“When this storm subsides,” said the Duc d’Alençon, “the English vessels will be here instead of ours, and then all will be lost.” “Ah, you forget,” said the Maiden, “that I promised you in the name of God we should enter Orleans successfully.” “H’m! it does not look as if you could keep your promise,” replied the Duke. “Have a little patience,” said Joan, as she closely scanned the sky. “Before a quarter of an hour passes the wind will change.” She retired a little distance to pray, but hardly had she knelt before a favoring wind sprung up and the vessels which had been detained by the storm arrived. “Now what do you think of that, Jean?” said La Hire, as they began loading the supplies. “I think, noble sir,” replied the youth, “that the Maiden in her pastoral life has had ample opportunity to observe the wind and weather, and is therefore able to predict changes like these.” “Oho! Then she is an impostor!” “Why so, noble sir?” “Do you not understand? Does she not make people believe that the winds change in answer to her prayers?” “Oh no, certainly not. She does not pray on account of the wind. She prays because prayer is a necessity to her, because of the impelling forces of her nature, and because she feels happy in communing with Heaven. Her special prayer is for strength and help from on high for her great work, which is beginning this very hour.” “H’m! But she deceives the multitude by it, just the same.” “She does only what she must do. Does the sun lave itself every evening in the sea just because the people believe it does?” “I am not criticising you, my young friend, but one minute you deny the supernatural in the manifestations of the Maiden, and in the next you extol her to the very skies.” “What are wonders anyway, noble sir? What the blind multitude regards as a wonder easily resolves itself into harmony with nature to the reflective person, and what the multitude passes by without observing at all is a wonder to the intelligent thinker.” “Explain yourself more clearly.” “As to the first point, the Maiden herself is a sufficient illustration. Do not these people recognize a wonder in this change of wind, while you see nothing at all extraordinary in it? As to the other point there are a thousand illustrations. The sky with its stars, the flowers of the field, the worm in the dust,—all these are wonders of creation which the multitude scarcely notices, but which are marvellous to the observant thinker.” “And this Maiden?” “She is a wonder in both ways, and therein lies her extraordinary power. She is believed to be a prophetess who has direct communication with Heaven. The people regard her as an actually divine wonder, because of her purity of heart, her celestial confidence, her unsullied patriotism, and her spiritual illumination. Indeed, noble sir, the Maiden is a wonderful gift of Heaven to stricken France.” “Then you also believe in her success apart from her divine commission?”