matchless for fire and spirit; and to support the assertion, the reader
must allow a citation. And he will pardon the first for the sake of the
others, since Josephine is the betrothed of Camille Dujardin.

"When he uttered these terrible words, each of which was a blow
with a bludgeon to the Baroness, the old lady, whose courage was
not equal to her spirit, shrank over the side of her arm-chair,
and cried piteously,--'He threatens me! he threatens me! I am
frightened!'--and put up her trembling hands, so suggestive was
the notary's eloquence of physical violence. Then his brutality
received an unexpected check. Imagine that a sparrow-hawk had
seized a trembling pigeon, and that a royal falcon swooped, and
with one lightning-like stroke of body and wing buffeted him away,
and there he was on his back, gaping and glaring and grasping at
nothing with his claws. So swift and irresistible, but far more
terrible and majestic, Josephine de Beaurepaire came from her
chair with one gesture of her body between her mother and the
notary, who was advancing on her with arms folded in a brutal
menacing way,--not the Josephine we have seen her, the calm,
languid beauty, but the Demoiselle de Beaurepaire,--her great
heart on fire, her blood up,--not her own only, but all the blood
of all the De Beaurepaires,--pale as ashes with wrath, her purple
eyes flaring, and her whole panther-like body ready either to
spring or strike.

"'Slave! you dare to insult her, and before me! _Arrière,
misérable!_ or I soil my hand with your face!'

"And her hand was up with the word, up, up,--higher it seemed than
ever a hand was lifted before. And if he had hesitated one moment,