"Not so wonderful as if she had tried to kiss him with somebody else's lips," replied the fool, adding, "but it was unfair to Chartier."
"Why unfair?"
"Because she had no right to take him unawares and unarmed."
Her Grace frowned darkly as she replied, "Le Glorieux, you are nothing but a fool and you can not understand what an honor it was for a humble poet to be kissed by a great princess. But one of the courtiers said, 'Madame, why did you kiss that extremely unprepossessing man?' The dauphiness replied, 'I did not kiss the man——'"
"How could she say that," broke in the jester, "when you all saw her do it?"
"Do not interrupt me, Fool. The dauphiness said, 'I did not kiss the man——'"
"That is what you said before," interrupted the fool again, "and I say she must have been a very silly little woman."
"Fool, do you not know that you are daring to criticise a princess of Scotland, daughter of James the Second of that country?"
"I do not care if she was the daughter of his present Majesty, Henry the Seventh of England; it was foolish of her to try to make people doubt the evidence of their own eyes."
"Will you let me finish, you great gawk?" Then raising her voice and speaking very rapidly the duchess went on, "The dauphiness said, 'I did not kiss the man, but that precious mouth from which has come so many noble and virtuous words.'"