“The tale, in a few words, is this,” replied Thompson. “Three poor soldiers obtain from a dwarf three gifts: a cloak, a purse, and a horse—one and all equally useful in promoting their worldly advantage. A crafty princess steals all these gifts, and the soldiers are once more poor. Driven by hunger, one of the three eats of an apple-tree by the road-side, and forthwith his nose grows, not by inches, but by miles. The friendly dwarf, in pity of his misery, cures him by administering another kind of apple; and the nose shrinks as quickly as it had grown.
“Now comes the revenge on the princess. The old soldier offers some of the fatal apples for sale; the princess buys and eats; her nose grows without ceasing. Under pretence of curing her, the old soldier, disguised as a doctor, makes her nose grow more and more, and at length, having terrified her into restoring the dwarf’s gifts, kindly gives her a piece of the second kind of apples, and cures her of the nasal protuberance.”
“And now that we have concluded our criticisms,” said Herbert, “let us give all due praise to the admirable instruction contained in this last narrative.”
“May we not extend our praise to all the tales?”
“As critics, well intentioned towards the writers, and especially towards this translation, we must not set much store on our criticism. We need not, however, fear to give our own opinions, and therefore I agree with you that great praise may with reason be given to all the tales we have heard, and to no one more than that with which our last evening, I fear, must now conclude. One thing I would ask you, Lathom; you spoke of the want of the usual accessories in these old monks’ stories. One or two slips have not escaped me; but unless you have re-produced many of the tales, the credit of great experience in writing fictions must be allowed to the authors of the Gesta.”
“I do not mean to deny that I have re-written many of these tales, and in some places introduced a little embroidery, but nowhere have I done more than re-set the old jewels, and put old pictures into new frames.”
“This, then, is our last evening with the old story-tellers,” said Thompson; “to-morrow Herbert and I are off for a week of home, whilst you are left here to——”
“To re-set some more old jewels, should these, through your report, obtain favor and acceptance with my friends.”
THE END.