y time with honour.

At last his courage returned, and he said to himself that if he
ever were so fortunate as to find another such opportunity with his
sweetheart, she should not escape as she did the previous time.

Thus animated and spurred on by shame and desire, he again took the
greyhound by the ears, and made it cry out much louder than it had
before.

Awakened by this cry, the Queen again sent her damsel, who opened the
door as before, but had to return to her mistress without getting any
more pleasure than she had the first time.

A third time did the poor gentleman do all in his power to tumble her,
but the devil a bit could he find a lance to encounter her with, though
she awaited his onslaught with a firm foot. And when she saw that she
could not have her basket pierced, and that he could not lay his lance
in rest, whatever advantage she gave him, she knew that the joust had
come to nothing, and had a very poor opinion of the jouster.

She would no longer stay with him for all that he could say or do. She
wished to return to the chamber, but her lover held her by force and
said;

"Alas, sweetheart, stay a little longer, I pray!"

"I cannot," she said: "let me go! I have stayed too long already,
considering the little I got by it," and with that she turned towards
the chamber, but he followed her and tried to detain her.

When she saw that--to pay him out, and also hoodwink the Queen--she
called out loud,

"Get out! get out! dirty beast that you are! By God! you shall not come
in here, dirty beast that you are!" and so saying she closed the door.

The Queen, who heard it, asked,

"To whom are you speaking, my dear?"

"To this dirty dog, madam, who has given me such trouble to look for
him. He was lying quite flat, and with his nose on the ground, hidden
under a bench, so that I could not find him. And when I did find him he
would not get up for anything that I could do. I would willingly have
put him in, but he would not deign to lift up his head, so, in disgust,
I have shut the door upon him and left him outside."

"You did quite right, my dear," said the Queen. "Come to bed, and go to
sleep!"

Such, as you have heard, was the bad luck of this noble lord; and since
he could not when his lady would, I believe that since then, when he had
the power, his lady's will was not to be had.

*****

STORY THE TWENTY-NINTH -- THE COW AND THE CALF.

By Monseigneur

_Of a gentleman to whom