Every one was for himself, his private gain; even the Protestant Princes of Germany who had stood for the faith of Martin Luther, they put their own convenience first, as in this marriage which the Elector had urged forward for his personal interest. There was a Protestant monarch on the throne of England, but she remained friendly with Catholic potentates and raised no finger to help those of her faith so horribly persecuted.
"Always policy, ambition, self-seeking," thought Rénèe wearily. "Is there not one in all the world would stand for his God, his country only? Not one to be the champion of liberty of faith?"
Not one, she believed; they kept the gaudy show of chivalry in the tourneys and jousts, but the spirit of it was long since lost. There were no more knights, there was no one to stand forward for the weak and the miserable, the humble and the helpless; the Reformed Faith had produced saints and martyrs but not yet a champion or a protector.
"They all bow to circumstance, these great princes and nobles," thought Rénèe; "there is not one of them who would endanger the tenth part of his possessions for the cause of the poor Protestants, for liberty, for country—not one."
She leant her sick head against the mullions and closed her eyes; life seemed so long, so futile, the world so wrong, so ugly.
"There have been heroes," the eternal romance of youth whispered in her heart. "Why should not one come now when he is so needed, ah, so sorely needed?"
She opened her eyes on the sun, on the hot, silent city with the languorous air of festival and holiday.
"If I ever met such an one, or knew of him, how I would worship him!"
Love she never thought of; she did not believe that it was possible for her to ever love, but she knew that she would gladly die for one who would champion her persecuted faith, her oppressed country—very gladly die, or live, in happy abnegation in his service.
The clock struck six; the tire-women entered to rouse Anne and dress her for supper; it was René's one time of freedom. She hastened away before her mistress's peevish caprice should have decided to detain her, and went forth into the clean, bright streets.