Lionel drew his sword.
"It is my servant, no doubt," the merchant said; "he promised to come
and tell me how things went as soon as he could get an opportunity
to come down unobserved. We should hear more noise if it were the
Spaniards." Taking a light he went along the passage, and returned
immediately afterwards followed by his man; the latter had his head
bound up, and carried his arm in a sling. An exclamation of pity
broke from the ladies.
"You are badly hurt, Jacques. What has happened?"
"It is well it is no worse, mistress," he replied. "The Spaniards
are fiends, and behaved as if they were sacking a city of Dutch
Huguenots instead of entering a town inhabited by friends. For an
hour or two they cut and slashed, pillaged and robbed. They came
rushing into the shop, and before I could say a word one ran me
through the shoulder and another laid my head open. It was an hour
or two before I came to my senses. I found the house turned topsy
turvy; everything worth taking had gone, and what was not taken was
damaged. I tied up my head and arm as best I could, and then sat
quiet in a corner till the din outside began to subside. The officers
did their best, I hear, and at last got the men into order. Numbers
of the townsfolk have been killed, and every one of the garrison was
butchered. I tell you, mistress, it is better to have ten Huguenot
armies in possession one after another than one Spanish force, though
the latter come as friends and co-religionists.
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