who were in love with
each other. So they agreed to be married, and the bridegroom looked out
for his best man. According to custom, directly he had chosen his best
man, he took him to the bride's house, and said to her: "Look here, this
is your groomsman." Directly the groomsman saw the bride he fell so much
in love with her that he consented more than willingly to be the best
man. Well, the wedding day came, and this man went into the church with
evil thoughts in his heart. When they came out of the church they had a
collation, according to custom, and then in the afternoon they had a
gondola to go to the tavern, as people used to do on such days. First
the bride got into the gondola, with the best man, and then the
bridegroom and the relations. When they were getting into the boat the
groomsman took the bride's hand to help her in, and he squeezed it, and
squeezed it so hard that he hurt her severely.

As time went on he saw that the bride thought nothing about him, and he
began not to care for her, either. But by and by he began to have a sort
of scruple of conscience about what he had done to his _comare_ on the
wedding day. And the more he thought of it, the more he felt this
scruple. So he made up his mind to go to confession, and to tell his
confessor what he had done, and with what evil intention. "You have
committed a great sin, my son," said the priest; "I shall give you a
penance,--a heavy penance. Will you do it?" "Yes, father," said he;
"tell me what it is." The priest answered: "Listen. You must make a
journey in the night-time to a place that I shall tell you of. But mind;
whatever voices you hear, you must never turn back for an instant! And
take three apples with you, and you will meet three noblemen, and you
must give one apple to each of them." Then the priest told him the place
he was to go to, and the groomsman left him. Well, he waited until
night-fall, and then he took his three apples and set out. He walked and
walked and walked, until at last he came to the place the priest had
told him of, and he heard such a talking and murmuring, you can't think!
One voice said one thing, and one another. These were all folks who had
committed great sins against St. John; but he knew nothing about that.
He heard them calling out: "Turn back! turn back!" But not he! No; he
went straight on, without ever looking round, let them call ever so
much. After he had gone on a while he saw the three noblemen, and he