owns for this shaving."

"Bethink yourself that if not, your heir or heiress, begotten after
many years' marriage, will come amiss; and bear in mind, by the way,
that we are not so young as to hope to replace this by another."

Upon this she turned her back to the mayor, and went to her apartment
crying out: "I want the hair, I must have the hair, and if I do not
get the hair, by my halidom I shall never become a mother."

In the meantime the funeral had taken place without any novelty to
mention, excepting that if in the streets any loose fellow in the
crowd assayed to annoy the fair Maria, the hooded mute, of whom we
made mention before, quickly drew from beneath his cloak a strap, with
which he gave a lash to the insolent rogue without addressing one word
to him, and then walked straight on as if nothing had happened. When
all the mourners returned, the mayor seized hold of Maria's hand and
said to her:

"And now, fair maid, let us withdraw for a little while into this
other apartment," and thus talking whilst in motion he brought her
into his wife's private tiring-room, and sat himself down in a chair
and bent his head and stroked his beard with the mien of one who is
studying what beginning to give his speech. Maria, a little foolish
and confused, remained standing in front of the mayor, and she also
humbly lowered before him her eyes, black as the sloe; and to occupy
herself with something, gently fingered the ends of the sash, which
girded her waist and hung down over her skirt, not knowing what to
expect from the grave mien and long silence of the mayor, who, raising
his eyes and looking up at Maria, when he beheld her in so modest a
posture, devised thence a motive with which to begin, saying:

"Forsooth, Maria, so modest and sanctimonious is thy bearing, that it
is easy to see thou art preparing thyself to become a black-wimpled
nun. And if it be so, as I presume it to be, I now offer of my own
accord to dispose of thy entry into the cloisters without any dowry,
on the condition that thou dost give me something that thou hast on
thy head, and which then will not be necessary for thee."

"Nay, beshrew me, Sir Mayor," replied Maria, "for I durst not think
that the Lord calls upon me to take that step, for then my poor father
would remain in the world without the staff of his old age."

"Then, now, I desire to give thee some wise counsel, maid Maria. Thou
dost gain thy bread with great fatigue. Thou should