had conquered Caesar."

[Said Valnebon--(6)]

6 It is probable that the angry Valnebon is speaking here,
and that his name has been accidentally omitted from the
MSS. At all events the three subsequent paragraphs show that
these remarks are not made by Astillon, who declines the
other speaker's advice, and proposes a scheme of his own.--
Ed.

"To the devil with the jade, who gave us so much toil, and made us
believe ourselves so fortunate in winning her! Never was there such
wantonness, for while she kept one in hiding she was practising upon
another, so that she might never be without diversion. I would rather
die than suffer her to go unpunished."

Each thereupon asked him what he thought ought to be done to her, saying
that they were all ready to do it.

"I think," said he, "that we ought to tell the King our master, who
prizes her as though she were a goddess.

"By no means," said Astillon; "we are ourselves able to take vengeance
upon her, without calling in the aid of our master. Let us all be
present to-morrow when she goes to mass, each of us wearing an iron
chain about his neck. Then, when she enters the church, we will greet
her as shall be fitting."

This counsel was highly approved by the whole company, and each provided
himself with an iron chain. The next morning they all went, dressed in
black and with their iron chains twisted like collars round their necks,
to meet the Countess as she was going to church. And as soon as she saw
them thus attired, she began to laugh and asked them--

"Whither go such doleful folk?"

"Madam," said Astillon, "we are come to attend you as poor captive
slaves constrained to do your service."

The Countess, feigning not to understand, replied--

"You are not my captives, and I cannot understand that you have more
occasion than others to do me service."

Thereupon Valnebon stepped forward and said to her--

"After eating your bread for so long a time, we should be ungrateful
indeed if we did not serve you."

She made excellent show of not understanding the matter, thinking by
this seriousness to confound them; but they pursued their discourse
in such sort that she saw that all was discovered. So she immediately
devised a means of baffling them, for, having lost honour and
conscience, she would in no wise take to herself the shame that they
thought to bring upon her. On the contrary, like one who set her
pleasure before all ear