The Legend of Ulenspiegel Volume Ii Part 30

Lamme would have spoken, but Ulenspiegel made him hold his tongue, and speaking to the Stevenyne:

"We shall not pay in advance," said he.

"I will pay myself afterwards then out of your estate," said the Stevenyne.

"Ghouls feed on corpses," replied Ulenspiegel.

"Aye," said one of the catchpolls, "those two have taken the preachers'

money; more than three hundred florins carolus. That makes a fine t.i.the for Gilline."

Gilline sang:

"Seek such in other spheres Take all, my loving squire, Pleasures, kisses, and tears, And Death, if you desire."

Then, laughing, she said:

"Let's drink!"

"Let's drink!" said the catchpolls.

"In G.o.d's name," said the Stevenyne, "let us drink! The doors are locked, the windows have stout bars, the birds are in the cage, let us drink!"

"Let's drink," said Ulenspiegel.

"Let's drink," said Lamme.

"Let's drink," said the seven.

"Let's drink," said the catchpolls.

"Let's drink," said Gilline, making her viols sing. "I am beautiful; let us drink. I could take the Archangel Gabriel in the nets of my singing."

"Bring us to drink then," said Ulenspiegel, "wine to crown the feast, wine of the best; I would have a drop of liquid fire at every hair of our thirsty bodies."

"Let us drink!" said Gilline; "twenty gudgeons more like you, and the pikes will sing no more."

The Stevenyne brought wine. All were sitting, drinking and eating, the catchpolls and the girls together. The seven, seated at the table of Ulenspiegel and Lamme, threw, from their table to the girls, hams, sausages, omelettes, and bottles, which they caught in the air like carps s.n.a.t.c.hing flies on the surface of a pond. And the Stevenyne laughed, sticking out her tusks and showing packets of candles, five to the pound, that hung above the bar. These were the girls'

candles. Then she said to Ulenspiegel:

"When men go to the stake, they carry a tallow candle on the way thither; would you like to have one now?"

"Drink up!" said Ulenspiegel.

"Drink up," said the seven.

Said Gilline:

"Ulenspiegel has eyes s.h.i.+ning like a swan about to die."

"Suppose they were given to the pigs to eat?" said the Stevenyne.

"That would be a feast of lanterns; drink up!" said Ulenspiegel.

"Would you like," said the Stevenyne, "when you are on the scaffold, to have your tongue thrust through with a red-hot iron?"

"It would be the better of that for whistling; drink up," answered Ulenspiegel.

"You would talk less if you were hanged," said the Stevenyne, "and your darling might come to look at you."

"Aye," said Ulenspiegel, "but I should weigh heavier, and would fall on your lovely muzzle: drink up!"

"What would you say if you were beaten with cudgels, branded on the forehead and on the shoulder?"

"I would say they had made a mistake in the meat," replied Ulenspiegel, "and that instead of roasting the sow Stevenyne, they had scalded the young porker Ulenspiegel: drink up!"

"Since you do not like any of these," said the Stevenyne, "you shall be taken on to the king's s.h.i.+ps, and there condemned to be torn asunder by four galleys."

"Then," said Ulenspiegel, "the sharks will have my four quarters, and you shall eat what they reject: drink up!"

"Why do you not eat one of these candles," said she, "they would serve you in h.e.l.l to light your eternal d.a.m.nation."

"I see clear enough to behold your s.h.i.+ny snout, O ill-scalded sow, drink up!" said Ulenspiegel.

Suddenly he struck the foot of the gla.s.s on the table, imitating with his hands the noise an upholsterer makes beating rhythmically the wool of a mattress upon a frame of sticks, but very gently, and saying:

"'Tis (tydt) van te beven de klinkaert" (it is time to make the clinker s.h.i.+ver--the gla.s.s that rings).

This is in Flanders the signal for the angry outbreak of drinkers and for the sacking of houses with the red lantern.

Ulenspiegel drank, then made the gla.s.s quiver on the table, saying:

"'Tis van te beven de klinkaert."

And the seven imitated him.

All kept very still. Gilline grew pale, the Stevenyne appeared astonished. The catchpolls said:

"Are the seven on their side?"

But the butchers, winking, rea.s.sured them, at the same time continually repeating in louder and louder tones with Ulenspiegel:

"'Tis van te beven de klinkaert; 'tis van te beven de klinkaert."

The Stevenyne drank to give herself courage.

Ulenspiegel then struck the table with his fist, with the rhythm and measure of upholsterers beating mattresses; the seven did as he did; gla.s.ses, jugs, bowls, quart pots, and goblets came slowly into the dance, overturning, breaking, rising on one side to fall on the other; and still there rang out more threatening, sombre, warlike, and in monotone: "'Tis van te beven de klinkaert."