s
feigned), but of daemons; and the second, with whom he held company, was
the soul of Sir Roger de Rollo, the brave knight. Sir Roger was Count
of Chauchigny, in Champagne; Seigneur of Santerre, Villacerf and aultre
lieux. But the great die as well as the humble; and nothing remained of
brave Rodger now, but his coffin and his deathless soul.

And Mercurius, in order to keep fast the soul, his companion, had bound
him round the neck with his tail; which, when the soul was stubborn, he
would draw so tight as to strangle him wellnigh, sticking into him the
barbed point thereof; whereat the poor soul, Sir Rollo, would groan and
roar lustily.

Now they two had come together from the gates of purgatorie, being bound
to those regions of fire and flame where poor sinners fry and roast in
saecula saeculorum.

"It is hard," said the poor Sir Rollo, as they went gliding through the
clouds, "that I should thus be condemned for ever, and all for want of a
single ave."

"How, Sir Soul?" said the daemon. "You were on earth so wicked, that
not one, or a million of aves, could suffice to keep from hell-flame
a creature like thee; but cheer up and be merry; thou wilt be but a
subject of our lord the Devil, as am I; and, perhaps, thou wilt be
advanced to posts of honor, as am I also:" and to show his authoritie,
he lashed with his tail the ribbes of the wretched Rollo.

"Nevertheless, sinner as I am, one more ave would have saved me; for my
sister, who was Abbess of St. Mary of Chauchigny, did so prevail, by her
prayer and good works, for my lost and wretched soul, that every day I
felt the pains of purgatory decrease; the pitchforks which, on my first
entry, had never ceased to vex and torment my poor carcass, were now
not applied above once a week; the roasting had ceased, the boiling
had discontinued; only a certain warmth was kept up, to remind me of my
situation."

"A gentle stewe," said the daemon.

"Yea, truly, I was but in a stew, and all from the effects of the
prayers of my blessed sister. But yesterday, he who watched me in
purgatory told me, that yet another prayer from my sister, and my
bonds should be unloosed, and I, who am now a devil, should have been a
blessed angel."

"And the other ave?" said the daemon.

"She died, sir--my sister died--death choked her in the middle of
the prayer." And hereat the wretched spirit began to weepe and whine
piteously; his salt tears falling over his beard, and scalding the t