Chapter I: Front Matter

THE HELMET OF NAVARRE.

Bertha Runkle.

THE HELMET OF NAVARRE

BY BERTHA RUNKLE

THE HELMET OF

NAVARRE

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDRÉ CASTAIGNE

THE CENTURY CO.

NEW YORK 1901

TO MY MOTHER

Press where ye see my white plume shine amidst the ranks of war,
And be your oriflamme to-day the Helmet of Navarre.

LORD MACAULAY'S "IVRY."

CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE
I A FLASH OF LIGHTNING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
II AT THE AMOUR DE DIEU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
III M. LE DUC IS WELL GUARDED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
IV THE THREE MEN IN THE WINDOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
V RAPIERS AND A VOW. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
VI A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
VII A DIVIDED DUTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
VIII CHARLES-ANDRÉ-ÉTIENNE-MARIE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
IX THE HONOUR OF ST. QUENTIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
X LUCAS AND "LE GAUCHER" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
XI VIGO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
XII THE COMTE DE MAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
XIII MADEMOISELLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
XIV IN THE ORATORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
XV MY LORD MAYENNE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
XVI MAYENNE'S WARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
XVII "I'LL WIN MY LADY!". . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
XVIII TO THE BASTILLE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
XIX TO THE HÔTEL DE LORRAINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
XX "ON GUARD, MONSIEUR" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
XXI A CHANCE ENCOUNTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
XXII THE SIGNET OF THE KING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
XXIII THE CHEVALIER OF THE TOURNELLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
XXIV THE FLORENTINES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
XXV A DOUBLE MASQUERADE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
XXVI WITHIN THE SPIDER'S WEB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362
XXVII THE COUNTERSIGN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
XXVIII ST. DENIS--AND NAVARRE!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
XXIX THE TWO DUKES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 423
XXX MY YOUNG LORD SETTLES SCORES WITH TWO FOES AT ONCE . . . . 440
XXXI "THE VERY PATTERN OF A KING" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE THE FLORENTINES IN THE HÔTEL DE MAYENNE. . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_ "WITH A CRY MONSIEUR SPRANG TOWARD ME" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 "IN A FLASH HE WAS OUT OF THEIR GRASP, FLYING DOWN THE ALLEY". . . 117 "I DO NOT FORGIVE HIS DESPATCHING ME HIS HORSE-BOY". . . . . . . . 149 MLLE. DE MONTLUC AND FÉLIX BROUX IN THE ORATORY. . . . . . . . . . 169 "SORRY TO DISTURB MONSIEUR, BUT THE HORSES MUST BE FED". . . . . . 205 "HE WAS DEPOSITED IN THE BIG BLACK COACH". . . . . . . . . . . . . 237 "WE CLIMBED OUT INTO A SILK-MERCER'S SHOP" . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 AT THE "BONNE FEMME" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313 "IT DESOLATES ME TO HEAR OF HER EXTREMITY" . . . . . . . . . . . . 397 ON THE WAY TO ST. DENIS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411 THE MEETING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

THE HELMET OF NAVARRE

THE HELMET OF NAVARRE.