replied, in a firmer voice than he could have hoped, “You behaved impertinently to me-I desire satisfaction,"

Vaudreuil nodded approbation. Comminges drew himself up, put his hand on his hip-the received mode then of such cases-saying very gravely: "You are the challenger, sir; I, as challenged, have the choice of arms."

"Name those you select !"

Comminges reflected a moment :-"The estoc,' "* he said, "is a good arm, but its wounds disfigure-and at our age," continued he, smiling, "one does not care to shew one's mistress a great scar in the face. The rapier makes a little hole-but it suffices (and he smiled again); I choose the rapier and the poignard."

"Extremely well," said Mergy, and he was going away.

"" One moment," cried Vaudreuil you forgot to name the place for meeting."

"The Pre-aux-Cleres," said Comminges, "is the usual place at court; and if this gentleman has not a predilection for some other place?"

"At the Prè-aux-Cleres, then, be it."

"As to the hour-I cannot rise before eight-for reasons of my own-you understand me—I shall not sleep at home to night—so I cannot be at the Prè before nine o'clock."

"At nine o'clock, then.'"-p. 129.

Comminges is killed in the duel-Mergy wounded and forced to hide himself-the beautiful countess has compassion on her brave cavalier.

The description of the twenty-fourth of August is finely executed-but dreadful. Mergy is saved by his Catholic mistress, and takes refuge at Rochelle. La None, a famous Huguenot, had several times been taken prisoner and spared by the king-he sends him to Rochelle to induce its inhabitants to submit a task La None consents to undertake, upon condition that the king will exact nothing of him contrary to his honour. La None is received with suspicion by the Mayor of Rochelleto gain his confidence he put himself at the head of the Calvinists-then the king accused him of perjury to him. The Catholics exclaimed against him for having deceived the king; the Protestants for betraying them. In this position, La None, full of disgust, exposed himself each day to certain death. The picture of this man is the best part of the book. We must extract it.

'On returning from a successful sally, charged with prisoners, La None had great difficulty in saving them from being massacred-to the great rage of the populace. Having effected this, La None, accompanied by some gentlemen only, alighted before the Hôtel-de-Ville.

• A great two-edged sword.

The Mayor met him at the door, followed by several citizens, and an old Protestant Clergyman named La Place.

"Well, brave La None," said the Mayor, holding out his hand to him, " you have shewn these assassins that all our brave men were not killed with the Admiral.”

"We have been tolerably successful, sir," replied La None, modestly. "Only five of our number slain, and very few wounded." ""Twice you led the sally, M. de la None," answered the other— "We were sure of success before-hand."

" And what could La None achieve, without the aid of God ?” exclaimed the old minister, angrily. "It is God who fought for us tōday; he has listened to our prayers."

God gives and takes away victory at his pleasure," said La None, in a calm voice, " and him only ought we to thank for our successes." Then, turning to the Mayor Well, sir, has the council deliberated on the new propositions of his Majesty?"

66

""Yes," replied the Mayor, "we have just sent back the herald with our entreaty that he should spare himself the trouble of again summoning us. Henceforth we reply only with our guns.'

"You ought to have hanged the herald," observed the minister; "for is it not written".

'La None sighed, raising his eyes to heaven without replying

"" What! yield!" pursued the Mayor: "yield! while yet our walls stand-when the enemy dares not even approach them, while each day we brave them in their very trenches. Believe me, M. de la None, if there were no soldiers in Rochelle, the very women only would suffice to repulse the assassins of Paris."

"Sir; when one is the strongest one ought to speak with mode❤ ration of one's enemies; and when one is the weakest ".

"And who tells you that we are weak?" interrupted La Place"Does not God fight for us? And was not Gideon with three hundred Israelites stronger than all the army of Midian ?"

"You know better than any one else, sir, how ill we are provisioned. Our powder is scarce I have been obliged to forbid the gunners to fire from any distance."

6.66

Montgomery will send us some from England," said the

Mayor.

"Fire from Heaven will fall on the Papists," said the Minister.: "Bread becomes dearer every day, Mr. Mayor."

""One of these days the English fleet will arrive, and our town be abundantly supplied."

"God will rain manna, if necessary," cried La Place, impetuously. ""As to the succours of which you speak," said La None, “if a south wind should happen to prevail for several days they cannot enter our port. Besides they may be taken."

"We shall have a north wind! such I predict, Man of little faith," said the minister, "thou hast lost thy right arm and thy courage with it."

'La None appeared resolved not to reply to him. He continued,

addressing the Mayor," When we lose a man it costs us more than ten do to our enemy. I fear that if the Catholics press the siege with vigor, we shall be obliged to accept much harder conditions than those which you now reject with such contempt. If, as I hope, the king is satisfied with the recognition of his authority in this town, without exacting inadmissible sacrifices, I think we ought to open our gates to him for he is our master after all."

""We have no master, except Christ! A blasphemer alone could give the name of master, to that ferocious Achab-Charles, who drinks the blood of the prophets !" The minister's fury redoubled at sight of the imperturbability of La None.

"For my own part," said the Mayor, "I remember well that the last time that the admiral passed through our town, he told us that the king had given his word that his Protestant and Catholic subjects should be treated alike. Six months after, the king, who had thus past his word, caused him to be assassinated. If we open our gates the day of St. Bartholomew will be reacted within them."

"The king was deceived by the Guises. He repents and would ransom the blood that has been shed. If you irritate the Catholics by your obstinacy, in not treating-all the forces of the kingdom will come upon you-and the reformed religion will lose its only refuge: Peace! peace is the word-believe me, sir."

""Coward," cried the minister, "thou desirest peace because thou fearest for thy life."

"Oh! M. La Place," said the Mayor.

"In short," said La None, " my last word is—that if the king agrees not to put a garrison into Rochelle-and permits us the free exercise of our religion-we ought to deliver up our keys and assure him of our submission."

"Thou art a traitor," cried La Place, "the tyrant's hireling!" "Good God! what are you saying, M. La Place," repeated the Mayor.

La None smiled scornfully, saying: "you perceive, Mr. Mayor, that we live in strange times-warriors talk of peace-and ministers preach war.-My dear Sir," continued he, at length addressing La Place, "it is, I think, your dinner time, and your wife is of course waiting for you at home.'

These words redoubled the anger of the minister.

He could think of no abuse sufficiently bitter-and as a blow renders a reasonable answer unnecessary, he struck the cheek of the old commander.'

""God's day! what are you about?" cried the Mayor-" are you mad to strike M. de la None, the best citizen and the bravest soldier of Rochelle !"

The principal character in the book is the hero's brother, captain George de Mergy, the Catholic convert. He is indeed what the French call un franc Athée-he has reasoned himself into unbelief-neither his imagination nor his heart, though that is good, whisper to him concerning the mysteries of eternity.

-He is physically and morally courageous-ready to meet danger-never flinching from it when in its very grasp. In contrast with him is another character, Beville: Courageous because that is a gentlemanly quality-an infidel because that is the fashion. Infinitely less susceptible to the feelings of others than Mergy, much more so with regard to his own-both these men are dangerously wounded in battle-are carried to a convent hospital

"There captain George lay on a mattress reddened by his own blood and with that of his miserable predecessors on that bed of pain. A whisp of straw served him for a pillow-his cuirass had been removed his shirt and waistcoat torn off-he was naked to the middle -but his right arm was still encased by his armour and his iron gauntlet. A soldier staunched the blood that flowed from his wounds -his brother was too overwhelmed by grief to afford him any efficacious aid. The captain was calm, and even endeavoured to moderate Mergy's transports of grief. Another mattress was placed at the distance of two feet off, upon which poor Beville lay in an equally wretched condition. His countenance did not wear the tranquil expression that was painted on the captain's-now and then he breathed forth a stifled groan-and turned his eyes on his neighbour, as if to seek from him a little of his courage or resignation.' p. 369.

Around the bed of the wounded captain, the Catholic and Protestant clergy enter into clamorous debate. He refuses to listen to either:

6.66 Sir," said La None, to the dying man, "trust to an old soldier -the exhortations of a man vowed to God may soothe a soldier's last moments do not listen to the dictates of a wicked vanity, lose not your soul for the sake of a bravado."

""I do not now," said the captain, "think of death for the first time. I do not need any one to exhort me to prepare for it-I never loved bravado-but now less than ever am I in the humour to listen to-"

The minister shrugged his shoulders La None sighed both retired slowly, with downcast eyes. "Comrade," said Dietrich, "you must be suffering devilishly to speak as you do?"

"Yes, captain, I am suffering like the devil."

"Then I trust God will not be offended by your words, which strongly resemble blasphemies. But with a gun-shot wound through the body, Morbleu! one may swear a little to console oneself."

George smiled and drank again-"Your good health, captain, you are the best nurse for a wounded soldier."

He held out his hand to him-captain Dietrich pressed it with some emotion. George, my friend," said Beville, in a lamentable voice, 66 Say but a few words to me-we are about to die! it is a terrific hour! And do you think now as you did when you converted me to Atheism!"

<« Without doubt-courage! in a few moments our sufferings will be over."

"But this monk speaks of fire-of devils-of-the devil knows what-but all this is very discomforting."

"Ridiculous!"

""But if it should be true-dear George-it were dreadful if it is so-to all eternity.-"

"Coward !"

"Coward ?—Yes, that is easily said—but one may be a coward at the prospect of eternal suffering."

"Well then-confess yourself."

"Tell me, I beseech you-are you quite sure that there is no hell?"

""Pshaw!"

"No reply-are you sure-swear to me that there is no hell—” "I am sure of nothing-if there be a devil, we shall see whether he be black."

"How-thou art not sure?"

"Confess, I say-"

"But you will turn me to ridicule."

'The captain could not restrain a smile-but he added in a serious tone, "In thy place I should confess myself, that is the safest wayconfessed and oiled, one is ready for the worst—”

"Well, I will do the same-do you confess first—”

"I on no account."

"By my faith you may do as you please, but I will die a good Catholic. Come father, hear my confiteor, and prompt me, for I have forgotten the way."

While he confessed himself, George drank another draught of wine, then he laid his head on his hard pillow and closed his eyes. He was tranquil for nearly a quarter of an hour; then he compressed his lips and groaned heavily through pain. His brother thinking that he was about to expire, uttered a cry as he raised his head-the captain opened his eyes," I entreat thee, Bernard, calm thyself."

Again he closed his eyes, then again opening them he said to Mergy with a gentle smile, "Madame de Turgis charged me to tell thee that she loved thee constantly."

These were his last words. He died a quarter of an hour afterwards, without any appearance of great suffering. Some minutes afterwards, Beville expired in the arms of the monk.”—p, 378...

In this bold and characteristic manner M. Merimée sketches the reality of things-probably believing that truth carries with it its own moral, and that the best lesson a novelist can give is that of toleration; nor can that lesson be injurious, while the truth is impartial and the book mirrors the world, where the irreligious feel sorely the want of future hope, and the wicked are, in spite of prosperity, unhappy, through the distrust and lonely void which renders their hearts a desert.