"Hold up, fat Jorian! Let not thy love of mirth do thee any injury.

For thou art a good comrade, and fools were ever apt to divert thee too much.

I have seen thee at this before--that time we went to Wilna, and the fellow in motley gave thee griping spasms with his tomfoolery." Then was I mainly angry, as indeed I had sufficient occasion.
"You are but churls," I said, "and the next thing to knaves.

And I will e'en inform the Prince when we arrive what like are the men whom he sets to escort ladies to his castle." But though they were silenter after this, it was not from any alarm at my words, but simply because they had laughed themselves out of ply.

For as I rode on in high dudgeon, half-way between the women and the men-at-arms, I could see them with the corner of an eye still nudging each other with their thumbs and throwing back their heads, and the breeze blew me scraps of their limited conversation.
"Ho! ho! Good, was it not?
'The Prince hath a Princess, and she--' Ho! ho! Good!" The ridges of clay of which I have already spoken continued and increased in size as we went on.