Even then, when the last enemy was racing up the fiery stairs to seize her, even at that moment did this noblest of girls think only for him, the one friend that would not forsake her, and not for herself; bidding him with her last breath to care for his own preservation, but to leave her to God.
The shepherd girl that had delivered France--she, from her dungeon, she, from her duel with fire, as she entered her last dream--saw Domremy, saw the fountain of Domremy, saw the pomp of forests in which her childhood had wandered. That Easter festival, which man had denied to her languishing heart--that resurrection of springtime, which the darkness of dungeons had intercepted from her, hungering after the glorious liberty of forests--were by God given back into her hands, as jewels that had been stolen from her by robbers.
By special privilege, for her might be created, in this farewell dream, a second childhood, innocent as the first; but not, like that, sad with the gloom of a fearful mission in the rear. This mission had now been fulfilled.
The hatred to herself in all eyes had been faced steadily, had been suffered, had been survived. And in her last fight upon the scaffold she had triumphed gloriously; victoriously she had tasted the stings of death. For all, except this comfort from her farewell dream, she had died--died, amidst the tears of ten thousand enemies--died, amidst the drums and trumpets of armies--died amidst peals redoubling upon peals, volleys upon volleys, from the saluting clarions of martyrs.
A key to the symbols most of which are used in this Reader to indicate the pronunciation of the more difficult words.
=ā= as in =fāte= =ǡ= “ =senǡte= =ă= “ =făt= =ä= “ =ärm= =ḁ= “ =ḁll= =â= “ =âsk= =â= as in =câre= =ē= “ =mēte= =ê= “ =êvent= =ĕ= “ =mĕt= =ẽ= “ =hẽr= =ī= “ =īce= =ĭ= as in =ĭdea= =ĭ= “ =ĭt= =ĩ= “ =sĩr= =ō= “ =ōld= =ő= “ =őbey= =ŏ= “ =nŏt= =ōō= as in =fōōd= =ŏŏ= “ =fŏŏt= =ū= “ =ūse= =ű= “ =űnite= =ŭ= “ =ŭp= =û= “ =fûr=
=ḁ= = =ŏ= as in =whḁt= =ê= = =â= “ =thêre= =ĩ= = =ẽ= “ =gĩrl= =ȫ= = =ōō= “ =mȫve= =ọ= = =ŏŏ= as in =wọlf= =ȯ= = =ŭ= “ =sȯn= =ô= = =ḁ= “ =hôrse= =ǖ= = =ōō= “ =rǖle= =ụ= = =ŏŏ= as in =pụll= =ȳ= = =ī= “ =flȳ= =ȳ= = =ĭ= “ =babȳ=
Only the most difficult consonants in this Reader are marked with diacritical signs. The following table may prove useful to the teacher for reference and for blackboard work.