And La Stevenyne laughed with pleasure, and put out her tongue at
Ulenspiegel when his back was turned. And La Gilline, she of the
brocaded gown, she also put out her tongue at Ulenspiegel, and the
girls all began to whisper one to another: "Behold the spy that by
her beauty draweth men to the torture and bringeth them at last to a
death more cruel even than torture. Above seven-and-twenty Protestants
hath she betrayed already. Gilline is her name, and now she is in
a rapture of joy as she thinks of the reward she will get for her
information--the first hundred caroluses, to wit, from the estate of
each of her victims. But she will not laugh when she bethinketh her
that she must share one-half of the spoil with La Stevenyne!"
And every one there present--the constables, the butchers, and the
girls themselves--put out their tongues in mockery of Ulenspiegel. And
Lamme sweated great drops of sweat, and became red with anger like
the crest of a cock. But he would not let himself say a word.
"Come, stand us food and drink," said the butchers and the constables.
"Very well," said Ulenspiegel, jingling yet again the money in his
purse. "Bring us meat and drink, my sweet Stevenyne; bring us drink
in glasses that can sing!"
At this the girls began to laugh anew; but La Stevenyne went down to
the cellar and brought back with her ham, sausages, black-pudding
omelettes, and some of those singing glasses, that are so called
because they are mounted on tall stems and can be made to resound
like a bell when some one strikes them. Then Ulenspiegel said:
"Let him who is hungry eat, and he who is thirsty let him drink!" And
the constables, the girls, the butchers, Gilline, and La Stevenyne
applauded these words of Ulenspiegel, clapping their hands and stamping
their feet; and then they all sat down to the feast. Ulenspiegel,
Lamme, and the seven butchers sat at the big table of honour, the
constables and the girls at two smaller tables; and they ate and
drank right heartily. And the constables invited their two comrades,
who had been waiting outside the house, to come in and join them.
La Stevenyne said with a snigger:
"Remember, no one can leave till he has paid me."
And she went and locked all the doors, and put the keys in her pocket.
At this La Gilline raised her glass.
"The bird is in its cage," she cried. "Let us drink."
But two of the girls, whose names were Gena and Margot, said to her:
"Is this yet another man that you are going to lure to his death,
you wicked one?"
"I know not," said Gilline; "let us drink."
But the girls would not drink with her.
And Gilline took her viola and sang in French this song:
Au son de la viole,
Je chante nuit et jour;
Je suis la fille-folle,
La vendeuse d'amour.
Astarté de mes hanches
Fit les lignes de feu;
J'ai les épaules blanches,
Et mon beau corps est Dieu.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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