ick stick, and laid it with all his might across her
back, saying as he did so,

"The lot is knocked down to you."

She began to cry, and the neighbours all assembled and asked what was
the matter? The good man told them and they all laughed--except the
woman who had had the lot knocked down to her.

*****

STORY THE NINETY-EIGHTH -- THE UNFORTUNATE LOVERS.

By The Editor.

_Of a knight of this kingdom and his wife, who had a fair daughter aged
fifteen or sixteen. Her father would have married her to a rich old
knight, his neighbour, but she ran away with another knight, a young
man who loved her honourably; and, by strange mishap, they both died sad
deaths without having ever co-habited,--as you will hear shortly._

In the frontiers of France, there lived, amongst other nobles, a knight
who was rich and noble, not only by illustrious descent, but by his own
virtuous and honourable deeds, who had, by the wife he had married, an
only daughter, a very beautiful virgin, well-educated as her condition
required, and aged fifteen or sixteen years, or thereabouts.

This good and noble knight, seeing that his daughter was of a fit and
proper age for the holy sacrament of wedlock, much wished to give her
in marriage to a knight, his neighbour, who was powerful, not so much by
noble birth as by great possessions and riches, and was also from 60 to
80 years old, or thereabouts.

This wish so filled the head of the father of whom I spoke, that he
would not rest until formal promises were made between him and his
wife, the mother of the girl, and the aforesaid old knight, touching his
marriage to the girl, who, for her part, knew and suspected nothing of
all these arrangements, promises, and treaties.

Not far from the castle of the knight, the father of this damsel, there
lived another knight, a young man, valiant and brave, and moderately
rich, but not so rich as the old man of whom I spoke, and this youth was
greatly in love with the fair damsel. She also was much attached to him,
on account of his fame and great renown, and they often spoke to each
other, though with much trouble and difficulty, for her father, who
suspected their love, tried by all ways and means to prevent their
seeing each other. Nevertheless, he could not destroy the great and pure
love which united their hearts, and when fortune favoured them with an
opportunity, they discussed nothing but the means whereby they might
accomplish their