130. “Which you please,” returned the poet, rising. “I believe you to be strictly honorable.” He thoughtfully emptied his cup. “I wish I could add you were intelligent,” he went on, knocking on his head with his knuckles. “Age! age! the brains stiff and rheumatic.”
131. The old man preceded him from a point of self-respect; Villon followed, whistling, with his thumbs in his girdle.
132. “God pity you!” said the lord of Brisetout at the door.
133. “Good-bye, papa,” returned Villon, with a yawn. “Many thanks for the cold mutton.”
134. The door closed behind him. The dawn was breaking over the white roofs. A chill, uncomfortable morning ushered in the day. Villon stood and heartily stretched himself in the middle of the road.
135. “A very dull old gentleman,” he thought. “I wonder what his goblets may be worth.”
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS FOR STUDY
1. Briefly write out the plot of the story.
2. Which incidents are essential to the story (plot incidents)?
3. Which incidents could be altered without vitally changing the story (developing incidents)? For a discussion of these types of incidents see the present author’s Writing the Short-Story, pp. 174-181.