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[Illustration:  177a.jpg The Man of Tours and his Serving-maid in the Snow]

[The Man of Tours and his Serving-maid in the Snow]

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TALE XLV.

At his wife’s request, an upholsterer of Tours gave the Innocents to his serving-maid, with whom he was in love; but he did so after such a fashion as to let her have what belonged by right only to his wife, who, for her part, was such a simpleton that she could never believe her husband had so wronged her, albeit she had abundant warning thereof from a neighbour.

In the city of Tours dwelt a man of shrewd and sound understanding, who was upholsterer to the late Duke of Orleans, (1) son of King Francis the First; and although this upholsterer had, through sickness, become deaf, he had nevertheless lost nothing of his wit, which, in regard both to his trade and to other matters, was as shrewd as any man’s.  And how he was able to avail himself of it you shall hear.

1 Charles of France, Duke of Orleans, Bourbonnais, Angoumois and Chatelherault, Count of Clermont, La Marche, and Civray, Governor and Lieutenant-General of Champagne and Brie.  He has been referred to in the Memoir of Queen Margaret, ante, vol. i. pp. xxxvi., xlvii.-viii.  Born at St. Germain in January 1521, the Duke of Orleans took part in several military expeditions, and gave proof of much ability as a commander.  He died, according to some accounts, of a pleurisy, and, according to others, of the plague, in 1545.  The above story was evidently written subsequent to that date, as Queen Margaret refers to him as “the late Duke of Orleans.”—­L.

He had married a virtuous and honourable woman, with whom he lived in great peace and quietness.  He was very fearful of displeasing her, whilst she, on her part, sought in all things to obey him.  But, for all the affection that he bore her, he was so charitably inclined that he would often give to his female neighbours that which by right belonged to his wife, though this he did as secretly as he was able.

There was in their house a very plump serving-maid with whom the upholsterer fell in love.  Nevertheless, dreading lest his wife should know this, he often made show of scolding and rebuking her, saying that she was the laziest wench he had ever known, though this was no wonder, seeing that her mistress never beat her.  And thus it came to pass that one day, while they were speaking about giving the Innocents, (2) the upholsterer said to his wife—­

“It were a charity to give them to that lazy wench of yours, but it should not be with your hand, for it is too feeble, and in like way your heart is too pitiful for such a task.  If, however, I were to make use of mine, she would serve us better than she now does.”