At a short distance from Douai, there stood a castle on the bank of a
river near a bridge. The master of this castle was hunchbacked. Nature
had exhausted her ingenuity in the formation of his whimsical figure.
In place of understanding, she had given him an immense head, which
nevertheless was lost between his two shoulders: he had thick hair, a
short neck, and a horrible visage.
Spite of his deformity, this bugbear bethought himself of falling
in love with a beautiful young woman, the daughter of a poor but
respectable burgess of Douai. He sought her in marriage, and as he was
the richest person in the district, the poor girl was delivered up to
him. After the nuptials he was as much an object of pity as she, for,
being devoured by jealousy, he had no tranquillity night nor day, but
went prying and rambling every where, and suffered no stranger to enter
the castle.
One day during the Christmas festival, while standing sentinel at his
gate, he was accosted by three humpbacked minstrels. They saluted him as
a brother, as such asked him for refreshments, and at the same time, to
establish the fraternity, they ostentatiously shouldered their humps
at him. Contrary to expectation, he conducted them to his kitchen, gave
them a capon with peas, and to each a piece of money over and above.
Before their departure, however, he warned them never to return on pain
of being thrown into the river. At this threat of the Chatelain the
minstrels laughed heartily and took the road to the town, singing in
full chorus, and dancing in a grotesque manner, in derision of their
brother-hump of the castle. He, on his part, without paying farther
attention, went to walk in the fields.
[Illustration: 012]
The lady, who saw her husband cross the bridge, and had heard the
minstrels, called them back to amuse her. They had not been long
returned to the castle, when her husband knocked at the gate, by which
she and the minstrels were equally alarmed. Fortunately, the lady
perceived in a neighbouring room three empty coffers. Into each of these
she stuffed a minstrel, shut the covers, and then opened the gate to her
husband. He had only come back to espy the conduct of his wife as usual,
and, after a short stay, went out anew, at which you may believe his
wife was not dissatisfied. She instantly ran to the coffers to release
her prisoners, for night was approaching and her husband would not
probably be long absent. But what was her dismay, when she found them
all three suffocated!
[Illustration: 013]
Lamentation, however, was useless. The main object now was to get rid of
the dead bodies, and she had not a moment to lose. She ran then to the
gate, and seeing a peasant go by, she offered him a reward of thirty
livres, and leading him into the castle, she took him to one of the
coffers, and shewing him its contents, told him he must throw the dead
body into the river: he asked for a sack, put the carcase into it,
pitched it over the bridge, and then returned quite out of breath to
claim the promised reward.
"I certainly intended to satisfy you," said the lady, "but you ought
first to fulfil the condition of the bargain--you have agreed to rid
me of the dead body, have you not? There, however, it is still." Saying
this, she showed him the other coffer in which, the second humpbacked
minstrel had expired. At this sight the clown was perfectly
confounded--"how the devil! come back! a sorcerer!"--he then stuffed the
body into the sack and threw it, like the other, over the bridge, taking
care to put the head down and to observe that it sank.
Meanwhile the lady had again changed the position of the coffers, so
that the third was now in the place which had been successively occupied
by the two others. When the peasant returned, she shewed him the
remaining dead body--"you are right, friend," said she, "he must be
a magician, for there he is again." The rustic gnashed his teeth
with rage. "What the devil! am I to do nothing but carry about this
humpback?" He then lifted him up, with dreadful imprecations, and having
tied a stone round the neck, threw him into the middle of the current,
threatening, if he came out a third time, to despatch him with a cudgel.
The first object that presented itself to the clown, on his way back for
his reward, was the hunchbacked master of the castle returning from his
evening walk, and making towards the gate. At this sight the peasant
could no longer restrain his fury. "Dog of a humpback, are you there
again?" So saying, he sprung on the Chatelain, threw him over his
shoulders, and hurled him headlong into the river after the minstrels.
[Illustration: 016]
"I'll venture a wager you have not seen him this last time," said the
peasant, entering the room where the lady was seated. She answered,
she had not. "You were not far from it," replied he: "the sorcerer was
already at the gate, but I have taken care of him--be at your ease--he
will not come back now."
The lady instantly comprehended what had occurred, and recompensed the
peasant with much satisfaction.
[Illustration: 017]