g themselves, and were both gay, he said,

"My dear, I beg of you to tell me the reason why you invariably refuse
to give me a kiss? You have graciously allowed me to enjoy all your fair
and sweet body--and yet you refuse me a little kiss!"

"Faith! my friend," she replied, "as you say, a kiss I have always
refused you,--so never expect it, for you will never get it. There is
a very good reason for that, as I will tell you. It is true that when
I married my husband, I promised him--with the mouth only--many fine
things. And since it is my mouth that swore and promised to be chaste,
I will keep it for him, and would rather die than let anyone else touch
it--it belongs to him and no other, and you must not expect to have
anything to do with it. But my backside has never promised or
sworn anything to him; do with that and the rest of me--my mouth
excepted--whatever you please; I give it all to you."

Her lover laughed loudly, and said;

"I thank you, dearest! You say well, and I am greatly pleased that you
are honest enough to keep your promise."

"God forbid," she answered, "that I should ever break it."

So, in the manner that you have heard, was this woman shared between
them; the husband, had the mouth only, and her lover all the rest,
and if, by chance, the husband ever used any other part of her, it was
rather by way of a loan, for they belonged to the lover by gift of the
said woman. But at all events the husband had this advantage, that his
wife was content to let him have the use of that which she had given to
her lover; but on no account would she permit the lover to enjoy that
which she had bestowed upon her husband.

*****

[Illustration: 49.jpg The scarlet Backside.]

STORY THE FORTY-NINTH -- THE SCARLET BACKSIDE.

By Pierre David.

_Of one who saw his wife with a man to whom she gave the whole of her
body, except her backside, which she left for her husband and he made
her dress one day when his friends were present in a woollen gown on the
backside of which was a piece of fine scarlet, and so left her before
all their friends._

I am well aware that formerly there lived in the city of Arras, a worthy
merchant, who had the misfortune to have married a wife who was not the
best woman in the world, for, when she saw a chance, she would slip as
easily as an old cross-bow.

The good merchant suspected his wife's misdeeds, and was also informed
by several of his friends and neighbours. Th