"On Sunday the 14th August the Maid，the Duc d'Alen？on，the Count de Vendosme，the Marshals and other captains accompanied by six or seven thousand combatants were at the hour of vespers lodged in the fields near Montépilloy，nearly two leagues from the town of Senlis--The Duke of Bedford and other English captains with between eight and ten thousand English lying half a league from Senlis between our people and the said city on a little stream，in a village called Notre Dame de la Victoire.That evening our people skirmished with the English near to their camp and in this skirmish were people taken on each side，and of the English Captain d'Orbec and ten or twelve others，and people wounded on both sides：when night fell each retired to their own quarters."The same writer records an appeal in the true tone of chivalry addressed to the English by Jeanne and Alen？on desiring them to come out from their entrenchments and fight：and promising to withdraw to a sufficient distance to permit the enemy to place himself in the open field.The French troops had first "put themselves in the best state of conscience that could possibly be，hearing mass at an early hour and then to horse."But the English would not come out.Jeanne，with her standard in her hand rode up to the English entrenchments，and some one says (not de Cagny)struck the posts with her banner，challenging the force within to come out and fight；while they on their side waved at the French in defiance，a standard copied from that of Jeanne，on which was depicted a distaff and spindle.But neither host approached any nearer.Finally，Charles made his way to Compiègne.
At Chateau-Thierry there was concluded an arrangement with Philip of Burgundy for a truce of fifteen days，before the end of which time the Duke undertook to deliver Paris peaceably to the French.That this was simply to gain time and that no idea of giving up Paris had ever been entertained is evident；perhaps Charles was not even deceived.He，no more than Philip，had any desire to encounter the dangers of such a siege.But he was able at least to silence the clamours of the army and the representations of the persistent Maid by this truce.To wait for fifteen days and receive the prize without a blow struck，would not that be best？The counsellors of the King held thus a strong position，though the delay made the hearts of the warriors sick.
The figure of Jeanne appears during these marchings and counter-marchings like that of any other general，pursuing a skilful but not unusual plan of campaign.That she did well and bravely there can be no doubt，and there is a characteristic touch which we recognise，in the fact that she and all of her company "put themselves in the best state of conscience that could be，"before they took to horse；but the skirmishes and repulses are such as Alen？on himself might have made.
"She made much diligence，"the same chronicler tells us，"to reduce and place many towns in the obedience of the King，"but so did many others with like success.We hear no more her vigorous knock at the door of the council chamber if the discussion there was too long or the proceedings too secret.Her appearances are those of a general among many other generals，no longer with any special certainty in her movements as of a person inspired.We are reminded of a story told of a previous period，after the fight at Patay，when blazing forth in the indignation of her youthful purity at the sight of one of the camp followers，a degraded woman with some soldiers，she struck the wanton with the flat of her sword，driving her forth from the camp，where was no longer that chastened army of awed and reverent soldiers making their confession on the eve of every battle，whom she had led to Orleans.The sword she used on this occasion，was，it is said，the miraculous sword which had been found under the high altar of St.
Catharine at Fierbois；but at the touch of the unclean the maiden brand broke in two.If this was an allegory[2]to show that the work of that weapon was over，and the common sword of the soldier enough for the warfare that remained，it could not be more clearly realised than in the history of this campaign.The only touch of our real Maid in her own distinct person comes to us in a letter written in a field on that same wavering road to Paris，dated as early as the 5th of August and addressed to the good people of Rheims，some of whom had evidently written to her to ask what was the meaning of the delay，and whether she had given up the cause of the country.There is a terse determination in its brief，indignant sentences which is a relief to the reader weary of the wavering and purposeless campaign：
