The Old Palace Tells a Story. III

THE HOUSE THAT FACQUES BUILT.

“J am very old,” said the Palace in the picture. ‘“ There are
no such strong walls and towers built nowadays, because there
are no robber bands to plunder as they did when I was erect-
ed; and great armies are not as likely to besiege and destroy
cities.

“Yes, I am very old, as I said before, and Jacques Coeur
built me after the quaint fancy of his own mind. I suppose
there never was a palace with as many odd twists and turns
in it as I have.

“Do you know who Jacques Cceur was? He lived in France
a great many years ago, and he was called the merchant prince
of his country. He was a good and wise man, but his king
was weak and cruel, and made him suffer for his prosperity.
Those were the days when Joan of Arc saved France, but
Jacques Coeur helped with his money.

“He built his home in the old city of Bourges, which had
narrow, winding streets, where the tall buildings seemed - to
touch overhead, and a grand cathedral stands now just as it
did in Jacques Cceur’s day.

“Here you see the front of the palace, which opens on the
street. The wall is richly carved, and the massive gateway has
a large knocker on the door, with a hammer that strikes on a
heart. To the left is a pointed tower, evidently belonging to