from asking you about it."

"That was a very, very disastrous day," replied Cavalier, as they proceeded onwards. "We were surrounded on all sides, by the treachery of a few faithless brethren, we were enticed down into the plain, the spirit was silent within us and we thought ourselves secure. A part of my people had gone to encounter the hermit and I heard (a false report as I afterwards learned) that he had been entirely routed, when, suddenly, another new army was in our rear. The fugitives before us rallied again and faced round. We were compelled to fight our way through in order to find the mountain footpath, where the heavy horse of the royal party could not follow; with great loss, it is true, but, still fortunately, I led my people through, I succeeded in turning the enemy, so that we had them only on one side of us. Fighting and flying we reached the wood and being one of the last that I might secure the retreat of my party, I found myself suddenly cut off. My horse carried me at full gallop as far as it could, I shot dead two dragoons, who were pursuing me, but the noble beast fell down; I lost sword, hat, and fire-arms, while I was disengaging myself from the saddle scarcely quick enough, I changed clothes with a peasant in a field; soldiers were scouring in every direction, at the risk of being recognised. I was forced to seek a shelter, and moreover the storm burst forth, and thus the Lord conducted me to the house of your venerable father. A few days after, things would have been much worse with me, if my younger brother, who is now a prisoner at Nismes, had not liberated me."

"With what admiration I must look upon thee, brother," resumed Edmond, "thou who younger than I, hast already done such great things, who hast had so much success, that the whole country speaks of thee. From whence proceeds this daring, yet circumspect courage, this experience, this skill to deceive the enemy, to conquer them, or to escape their artful snares! where couldst thou have learned all this?"

"I have not learned it," replied Cavalier, "nor do I know if the like can be learned. You esteem me too highly, brother Edmond, if you believe, that that which I do proceeds from reflection or skill. It is true I do not lose courage, I preserve my sang froid, although I see before and around me a thousand foes with their swords and guns, but such is my nature, there is no merit or extraordinary courage in this. When I was yet a little boy, minding my good old nobleman's sheep, I was never frightened when I perceived the wolf. I remained calm, and slew two of these bad fellows, whereupon every body admired my great courage, and I could not at all understand what they meant by it. Thus, then, my spirit was roused, and I engaged in this war, in which I soon succeeded in liberating my brethren and defeating the enemy, so that all the companions of the faith placed their full confidence in me, and expected the blessing and success of their hopes from me; but brother Roland is much wiser and more experienced, he has more penetration and I must be considered only as a learner in comparison to him, yet the Lord had not endowed him with so much success as me, on that account the combatants preferred following me. Now when I lead out the brethren, and the affair does not turn out as we have arranged and thought, the spirit suddenly directs me, I see, I remark all that which was before unknown to me, of its own accord my mouth gives the right orders, it soars, it hovers round me, so that I know not what to say, and it leads me and my followers through the enemy's troops. Like joyous intoxication, it flies with me through the tumult, and the victory is won."

"Thou wast a shepherd then in thy childhood?" said Edmond; "how fitting if they compare thee to David."

"I grew up poor and desolate in the solitude of the mountains," replied the former: "I had forgotten myself, I could never have thought that I should at some future period have to fight for the Lord, for my faith had died within me; and I agreed to all they proposed. Until then, zealous brethren rekindled the extinguished embers into flame, so that my life was restored, and I was enabled to seek and find the Lord. Afterwards, when they had so cruelly murdered our brethren, zealous wrath drove me into their holy community. And since then, I am an humble instrument in the hand of the Most High. I could not believe, that I should have been so highly honored, when I was compelled to endure all the drudgery of an apprentice at St. Hypolite, and my master, the baker, for a slight, often for no reason at all, beat me and pulled my hair; yet he was one of our firm companions in the faith, who, however could not control his passion."

"So the priest was right after all," said Edmond with a smile, "when he would recognise you for a baker by your knees." "Well," said Cavalier, "the singular man is not deficient in intellect and penetration. If he knew more of men than of their legs, perhaps he would be less impious, for, from the foot, he ought at length to arrive at the heart, and finally at the mind. It is true we probably stand in the same relation to great nature; and if the Lord in his mercy does not approach us personally, we cannot succeed even in loosening the thongs of his shoes, if it is indeed permitted to talk of him in such a worldly manner."

Just as daylight was extending itself over every object, and when they had turned round a projecting rock, they perceived in the valley beneath then, the Camisards marching with their prisoners. At the same moment old Favart came running up and announced to them, that Roland had descended with a troop from, the summit of that mountain, but that Colonel Julien with a considerable body of men, was now posted between them both, and that it would be very difficult to turn them. Catinat marched forward with his band and was highly exasperated on perceiving the obstacle to his further progress. "Mameluke!" exclaimed he, "this Julien whose death I have long since sworn, crosses all our undertakings. No mercy, should he once fall into our hands, nor need he expect any either, as he is an apostate brother, who has abandoned our reformed community, merely to please the government and to enjoy worldly honour."

A loud shouting was heard, and Ravanel with a band, who had fortunately escaped the royal troops, rushed from a narrow defile. They halted upon the summit and the prisoners were brought forward. The court martial, which was quickly held, sentenced them all to death, and scarcely were the words pronounced, when the ready Ravanel shot the foremost dead with his pistol, so that the gushing blood sprinkled Edmond, who was standing close by. The fallen man expired instantly after a few struggles. Edmond drew back pale and horrified.