The Legend of the Glorious Adventures of Tyl Ulenspiegel in the land of Flanders Part 46

"These seven men are on your side ... they are strong men ... butchers.... I must be off ... too well known in the town ... but when I have gone.... 'T is van te beven de klinkaert.... Break up everything...."

"I understand," said Ulenspiegel, rising at the same time from the floor and kicking out at the innkeeper. The latter struck Ulenspiegel in his turn and Ulenspiegel said:

"You hit hard, my hearty!"

"As hard as a hail-storm," said the innkeeper. And quickly seizing the purse from Lamme he handed it back to Ulenspiegel.

"You may stand me a drink, you rogue, now you are come into your right mind again."

"I'll stand you one, you scandalous scamp," replied Ulenspiegel.

"See how insolent he is," said La Stevenyne.

"As insolent as you are beautiful," answered Ulenspiegel.

Now La Stevenyne was sixty years old at least, and her face was like the fruit of the medlar, but all yellow with bile, and she had a large port-wine stain on her left cheek.

When the innkeeper had had his drink, he paid the bill and departed. The seven butchers meanwhile made sundry knowing grimaces at the constables and La Stevenyne. One of them indicated by a gesture that he held Ulenspiegel for a simpleton, and that he would be able to do for him very easily. But all the time that he was putting out his tongue in mockery to La Stevenyne, who herself was grinning and laughing, he whispered in Ulenspiegel's ear:

"'T is van te beven de klinkaert--it is time to rattle the gla.s.ses." Then, in his ordinary tone of voice, and pointing at the constables:

"Gentle Reformer," he said, "we are all on your side. Stand us some food and drink, won't you?"

And La Stevenyne laughed with pleasure, and put out her tongue at Ulenspiegel when his back was turned. And La Gilline, she of the brocaded gown, she also put out her tongue at Ulenspiegel, and the girls all began to whisper one to another: "Behold the spy that by her beauty draweth men to the torture and bringeth them at last to a death more cruel even than torture. Above seven-and-twenty Protestants hath she betrayed already. Gilline is her name, and now she is in a rapture of joy as she thinks of the reward she will get for her information--the first hundred caroluses, to wit, from the estate of each of her victims. But she will not laugh when she bethinketh her that she must share one-half of the spoil with La Stevenyne!"

And every one there present--the constables, the butchers, and the girls themselves--put out their tongues in mockery of Ulenspiegel. And Lamme sweated great drops of sweat, and became red with anger like the crest of a c.o.c.k. But he would not let himself say a word.

"Come, stand us food and drink," said the butchers and the constables.

"Very well," said Ulenspiegel, jingling yet again the money in his purse. "Bring us meat and drink, my sweet Stevenyne; bring us drink in gla.s.ses that can sing!"

At this the girls began to laugh anew; but La Stevenyne went down to the cellar and brought back with her ham, sausages, black-pudding omelettes, and some of those singing gla.s.ses, that are so called because they are mounted on tall stems and can be made to resound like a bell when some one strikes them. Then Ulenspiegel said:

"Let him who is hungry eat, and he who is thirsty let him drink!" And the constables, the girls, the butchers, Gilline, and La Stevenyne applauded these words of Ulenspiegel, clapping their hands and stamping their feet; and then they all sat down to the feast. Ulenspiegel, Lamme, and the seven butchers sat at the big table of honour, the constables and the girls at two smaller tables; and they ate and drank right heartily. And the constables invited their two comrades, who had been waiting outside the house, to come in and join them.

La Stevenyne said with a sn.i.g.g.e.r:

"Remember, no one can leave till he has paid me."

And she went and locked all the doors, and put the keys in her pocket.

At this La Gilline raised her gla.s.s.

"The bird is in its cage," she cried. "Let us drink."

But two of the girls, whose names were Gena and Margot, said to her:

"Is this yet another man that you are going to lure to his death, you wicked one?"

"I know not," said Gilline; "let us drink."

But the girls would not drink with her.

And Gilline took her viola and sang in French this song:

Au son de la viole, Je chante nuit et jour; Je suis la fille-folle, La vendeuse d'amour.

Astarte de mes hanches Fit les lignes de feu; J'ai les epaules blanches, Et mon beau corps est Dieu.

Je suis froide ou brulante, Tendre au doux nonchaloir: Tiede, eperdue, ardente, Mon homme, a ton vouloir.

Vois, je vends tout: mes charmes, Mon ame et mes yeux bleus; Bonheur, rires et larmes, Et la Mort si tu veux.

Au son de la viole, Je chante nuit et jour; Je suis la fille-folle, La vendeuse d'amour.

As she sang this song La Gilline looked so beautiful, so soft and fragrant, that all the men, the constables and the butchers, Lamme and Ulenspiegel himself, sat smiling there, quite melted and overcome by her charm.

All at once La Gilline gave a loud laugh and fixed her gaze on Ulenspiegel:

"And it's thus that the birds are caged," she said. And the spell of her charm was broken.

Ulenspiegel, Lamme, and the butchers looked at one another.

"Well now," said La Stevenyne, "are you going to pay the bill, my Lord Ulenspiegel?"

"We shall pay nothing in advance," said he.

"Then I shall pay myself later on--out of your inheritance," said La Stevenyne. After that:

"Let us drink!" she cried.

"Let us drink!" cried the constables.

"Let us drink!" cried La Stevenyne. "The doors are shut; the windows are strongly barred; the birds are in their cage. Let us drink!"

"Let us drink then," said Ulenspiegel. "And bring us wine of the best to crown the banquet."

La Stevenyne brought in more wine. And now they were all seated, drinking and eating, the constables and the girls together. But the seven butchers were at the same table with Ulenspiegel and Lamme, and they kept on throwing pieces of ham, and sausages, omelettes, and bottles of wine to the table of the girls, who themselves caught the food in mid-flight as carp catch the flies that buzz on the surface of a fishpond. And La Stevenyne laughed and grinned, and pointed to the packets of candles which hung over the counter. And these were the candles that the gay girls were used to purchase, five to the pound. Then La Stevenyne said to Ulenspiegel:

"On his way to the stake it is the custom for the condemned man to carry a wax candle. Shall I make you a present of one?"

"Let us drink!" said Ulenspiegel.

But La Gilline said: "Look at Ulenspiegel's eyes. They are s.h.i.+ning like the eyes of a swan that is about to die."

"Wouldn't you like to eat one of the candles?" said La Stevenyne. "They would serve you in h.e.l.l to lighten your eternal d.a.m.nation."