“Ah! that’s different,” rejoined Liènarde.

A short silence ensued. It was broken by the young man.

“It is an entirely new Morality,” said he, “and has never been used before.”

“Then it is not the same as they gave two years ago on the day of the entry of Monsieur the Legate, in which there were three beautiful girls to represent certain personages—”

“Sirens,” said Liènarde.

“And quite naked,” added the young man.

Liènarde modestly cast down her eyes. Gisquette glanced at her and then followed her example.

“It was a very pleasant sight,” continued the young man, unabashed. “But the Morality to-day was composed expressly for Madame the Lady of Flanders.”

“Will they sing any bergerettes?” asked Gisquette.

“Fie!” exclaimed the unknown; “love-songs in a Morality? The different sorts of plays must not be confounded. Now, if it were sotie,²

“What a pity!” returned Gisquette. “That day at the Ponceau fountain there were wild men and women who fought with one another and formed themselves into different groups, singing little airs and love- songs.”

“What is suitable for a legate,” remarked the unknown dryly, “would not be seemly for a princess.”

“And close by,” Liènarde went on, “a number of deep-toned instruments played some wonderful melodies.”

“And for the refreshment of the passer-by,” added Gisquette, “the fountains spouted wine and milk and hypocras from three mouths, and every one drank that would.”

“And a little below the Ponceau fountain at the Trinitè,” continued Liènarde, “there was a Passion Play acted without words.”

“Yes, so there was!” cried Gisquette. “Our Lord on the cross and the two thieves to right and left of him.”

Here the two friends, warming to the recollection of the legate’s entry, both began talking at once. “And farther on, at the Porte-aux-Peintres, were other persons very richly dressed.”

“And at the Fountain of the Holy Innocents, that huntsman pursuing a him with great barking of dogs and blowing of horns.”

“And near the slaughter-house of Paris, that wooden erection representing the fortress of Dieppe.”

“And you remember, Gisquette, just as the legate passed they sounded the assault, and all the English had their throats cut.”

“And near the Châtelet Gate were some very fine figures.”

“And on the Pont-au-Change, too, which was all hung with draperies.”

“And when the legate passed over it they let fly more than two hundred dozen birds of all kinds. That was beautiful, Liènarde!”