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the gray gauze gown and prepared to make an erotic junction. At the sight of
his priapic instrument, which was grotesquely large and covered with warts,
Twisk became frantic with fear. By dint of jerks, twists and contortions she
foiled the best efforts of the sweating Mangeon. But her strength waned and
Mangeon's weight began to grow oppressive. She tried to protect herself with
magic, but in her excitement she could remember only a spell used to relieve
dropsy in farm animals, which, lacking better, she uttered, and it proved
efficacious. Mangeon's massive organ shriveled to the size of a small acorn
and became lost in the folds of his great gray belly.
Mangeon uttered a scream of dismay, but Twisk showed no remorse.
Mangeon cried out in fury: "Vixen, you have done me a double mischief, and you
shall do appropriate penance."
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He took her to a road which skirted the forest. At a crossroads he fashioned a
kind of pillory and affixed her to this construction.
Over her head he posted a sign: DO WHAT YOU WILL WITH ME and stood back. "Here
you stay until three passersby, be they dolts, lickpennies or great earls,
have their way with you, and that is the spell I invoke upon you, so that in
the future you may choose to be more accommodating to those who accost you
beside
Tilhilvelly Pond."
Mangeon sauntered away, and Twisk was left alone.
The first to pass was the knight Sir Jaucinet of Castle Cloud in
Dahaut. He halted his horse and appraised the situation with a wondering
glance. "'DO WHAT YOU WILL WITH ME,'" he read. "Lady, why do you suffer this
indignity?"
"Sir knight, I do not suffer so by choice," said Twisk. "I did not attach
myself to the pillory in this position and I did not display the sign."
"Who then is responsible?"
"The troll Mangeon, for his revenge."
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"Then, surely, I will help you escape, in any way possible."
Sir Jaucinet dismounted, removed his helmet, showing himself as a
flaxen-haired gentleman with long mustaches and of good aspect. He attempted
to loosen the bonds which confined Twisk, but to no avail. He said at last:
"Lady, these bonds are proof against my efforts."
"In that case," sighed Twisk, "please obey the instruction implicit in the
sign. Only after three such encounters will the bonds loosen."
"It is not a gallant act," said Sir Jaucinet. "Still, I will abide by my
promise." So saying, he did what he could to assist in her release.
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Sir Jaucinet would have stayed to share her vigil and assist her further if
need be, but she begged him to leave. "Other travelers might be discouraged
from stopping if they saw you here. So you must go, and at once! For the day
is waning and I would hope to be home before night."
"This is a lonely road," said Sir Jaucinet. "Still, it is occasionally used by
vagabonds and lepers, and good luck may attend you. Lady, I bid you good-day."
Sir Jaucinet adjusted his helm, mounted his horse and departed.
An hour passed while the sun sank into the west. At this time
Twisk heard a whistling and presently saw a peasant boy on his way home after
a day's work in the fields. Like Sir Jaucinet, he stopped short in amazement,
then slowly approached. Twisk smiled at him ruefully. "As you see, sir, I am
bound here. I cannot leave and I cannot resist you, no matter what might be
your impulse."
"My impulse is simple enough," said the ploughboy. "But I wasn't born
yesterday and I want to know how the sign reads."
"It says: Do what you will..."
"Ah then, that's all right. I was fearing it might be either a price or a
quarantine."
With no more ado he raised his smock and conjoined to Twisk with rude zest.
"And now, madam, if you will excuse me, I must hurry home, as there'll be [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]