The Prince of Bearn, and his brilliant court, enter their decorated pavilion amidst the shouts of the assembled guests; the people are admitted to view the jousts; and Raymond advances to the foot of the throne, and receives a paternal embrace from the courteous Gaston Phoebus.

The signal is given for the amusements to begin, when a loud voice is heard above the trumpets and the clash of instruments: the herald-at-arms pauses; and Odon d'Artiguelouve, who had cried, "Hold!" stands up in his seat, and thunders forth these ominous words: "'Suspend the solemnities; for I behold here, on this spot, in presence of our august assembly, one of those impure beings on whom the sun shines with disgust,--who excite horror in heaven and on earth,--whose breath poisons the air we breathe,--whose hand pollutes all it touches.
Hold! for, I tell you, there is a Cagot amongst us!'" As he spoke, he pointed with a frantic gesture of malevolence towards an aged man, wrapped in a large, dark, woollen cloak, who was vainly endeavouring to conceal himself in the crowd.
A cry of horror and indignation burst from all sides: all shrunk back from the profane object indicated; leaving a space around him.

A deadly paleness, the effect of amazement and consternation, passed over the face of Raymond; for, in the person of the accused, he recognised--his father! Raymond almost instantly, however, recovers from the effect of this terrific announcement; and springing forward, and placing himself before the old man, cried out, in a loud and firm voice: "'He who dares make such an assertion has lied!' "'How! exclaimed Odon d'Artignelouve; 'dost thou give me the lie?
Here is my gage of battle: let him take it up who will.' And, throwing his glove into the midst of the assembly, he continued: "'I, Odon d'Artiguelouve, to all gentlemen present and to come--knights and nobles--offer to maintain my words, with sword, or battle-axe, or lance, against all who shall have the boldness to deny that yonder old man, wrapped in a dark mantle, now before us, has dared to trample under foot our laws and ordinances, and sully by his impure presence our noble assembly; for he is no other than a vile Cagot, leprous and infected, belonging to the Cagoterie of Lurbe, hid, like a nest of snakes, amongst the rocks of Mount Binet, at the entrance of the Vallee d'Aspe.'" A shudder of horror ran through the crowd as these words were uttered.
"'And I,' cried the knight, in a voice of furious indignation--'I, Raymond, the adopted son of Augerot de Domezain,--whose real name will, I trust, one day appear,--in virtue of my privileges, my title, and my oath, protest, in defiance of thy rank, thy strength, and thy youth; in despite of thy sword, thy lance, and thy battle-axe,--I protest, in the face of God and the men who hear me, that, from the crown of thy head to the sole of thy foot, thou art an infamous and perjured impostor,--a traitor as black as hell can make thee,--and that thou hast lied in thy throat.

My arm and my sword are ready to engrave upon thy body, in characters of blood, the truth of my words!'" The tone of energetic conviction with which Raymond spoke, his bold and martial bearing, the flash of his eye, and the indignant rage of his manner, impressed his hearers as they listened, and a murmur of applause followed his exclamation.

Marie, pale as death, sat like a statue of marble; her hands clasped, her breath suspended, and her eyes fixed wildly on the trembling old man,--the object of all attention.
Odon was about to reply, when Count Gaston, with a heightened colour and an excited air, rose and spoke: "We are," he said, "deeply displeased that such a discussion should have disturbed the peace of our assembly.