The next day was Sunday, and for Gilbert was a day of liberty.
Towards the middle of the forenoon, he went out to take a walk in
the woods. He had wandered for an hour, when, turning his head, he
saw coming behind him a little troop of children, decked out in
strange costumes. The two oldest wore blue dresses and red
mantles, and their heads were covered with felt caps encircled by
bands of gilt paper in imitation of aureoles. A smaller one wore a
gray dress, upon which were painted black devils and inverted
torches. The last five were clothed in white; their shoulders were
ornamented with long wings of rose-tinted gauze, and they held in
their hands sprigs of box by way of palm branches.

Gilbert slackened his pace, and when they came up with him, he
recognized in the one who wore the san-benito the little hog-
driver, so maltreated by Stephane. The child, who while marching
looked down complacently on the torches and the devils with which
his robe was decorated, advanced towards Gilbert, and without
waiting for his questions, said to him, "I am Judas Iscariot. Here
is Saint Peter, and here is Saint John. The others are angels. We
are all going to R----, to take part in a grand procession, that
they have there every five years. If you want to see something
fine, just follow us. I shall sing a solo and so will Saint Peter;
the others sing in the chorus."

Upon which Judas Iscariot, Saint Peter, Saint John and the angels
resumed their march, and Gilbert decided to follow them. The first
houses of the village of R---- rise at the extremity of the wooded
plain which extends to the south of Geierfels. In about half an
hour, the little procession made its entry into the village in the
midst of a considerable crowd which hastily gathered from the