All sins whatever, quoth the abbess, turning casuist in the distress
they were under, are held by the confessor of our convent to be either
mortal or venial: there is no further division. Now a venial sin being
the slightest and least of all sins--being halved--by taking either only
the half of it, and leaving the rest--or, by taking it all, and amicably
halving it betwixt yourself and another person--in course becomes
diluted into no sin at all.
Now I see no sin in saying, _bou_, _bou_, _bou_, _bou_, _bou_, a hundred
times together; nor is there any turpitude in pronouncing the syllable
_ger_, _ger_, _ger_, _ger_, _ger_, were it from our matins to our
vespers: Therefore, my dear daughter, continued the abbess of
_Andoüillets_ --I will say _bou_, and thou shalt say _ger_; and then
alternately, as there is no more sin in _fou_ than in _bou_ --Thou shalt
say _fou_--and I will come in (like fa, sol, la, re, mi, ut, at our
complines) with _ter_. And accordingly the abbess, giving the pitch
note, set off thus:
Abbess, } Bou - - bou - - bou - -
_Margarita_, } ----ger, - - ger, - - ger.
_Margarita_, } Fou - - fou - - fou - -
Abbess, } ----ter, - - ter, - - ter.
The two mules acknowledged the notes by a mutual lash of their tails;
but it went no further----’Twill answer by an’ by, said the novice.
Abbess } Bou- bou- bou- bou- bou- bou-
_Margarita_, } --ger, ger, ger, ger, ger, ger.
Quicker still, cried _Margarita_.
Fou, fou, fou, fou, fou, fou, fou, fou, fou.
Quicker still, cried _Margarita_.
Bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou,
Quicker still --God preserve me; said the abbess --They do not understand
us, cried _Margarita_ --But the Devil does, said the abbess of
_Andoüillets_.