To cut the story short, Master Priest came at the hour appointed, and crept quietly enough, God knows, into the ruelle of the bed, and his mistress whispered to him;
“Don’t say a word: when monsieur is fast asleep I will touch you, and then come to me.”
“Very good,” he replied.
The good knight, who was not asleep, had a great inclination to laugh, but checked himself, in order not to spoil the joke. As he had proposed and arranged, he spread his noose where he wished, that is to say round the spot where the priest wanted to get.
All being ready, the Dominie was called, and as gently as he could, slipped into the bed, and without more ado, mounted on the heap in order to see the further. (*)
(*) A proverbial expression founded perhaps on some old
story which may be alluded to also in the 12th and 82nd
stories.
As soon as he was lodged there, the good knight drew the cord tightly, and said aloud,
“Ha! scoundrelly priest, is that the sort of man you are?” The priest tried to run away, but he could not go far, for the instrument he had tried to tune to the girl’s fiddle was caught in the noose, at which he was much frightened, and did not know what had happened to him. His master pulled the cord more tightly, which would have given him great pain if his fear and alarm had not conquered all other sentiments.
In a few moments he came to himself, and felt the pain and cried piteously for mercy to his master, who had such a strong desire to laugh that he could scarcely speak. He pulled the priest into the room and said;
“Get out, and never come here again! I pardon you in this occasion, but the second time I shall be inexorable.”