Isabelle and Serafina spent the night in an adjoining chamber, sharing the one small bed it contained, and the men lay down upon bundles of straw that the stable-boy brought in for them.  None of them slept much—­being haunted by disturbing dreams inspired by the sad and trying events of the previous day—­and all were up and stirring at an early hour, for poor Matamore’s burial was to be attended to.  For want of something more appropriate the aged hostess and Mme. Leonarde had enveloped the body in an old piece of thick canvass—­still bearing traces of the foliage and garlands of flowers originally painted in bright colours upon it—­in which they had sewed it securely, so that it looked not unlike an Egyptian mummy.  A board resting on two cross pieces of wood served as a bier, and, the body being placed upon it, was carried by Herode, Blazius, Scapin and Leander.  A large, black velvet cloak, adorned with spangles, which was used upon the stage by sovereign pontiffs or venerable necromancers, did duty as a pall—­not inappropriately surely.  The little cortege left the inn by a small door in the rear that opened upon a deserted common, so as to avoid passing through the street and rousing the curiosity of the villagers, and set off towards a retired spot, indicated by the friendly old woman, where no one would be likely to witness or interfere with their proceedings.  The early morning was gray and cold, the sky leaden—­no one had ventured abroad yet save a few peasants searching for dead wood and sticks, who looked with suspicious eyes upon the strange little procession making its way slowly through the untrodden snow, but did not attempt to approach or molest it.  They reached at last the lonely spot where they were to leave the mortal remains of poor Matamore, and the stable-boy, who had accompanied them carrying a spade, set to work to dig the grave.  Several carcasses of animals lay scattered about close at hand, partly hidden by the snow—­among them two or three skeletons of horses, picked clean by birds of prey; their long heads, at the end of the slender vertebral columns, peering out horribly at them, and their ribs, like the sticks of an open fan stripped of its covering, appearing above the smooth white surface, bearing each one its little load of snow.  The comedians observed these ghastly surroundings with a shudder, as they laid their burden gently down upon the ground, and gathered round the grave which the boy was industriously digging.  He made but slow progress, however, and the tyrant, taking the spade from him, went to work with a will, and had soon finished the sad task.  Just at the last a volley of stones suddenly startled the little group, who, intent upon the mournful business in hand, had not noticed the stealthy approach of a considerable number of peasants.

These last had been hastily summoned by their friends who had first perceived the mysterious little funeral procession, without priest, crucifix, or lighted tapers, and taken it for granted that there must be something uncanny about it.