was not asleep, had a great inclination to laugh,
but checked himself, in order not to spoil the joke. As he had proposed
and arranged, he spread his noose where he wished, that is to say round
the spot where the priest wanted to get.

All being ready, the Dominie was called, and as gently as he could,
slipped into the bed, and without more ado, mounted on the heap in order
to see the further. (*)

(*) A proverbial expression founded perhaps on some old
story which may be alluded to also in the 12th and 82nd
stories.

As soon as he was lodged there, the good knight drew the cord tightly,
and said aloud,

"Ha! scoundrelly priest, is that the sort of man you are?" The priest
tried to run away, but he could not go far, for the instrument he had
tried to tune to the girl's fiddle was caught in the noose, at which
he was much frightened, and did not know what had happened to him. His
master pulled the cord more tightly, which would have given him great
pain if his fear and alarm had not conquered all other sentiments.

In a few moments he came to himself, and felt the pain and cried
piteously for mercy to his master, who had such a strong desire to laugh
that he could scarcely speak. He pulled the priest into the room and
said;

"Get out, and never come here again! I pardon you in this occasion, but
the second time I shall be inexorable."

"Oh, monsieur," he replied, "I will never do it again. It is all her
fault," and with that he ran away and the knight went to bed again, and
finished what the other had begun.

But you must know that never again was the priest found trespassing on
his master's preserves. Perhaps, as a recompense for his misfortunes the
girl afterwards took pity on him, and to ease her conscience lent him
her fiddle, and he tuned it so well that the master suffered both in
goods and honour. But now I will say no more, and end my story.

*****

STORY THE SEVENTY-SEVENTH -- THE SLEEVELESS ROBE.

By Alardin.

_Of a gentleman of Flanders, who went to reside in France, but whilst he
was there his mother was very ill in Flanders; and how he often went
to visit her believing that she would die, and what he said and how he
behaved, as you will hear later._

A gentleman of Flanders had a mother who was very old and much weakened
by disease, and more sick and infirm than any woman of her age. Hoping
that she would get better, and be cured, he often came to see her,
although