[Illustration: 035a.jpg Rolandine Conversing With Her Husband]

[Rolandine Conversing With Her Husband]

[Illustration: 035.jpg Page Image]




_TALE XXI_.

_Having remained unmarried until she was thirty years of
age, Rolandine, recognising her father's neglect and her
mistress's disfavour, fell so deeply in love with a bastard
gentleman that she promised him marriage; and this being
told to her father he treated her with all the harshness
imaginable, in order to make her consent to the dissolving
of the marriage; but she continued steadfast in her love
until she had received certain tidings of the Bastard's
death, when she was wedded to a gentleman who bore the same
name and arms as did her own family_.

There was in France a Queen (1) who brought up in her household several
maidens belonging to good and noble houses. Among others there was one
called Rolandine, (2) who was near akin to the Queen; but the latter,
being for some reason unfriendly with the maiden's father, showed her no
great kindness.

Now, although this maiden was not one of the fairest--nor yet indeed was
she of the ugliest--she was nevertheless so discreet and virtuous that