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The Headswoman By: Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) |
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BY THE SAME AUTHOR THE GOLDEN AGE
DREAM DAYS
PAGAN PAPERS THE BODLEY HEAD
[Frontispiece: "Now that we have been properly introduced allow
me to apologise"]
THE HEADSWOMAN By Kenneth Grahame
With Illustrations in Colour and Woodcuts by Marcia Lane Foster
[Decoration]
LONDON
John Lane The Bodley Head Limited
New York John Lane Company
First Published 1898
Illustrated Edition 1921
Printed In Great Britain by R. Clay & Sons, Ltd., Bungay, Suffolk.
List of Illustrations
"Now That we have been properly introduced
allow me to apologise" Frontispiece Facing page
"You see I am Familiar with the Routine....
Good morning, Gentlemen!" 8 "Au revoir, Sir! If you should happen to be in
the Market place any Morning" 28 Endeavouring to convey the Tardy Prisoner to the
Scaffold 32 "Nay, pardon me, Sweet One, 'twas but a Jest
of Mine" 36 But at this point a Hubbub arose at the Foot of
the Scaffold 42 "Now, mark my Words, you Miserable Little
Bladder o' Lard, see if I don't take this
out of your Skin presently" 44 An Invitation arrived, backed by an Escort of
Half a dozen very Tall Archers 46
The Headswoman
[Illustration] I
It was a bland, sunny morning of a mediæval May, an old style May of
the most typical quality; and the Council of the little town of St.
Radegonde were assembled, as was their wont at that hour, in the
picturesque upper chamber of the Hôtel de Ville, for the dispatch of the
usual municipal business. Though the date was early sixteenth century,
the members of this particular town council possessed considerable
resemblance to those of similar assemblies in the seventeenth,
eighteenth, and even the nineteenth centuries, in a general absence of
any characteristic at all unless a pervading hopeless insignificance
can be considered as such. All the character in the room, indeed, seemed
to be concentrated in the girl who stood before the table, erect, yet at
her ease, facing the members in general and Mr. Mayor in particular; a
delicate handed, handsome girl of some eighteen summers, whose tall,
supple figure was well set off by the quiet, though tasteful mourning in
which she was clad. "Well, gentlemen," the Mayor was saying, "this little business appears
to be er quite in order, and it only remains for me to er review the
facts. You are aware that the town has lately had the misfortune to
lose its executioner, a gentleman who, I may say, performed the duties
of his office with neatness and dispatch, and gave the fullest
satisfaction to all with whom he er came in contact. But the Council
has already, in a vote of condolence, expressed its sense of
the er striking qualities of the deceased. You are doubtless also
aware that the office is hereditary, being secured to a particular
family in this town, so long as any one of its members is ready and
willing to take it up. The deed lies before me, and appears to
be er quite in order. It is true that on this occasion the Council
might have been called upon to consider and examine the title of the
claimant, the late lamented official having only left a daughter, she
who now stands before you; but I am happy to say that Jeanne the young
lady in question with what I am bound to call great good feeling on
her part, has saved us all trouble in that respect, by formally applying
for the family post, with all its er duties, privileges, and
emoluments; and her application appears to be er quite in order. There
is, therefore, under the circumstances, nothing left for us to do but to
declare the said applicant duly elected... Continue reading book >>
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