The priest gravely vouched for the accuracy of this narrative, and Clement made a note of it in his parchment roll.
Now came the third question.
"Are there any among you who dare to smoke tobacco, either by cutting up the leaves into small fragments and putting them in his pipe, or by roasting them on the fire and inhaling the ascending steam?"
"There are none, sir!" returned the elder. "We do not know that dish."
"And do not try to, for whoever is caught in the act will, in accordance with the law of the land, have the stem of his pipe thrust through his nose, and be led in that guise all round the market-place."
The fourth question was this—
"Do any of the peasants wear cloth coats, marten-skin kalpags, or morocco shoes?"
"Pshaw!" cried the village elder. "Why, our poverty is such that we never look beyond sheep-skin jackets and leather sandals. What do we want with coloured cloth and morocco shoes?"
"Nor must you, for the Estates of the Realm have forbidden the peasantry to wear the clothes of the gentry."
Now came the fifth question.