r
watering his plants in the cool of the evening, idled for him. The men
who noticed the crowd of women at his stall, and how even fresh young
girls from the country, seeing him for the first time, always loitered
there, suspected--who could tell what kind of powers? hidden under the
white veil of that youthful form; and pausing to ponder the matter,
found themselves also fallen into the snare. The sight of him made old
people feel young again. Even the sage monk Hermes, devoted to study
and experiment, was unable to keep the fruit-seller out of his mind,
and would fain have discovered the secret of his charm, partly for the
friendly purpose of explaining to the lad himself his perhaps more than
natural gifts with a view to their profitable cultivation.

It was a period, as older men took note, of young men and their
influence. They took fire, no one could quite explain how, as if at
his presence, and asserted a wonderful amount of volition, of
insolence, yet as if with the consent of their elders, who would
themselves sometimes lose their balance, a little comically. That
revolution in the temper and manner of individuals concurred with the
movement then on foot at Auxerre, as in other French towns, [61] for
the liberation of the commune from its old feudal superiors. Denys
they called Frank, among many other nicknames. Young lords prided
themselves on saying that labour should have its ease, and were almost
prepared to take freedom, plebeian freedom (of course duly decorated,
at least with wild-flowers) for a bride. For in truth Denys at his
stall was turning the grave, slow movement of politic heads into a wild
social license, which for a while made life like a stage-play. He
first led those long processions, through which by and by "the little
people," the discontented, the despairing, would utter their minds.
One man engaged with another in talk in the market-place; a new
influence came forth at the contact; another and then another adhered;
at last a new spirit was abroad everywhere. The hot nights were noisy
with swarming troops of dishevelled women and youths with red-stained
limbs and faces, carrying their lighted torches over the vine-clad
hills, or rushing down the streets, to the horror of timid watchers,
towards the cool spaces by the river. A shrill music, a laughter at
all things, was everywhere. And the new spirit repaired even to church
to take part in the novel offices of the Feast of Fools.