wing herself
upon her knees, entreated forgiveness and promised to confess the truth.
This was, that she had long loved a serving-man of the house, and
had taken this fine mystery in hand in order to drive both master and
mistress away, so that she and her lover, having sole charge of the
house, might be able to make good cheer as they were wont to do when
alone. My Lord of Grignaulx, who was a somewhat harsh man, commanded
that they should be soundly beaten so as to prevent them from ever
forgetting the ghost, and this having been done, they were driven away.
In this fashion was the house freed from the plaguy ghosts who for two
years long had played their pranks in it. (5)

5 Talleyrand, who passes for having been the last of the
"Rois des Ribauds" (see the Bibliophile Jacob's historical
novel of that title), was, like his descendant the great
diplomatist, a man of subtle and caustic humour. Brantome,
in his article on Anne of Brittany in _Les Dames Illustres_,
repeatedly refers to him, and relates that on an occasion
when the Queen wished to say a few words in Spanish to the
Emperor's ambassador--there was a project of marrying her
daughter Claude to Charles V.--she applied to Grignols to
teach her a sentence or two of the Castilian language. He,
however, taught her some dirty expression, but was careful
to warn Louis XII., who laughed at it, telling his wife on
no account to use the Spanish words she had learnt. On
discovering the truth, Anne was so greatly vexed, that
Grignols was obliged to withdraw from Court for some time,
and only with difficulty obtained the Queen's forgiveness.--
L. and Ed.

"It is wonderful, ladies, to think of the effects wrought by the mighty
god of Love. He causes women to put aside all fear, and teaches them to
give every sort of trouble to man in order to work their own ends. But
if the purpose of the serving-woman calls for blame, the sound sense
of the master is no less worthy of praise. He knew that when the spirit
departs, it returns no more." (6)

6 "A wind that passeth away, and cometh not again."--_Psalm_
lxxviii. 39.--M.

"In sooth," said Geburon, "love showed little favour to the man and
the maid, but I agree that the sound sense of the master was of great
advantage to him."

"Nevertheless," said Ennasuite, "the maid through her cunning lived for
a long time at her ease."