Three short works / The Dance of Death, the Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitaller, a Simple Soul.

in a castle built on the slope of

with leaden tiles, and the foundation rested upon solid r

pouts, representing dragons with yawning jaws, directed the water towards the cistern, and o

hued flowers, an arbour with several bowers, and a mall for the diversion of the pages. On the other side were the kenne

lows built their nests in the cracks of the battlements, and as soon as the sun shone too strongly, the

apartments to keep out the cold; the closets overflowed with linen, the cellar was fil

all nations and of all ages, from the slings of the Amalekites and the javelins of th

g's oratory. There was even a Roman bath in a secluded part of the castle, though the

azed dreamily at the falling snow, or had stories read aloud to him. But as soon as the fine weather returned, he would mount his mule and sally forth into the countr

hind her. She conducted her household like a cloister. Every morning she distributed work to the maids, supervised the making of preserves and

sic. Chickens as large as sheep, and the rarest spices were served; for the entertainment of the guests, a dwarf crept out of

dow something that looked like a moving shadow. It was an old man clad in sackcloth, who resembled a hermit. A rosary dangled at his side and he carri

isappeared. The songs of the banqueters grew louder. She could hear angels' voices, and her head

een no hermit. Then, whether dream or fact, this must certainly have been a communication f

suddenly emerged from the mist and confronted him. He was a gipsy-for he had a braided beard and wore silver bracelets on each arm. His eyes bur

he alms thrown to him, and d

led as loudly as he could. But no one answered him! The w

k of it," quoth he, "people would laugh at me." Still, the glory that was to be his son's dazzled hi

ard for his person. His cradle was lined with the softest feathers, and lamp representing a dove burned continually over it; three nurses rocked him night an

d with delight, and soon became familiar with everything pertaining to chargers. An old and very learned monk taught him the Gospel, the Arabic nume

hey would go down into the

ch a servant after him. The stranger, becoming confident, would stop on his way and after being ushered into the castle-hall, would display pieces of velvet and sil

d they would relate their travels, and discuss the uncertainty of vessels on the high seas, their long journeys across burning sands, the ferocity of the in

d, so that Julian, who was a listener, would scream with excitement; then his father felt convinced that some day he would be a conqueror. But in the evening, after the Angelus, when he passed

ng the services lasted, he remained kneeling on his prie-dieu, with

step and then, after a few gambols, ran back in the same direction. On the following Sunday, the idea of seeing the mouse again worried him.

nk snout appeared, and then whole mouse crept out. He struck it lightly with his stick and stood stunned at the sight of the little, lifeless body. A dro

hirping in a tree, he would approach cautiously, lift the tube and swell his cheeks; then, when the little creatur

wall. He paused to gaze at it; where he stood the rampart was cracked and a piece of stone was near at hand; he

brambles, and ferreted around the bus

roken wings in the bra

s convulsions made his heart beat quicker, and filled him with a wild, tumultu

ing to the pastime. In it, a master showed a supposed pupil how to train dogs and falcons, lay traps, recognise a stag by its fumets, and a fox or a wolf by footprints. He also taught the best way o

ds of Barbary, speedier than gazelles, but liable to get out of temper; seventeen couples of Breton dogs, great barkers, with broad ch

he black coats of the spaniels shone like satin; the barking of the setters equalled that of the beagles. In a special enclosure were eight gr

k from marble troughs, an

German gerfalcons, and pilgrim falcons captured on the cliffs edging the cold seas, in distant lands. They were housed in a thatched shed and were c

s and all sorts of sn

utiously spread a huge net over their motionless bodies. At the command, the dogs would bark and arouse the quails; and the

frequently foxes fell into the ditches prepared fo

plume, and on his blue feet were bells; and he perched firmly on his master's arm while they galloped across the plains. Then Julian would suddenly untie his tether and let him fly, and the bold bird would dart through the ai

ods; and when the stag began to moan under their teeth, he would kill it deftly, and deli

n the marshes to watch for wil

steps; and though the old monk leaned out of the dormer-windo

under a tree; and he would come home at night covered with earth and blood, with thistles in his hair and smelling of wild beasts. He gre

th a spear; and once, with nothing but a stick, he defended himself a

*

the ground with regularity and his two beagles trotted close behind. The wind was blowing hard and icicles clung to his cloak. A part of the horizon cleared, and he beheld

a branch, with its head hidden under its wing. Julian, with a lunge of h

ss. As he had no arrows (for he had left his steed behind), he thought he would climb down to where they stood; and with bare feet and bent back he at last reached the first goat and thrust his dagger below its ribs. But

ever missing a bird. He beheld in the distance the gleam of a lake which appeared to be of lead, and in the middle of it was an animal he had never seen before, a beaver wi

adgers, other peacocks, and jays, blackbirds, foxes, porcupines, polecats, and lynxes, appeared; in fact, a host of beasts that grew more and more numerous with every step he took. Trembling, and with a look of appeal in their eyes, they gathered around Julian, but he did not stop slaying them; and so intent was he on stretching

gs which, huddled together, were warming one another with t

the prospect of so great a carnage. Then he sprang fr

s, and a great agitation seized the whole herd. The edge of the valley was too high to admit of flight; and the animals ran around the

ich tumbled to pieces whenever it displaced itself. Finally the last one expired. Their bodies lay stretched out on the sand with foam gu

s, through the branches, the sk

ated eyes at the enormous slaughter. He was now

s black and of enormous size; he had a white beard and carried sixteen antlers. His mate was the color of d

, its mother raised her head and uttered a poignant, almost human wail of agony.

sprang forward. Julian aimed his last arrow at the bea

ng him open, and he recoiled with inexpressible horror. But presently the huge animal halted, and, with eyes aflame and the solemn air of a patriarch and a jud

knees, gently closed

itude and an immense sadness came over him. Holding

m with unknown perils. Impelled by a sense of sickening terror, he ran across the fields,

ag. He fought against the obsession of the prediction and kept repeating: "No! No! No! I cannot slay them!" and t

ians, who prescribed quantities of medicine. Julian's illness, they declared, was due to some injurious wind or to amorous desire. But in reply to their questions

mpletely recovered,

a pillar, and a ladder was required to reach it. Julian climbed up to it one day, but the heavy weapon slipped from

ight of a naked sword made him grow pale, and t

name of God, and of his forefathers, once

ed themselves every

excelled in

the teeth of the weather-cocks on the castle and to

in the garden, and thought he saw two white wings in the background hovering around the esp

ng scream pie

hose cap and long streams r

rom home and