by its clouds. Yet I think I can find a way to make him serve you. Be
ready to-night with your puppets and put your own soul into the jesting
and the mummery. That is the only thing for you to do. If that fails we
will try the gold."

Giovanni spent the hours before the banquet in setting his mimic theater
in order, trying every cord, pulley and weight to make sure that it worked
perfectly, brushing and reshaping the costumes, going over the songs and
speeches of the play in his head. Cimarron also was busy tuning his rebeck
and trying over the melodies of the songs which Ranulph the troubadour had
written for this little drama. It was based on the story of the ten
virgins, and contained much by-play and shrewd comment on the follies and
fashions of the day. Besides the written text Giovanni was wont to add
some patter of his own, improvised according to the mood of his audience
and the scene of the performance, but he ventured on very little of this
impromptu comedy on such an occasion as this. Too much was at stake.

After what seemed endless waiting the time came. The huge hall was filled
with gayly dressed knights, ladies, serving people, soldiers, and half the
petty princes of the Empire. The feasting had given place to wine-
drinking, songs and jesting. The Emperor, cold and impassive, sat in his
chair of state, his mind apparently a thousand miles away. Then there was
a great roar of laughter from the doorway, and a lane opened among the
audience to let Stefano come prancing through in all his grotesque
bravery, his bells chiming a goblin march. After him came Giovanni, and
Cimarron bearing the puppet theater. Giovanni made his obeisance and his
opening speech, and the play began.

There seemed to Giovanni to be two of him that night. One self was utterly
absorbed in the performance, intent on making every speech tell, every