Then she at once perceived both from their faces
and from their dress that they were not those whom she sought, and,
recognising them, she flung herself upon her knees, begging them to
pardon her error in thus robbing them of their rest.
But the Duke of Vendome was not content to know so little, and rising
forthwith, he begged the old woman to say for whom she had taken them.
This at first she was not willing to do; but at last, after he had sworn
to her never to reveal it, she told him that there was a girl in the
house with whom a prothonotary (2) was in love, and that she had long
kept a watch on them, since it pleased her little to see her mistress
trusting in a man who was working this shame towards her. She then left
the Prince and Princess shut in as she had found them, and they laughed
for a long while over their adventure. And, although they afterwards
told the story they would never name any of the persons concerned.
2 The office of apostolic prothonotary was instituted by
Pope Clement I., there being at first twelve such officers,
whose duty was to write the lives of the saints and other
apostolic records.
Pages:
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156