he sight of a piece of hemp?"

Bonello raised his head, and with tears in his eyes, in a voice choking
with emotion, replied,--

"I do not fear to die, but--oh! my child, my darling child!"

And he covered his face with his hands.

"What serves this everlasting whimper about your child; yesterday was
your day, but you got a reprieve by your lamentations; but we can't
wait any longer; so come and be hanged at once!"

"You are a fool, cousin," cried a shrill voice; "do you think any one
will let himself be hung, if he can help it?"

The executioner turned and glanced angrily at the speaker; a small man,
almost a dwarf in stature, with intelligent features and eyes beaming
with malice, he was dressed in the garb of a jester, and wore on his
head a bright scarlet cap with asses' ears. Both cap and jacket were
covered with a great number of little bells, which rang merrily with
every movement. He was seated on a stone, his chin resting on his
hands, and laughing ironically in the face of the enraged soldier.

"Hold your tongue," said the latter, "or I'll hang you too by the
ears."

"Do you want to get me out of the way for my fool's bauble?" said the
jester, in the same careless tone. "I warn you if you aspire to be my
successor, you will have to prove that there are more brains in your
head than there are in a pumpkin. You are making a poor beginning,
cousin Hesso, or you would not hang this miserable wretch so early in
the morning."

"The man must be hung now, because his time has come!" said Hesso,
furiously. But the arms of Henry the Lion, which were embroidered on
the jester's coat, prevented any violence on his part.

"You would be right, if you were not such a liar," replied the fool.
"Your long ears heard the Emperor say yesterday, 'Let him be hung
to-morrow!' What was true then, will be equally so fourteen hours
hence. Till then the poor devil's time is his own."

Hesso hesitated for an instant, but the idea that he should suffer the
interference of a court fool to delay an execution, was enough to
put him beside himself with rage. Turning towards the prisoner, he
cried,--

"Enough of this; fasten up the traitor to the gibbet!"

The assistants obeyed, and already the noose was around the prisoner's
neck, when, with a sudden spring, and before the executioner could
interfere, the jester drew a knife from his belt, and cut the rope.

"What means this!" exclaimed Hesso.

"Thwarted! thwarted," cried t