The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde, and Other StoriesDe Morgan, Mary
Science
The Necklace of Princess Fiorimonde, and Other Stories
De Morgan, Mary
Children's stories; Fairy tales
"Nothing to trouble me, forsooth!" cried the doctor in a rage. "How dare
you insult me in this way? I tell you what it is, my fine fellow, I think
you are very impertinent, and if I have any more of your impudence I will
take my stick and thrash you soundly. It really is not to be borne, that
one man should be allowed to tell another that he has nothing to complain
of."
"Nay, _you_ can have as much to complain of as you like, so long as I have
not," cried the baker, and he laughed loudly. This only made the doctor
angrier still, and he was just going to seize the baker when up came the
farmer.
"Was there ever such a village as this?" he cried. "It is not fit for any
one to live in, there is always such fighting and quarrelling going on.
What is the matter here?"
"Matter enough," cried the doctor. "Here is a fellow dares to tell me I
have nothing to complain of, nor he either."
"This is monstrous!" said the farmer; "he deserves to be hung. How dares he
say such a thing on such a wretched day as this, with such a blue sky and
such a bright sun?"
"Why, Master Farmer," cried the baker, "yesterday you grumbled because it
was raining, and now you grumble because it is fine."
"And I tell you that it is enough to make one grumble," said the farmer.
"It should have been fair yesterday, and should have rained to-day. You
ought to be ashamed of such talk, Master Baker, and I think it would serve
you justly right if we took you before the Justice and let us see what he
thinks of your conduct."
"Nay!" cried the baker, beginning to be frightened, "what have I done that
I am to be taken before the Justice?"
"What have you done, indeed!" said the doctor. "We will see if the Justice
cannot find that out pretty quickly." So they seized the baker and dragged
him away in spite of himself, and as they pulled him through the village
the people thronged about them, and followed till there was quite a large
crowd.
The Justice sat at his door smoking a pipe, with tears in his eyes.
"Now what is all this uproar for?" cried he. "Am I never to be left in
peace? How hard is the life of a Justice!" but he got up and came out on
the steps to meet them.
"See here," cried the doctor; "here is a man who says he has nothing to
complain of, and we have brought him to you, to know if he is to be
punished, or to be allowed to go on talking like this."
"Certainly not," cried the Justice, "or we shall soon have the whole
village in an uproar. Let him be taken to the market-place, and I will
order that he be publicly flogged by the soldiers."
At this the poor baker burst out crying, and entreated to be let off,
saying that now indeed he had plenty to complain of, but at this the
justice was angrier still. "Then," said he, "you certainly deserve to be
flogged for having told an untruth before, when you said you had not. Take
him away, and do as I bid."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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