ring above
the smooth white surface, bearing each one its little load of snow. The
comedians observed these ghastly surroundings with a shudder, as they
laid their burden gently down upon the ground, and gathered round
the grave which the boy was industriously digging. He made but slow
progress, however, and the tyrant, taking the spade from him, went to
work with a will, and had soon finished the sad task. Just at the last
a volley of stones suddenly startled the little group, who, intent upon
the mournful business in hand, had not noticed the stealthy approach of
a considerable number of peasants.

These last had been hastily summoned by their friends who had first
perceived the mysterious little funeral procession, without priest,
crucifix, or lighted tapers, and taken it for granted that there must be
something uncanny about it.

They were about to follow up the shower of stones by a charge upon the
group assembled round the open grave, when de Sigognac, outraged at this
brutal assault, whipped out his sword, and rushed upon them impetuously,
striking some with the flat of the blade, and threatening others with
the point; while the tyrant, who had leaped out of the grave at the
first alarm, seized one of the cross pieces of the improvised bier, and
followed the baron into the thick of the crowd, raining blows right and
left among their cowardly assailants; who, though they far outnumbered
the little band of comedians, fled before the vigorous attack of de
Sigognac and Herode, cursing and swearing, and shouting out violent
threats as they withdrew. Poor Matamore's humble obsequies were
completed without further hindrance. When the first spadeful of earth
fell upon his body the pedant, with great tears slowly rolling down
his cheeks, bent reverently over the grave and sighed out, "Alas! poor
Matamore!" little thinking that he was, using the very words of Hamlet,
prince of Denmark, when he apostrophized the skull of Yorick, an ancient
king's jester, in the famous tragedy of one Shakespeare--a poet of great
renown in England, and protege of Queen Elizabeth.

The grave was filled up in silence, and the tyrant--after having
trampled down the snow for some distance around it, so that its exact
whereabouts might not be easy to find in case the angry peasants should
come back to disturb it--said as they turned away, "Now let us get out
of this place as fast as we can; we have nothing more to do here, and
the sooner we qui