E-text prepared by D A Alexander, Barry Abrahamsen, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration. See 28711-h.htm or 28711-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28711/28711-h/28711-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/28711/28711-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See https://archive.org/details/jesterjesw00moorrich Transcriber’s note: Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_). A caret character is used to denote superscription. A single character following the caret is superscripted (example: 12^o). THE JESTER ------------------------------------------------------------------------ _By Leslie Moore_ ------- The Peacock Feather The Jester ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration: “HAD SHE DEMANDED HIS SOUL FROM HIM AT THAT INSTANT HE HAD GIVEN IT.” (_See page 108_) Drawn By Robert Edwards.] THE JESTER by LESLIE MOORE Author of “The Peacock Feather,” etc. [Illustration: Decoration.] G. P. Putnam’S Sons New York and London The Knickerbocker Press 1915 Copyright, 1915. by Leslie Moore The Knickerbocker Press, New York ------------------------------------------------------------------------ To MRS. SAMUEL JORDAN ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. CAP AND BELLS 1 II. THE FOOL’S ENTRY 19 III. SWEET BONDAGE 35 IV. A WOMAN’S WILL 46 V. GOOD COMRADESHIP 54 VI. BALDA THE WITCH 68 VII. SANCTUARY 83 VIII. COUNCIL AT SANGDIEU 91 IX. THE CASTING OF THE NET 101 X. WITHERED ROSES 111 XI. OUTCASTE 124 XII. THE WANDERER 135 XIII. CASTLE SYRTES 145 XIV. THE QUEST 160 XV. SIMON OF THE BEES 169 XVI. ILLUSION 184