to foot the Gascon dances to the sound of a viol or some other instrument.  And when the secretary saw him, he would have had him believe that he was committing the greatest offence imaginable, and that if the Lieutenant and his wife knew of it they would be greatly displeased with him.  And after setting the fear of this well before his eyes, until, indeed, the other begged him not to say anything about it, he asked—­

“What will you give me if I keep silence?”

Bernard du Ha, who was by no means so much afraid as he seemed to be, saw that the secretary was trying to cozen him, and promised to give him a pasty of the best Basque ham (3) that he had ever eaten.  The secretary was well pleased at this, and begged that he might have the pasty on the following Sunday after dinner, which was promised him.

     3 So-called Bayonne ham is still held in repute in France. 
     It comes really from Orthez and Salies in Beam.—­D.

Relying upon this promise, he went to see a lady of Paris whom above all things he desired to marry, and said to her—­

“On Sunday, mistress, I will come and sup with you, if such be your pleasure.  But trouble not to provide aught save some good bread and wine, for I have so deceived a foolish fellow from Bayonne that all the rest will be at his expense; by my trickery you shall taste the best Basque ham that ever was eaten in Paris.”

The lady believed his story, and called together two or three of the most honourable ladies of her neighbourhood, telling them that she would give them a new dish such as they had never tasted before.

When Sunday was come, the secretary went to look for his merchant, and finding him on the Pont-au-Change, (4) saluted him graciously and said—­

“The devil take you, for the trouble you have given me to find you.”

4 The oldest of the Paris bridges, spanning the Seine between the Chatelet and the Palais.  Originally called the Grand-Pont, it acquired the name of Pont-au-Change through Louis VII. allowing the money-changers to build their houses and offices upon it in 1141.—­Ed.

Bernard du Ha made reply that a good many men had taken more trouble than he without being rewarded in the end with such a dainty dish.  So saying, he showed him the pasty, which he was carrying under his cloak, and which was big enough to feed an army.  The secretary was so glad to see it that, although he had a very large and ugly mouth, he mincingly made it so small that one would not have thought him capable of biting the ham with it.  He quickly took the pasty, and, without waiting for the merchant to go with him, went off with it to the lady, who was exceedingly eager to learn whether the fare of Gascony was as good as that of Paris.

When supper-time was come and they were eating their soup, the secretary said—­

“Leave those savourless dishes alone, and let us taste this loveworthy whet for wine.”