"Madam," said the damsel, "I am ready and glad, as I ought to be, to serve you and obey you in any way possible; command me, and I will perform your orders."
"I thank you, my dear," said madam, "and be sure that you will lose nothing by it. This is what is the matter. The knight here is the man whom I love best in all the world, and I would not that he left here without my having a few words with him. Now he cannot tell me what is in his heart unless we be alone together, and you are the only person to take my place by the side of monseigneur. He is accustomed, as you know, to turn in the night and touch me, and then he leaves me and goes to sleep again."
"I will do your pleasure, madam; there is nothing that you can command that I will not do."
"Well, my dear," she said, "you will go to bed as I do, keeping a good way off from monseigneur, and take care that if he should speak to you not to reply, and suffer him to do whatever he may like."
"I will do your pleasure, madam."
Supper-time came. There is no need to describe the meal, suffice it to say there was good cheer and plenty of it, and after supper, sports, and the visitor took madam"s arm, and the other gentlemen escorted the other damsels. The host came last, and enquired about the knight"s travels from an old gentleman who had accompanied him.
Madame did not forget to tell her lover that one of her women would take her place that night, and that she would come to him; at which he was very joyful, and thanked her much, and wished that the hour had come.
They returned to the reception hall, where monseigneur said good night to his guest, and his wife did the same. The visitor went to his chamber, which was large and well-furnished, and there was a fine sideboard laden with spices and preserves, and good wine of many sorts.
He soon undressed, and drank a cup, and made his attendants drink also, and then sent them to bed, and remained alone, waiting for the lady, who was with her husband. Both she and her husband undressed and got into bed.
The damsel was in the _ruelle_, and as soon as my lord was in bed, she took the place of her mistress, who--as her heart desired--made but one bound to the chamber of the lover, who was anxiously awaiting her.
Thus were they all lodged--monseigneur with the chambermaid, and his guest with madame--and you may guess that these two did not pa.s.s all the night in sleeping.
Monseigneur, as was his wont, awoke an hour before day-break, and turned to the chamber-maid, believing it to be his wife, and to feel her he put out his hand, which by chance encountered one of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, which were large and firm, and he knew at once that it was not his wife, for she was not well furnished in that respect.
"Ha, ha!" he said to himself, "I understand what it is! They are playing me a trick, and I will play them another."
He turned towards the girl, and with some trouble managed to break a lance, but she let him do it without uttering a word or half a word.
When he had finished, he began to call as loudly as he could to the man who was sleeping with his wife.
"Hallo! my lord of such a place! Where are you? Speak to me!"
The other, when he heard himself called, was much astonished, and the lady quite overwhelmed with shame.
"Alas!" she said, "our deeds are discovered: I am a lost woman!"
Her husband called out,
"Hallo, monseigneur! hallo, my guest! Speak to me."
The other ventured to speak, and said,
"What is it, so please you, monsiegneur?"
"I will make this exchange with you whenever you like."
"What exchange?" he asked.
"An old, worn-out false, treacherous woman, for a good, pretty, and fresh young girl. That is what I have gained by the exchange and I thank you for it."
None of the others knew what to reply, even the poor chamber-maid wished she were dead, both on account of the dishonour to her mistress and the unfortunate loss of her own virginity.
The visitor left the lady and the castle as soon as could, without thanking his host, or saying farewell. And never again did he go there, so he never knew how she settled the matter with her husband afterwards, so I can tell you no more.
STORY THE THIRTY-SIXTH -- AT WORK.
By Monseigneur De La Roche.
_Of a squire who saw his mistress, whom he greatly loved, between two other gentlemern, and did not notice that she had hold of both of them till another knight informed him of the matter as you will hear._
A kind and n.o.ble gentleman, who wished to spend his time in the service of the Court of Love, devoted himself, heart, body, and goods, to a fair and honest damsel who well deserved it, and who was specially suited to do what she liked with men; and his amour with her lasted long. And he thought that he stood high in her good graces, though to say the truth, he was no more a favourite than the others, of whom there were many.
It happened one day that this worthy gentleman found his lady, by chance, in the embrasure of a window, between a knight and a squire, to whom she was talking. Sometimes she would speak to one apart and not let the other hear, another time she did the same to the other, to please both of them, but the poor lover was greatly vexed and jealous, and did not dare to approach the group.
The only thing to do was to walk away from her, although he desired her presence more than anything else in the world. His heart told him that this conversation would not tend to his advantage, in which he was not far wrong. For, if his eyes had not been blinded by affection, he could easily have seen what another, who was not concerned, quickly perceived, and showed him, in this wise.
When he saw and knew for certain that the lady had neither leisure nor inclination to talk to him, he retired to a couch and lay down, but he could not sleep.
Whilst he was thus sulking, there came a gentleman, who saluted all the company, and seeing that the damsel was engaged, withdrew to the recess where the squire was lying sleepless upon the couch; and amongst other conversation the squire said,
"By my faith, monseigneur, look towards the window; there are some people who are making themselves comfortable. Do you not see how pleasantly they are talking."
"By St. John, I see them," said the knight, "and see that they are doing something more than talking."
"What else?" said the other.
"What else? Do you not see that she has got hold of both of them?"
"Got hold of them!"
"Truly yes, poor fellow! Where are your eyes? But there is a great difference between the two, for the one she holds in her left hand is neither so big nor so long as that which she holds in her right hand."
"Ha!" said the squire, "you say right. May St. Anthony burn the wanton;"
and you may guess that he was not well pleased.
"Take no heed," said the knight, "and bear your wrong as patiently as you can. It is not here that you have to show your courage: make a virtue of necessity."
Having thus spoken, the worthy knight approached the window where the three were standing, and noticed by chance that the knight on the left, hand, was standing on tip-toe, attending to what the fair damsel and the squire were saying and doing.
Giving him a slight tap on his hat, the knight said,
"Mind your own business in the devil"s name, and don"t trouble about other people."