us by His power, we are
greatly prone to fall."

"You do not notice what I do," said Hircan. "While we were telling
our stories, the monks behind the hedge here heard nothing of the
vesper-bell; whereas, now that we have begun to speak about God, they
have taken themselves off, and are at this moment ringing the second
bell."

"We shall do well to follow them," said Oisille, "and praise God for
enabling us to spend this day in the happiest manner imaginable."

Hereat they rose and went to the church, where they piously heard
vespers; after which they went to supper, discussing the discourses they
had heard, and calling to mind divers adventures that had come to pass
in their own day, in order to determine which of them were worthy to be
recounted. And after spending the whole evening in gladness, they betook
themselves to their gentle rest, hoping on the morrow to continue this
pastime which was so agreeable to them.

And so was the Third Day brought to an end.

[Illustration: 204.jpg Tailpiece]

APPENDIX.

A. (Tale XX., Page 21.)

Brantome alludes as follows to this tale, in the Fourth Discourse of his
_Vies des Dames Galantes_:--

"I knew a great lady whose plumpness was the subject of general talk
both whilst she was a maid and when she became a wife, but she happened
to lose her husband, and gave way to such extreme grief that she became
as dry as a stick. Still she did not cease to enjoy herself to her
heart's content, with the assistance of one of her secretaries, and
even so it is said of her cook. Nevertheless, she did not regain her
plumpness, albeit the said cook, who was all grease and fat, should as
it seems to me have made her stout again. Whilst she thus amused herself
with one and another of her varlets, she affected more prudery and
chastity than any other lady of the Court, having none but words
of virtue on her lips, speaking ill of all other women and finding
something to be censured in each of them. Very similar to this one was
that great lady of Dauphine who is mentioned in the Hundred Tales of
the Queen of Navarre, and who was found, lying on the grass with her
stableman or muleteer, by a gentleman who was in love with her to
distraction. On finding her thus, however, he was speedily cured of his
love-sickness.

"I have read in an old romance about John de Saintre, printed in
black-letter, that the late King John brought him up as a page.
In the old times it was usual f