THE RETURN OF THE LORD
Then, the Devil put the lord a hundred paces from his castle, and left. The poor man was so badly dressed that he looked like a beggar. Until nightfall he remained hidden. So he knocked, without fear, at the door of the castle.
" Bang! bang!"
"Poor, what do you want?"
"Servants, who's in charge here?"
'Poor, the one who commanded here died in the Holy Land. Tomorrow, his wife remarries. Now she is up there, in the great room, supping with her son and her three suitors."
The lord ascended the stairs faster than the wind.
"Good evening sirs. I come from the Holy Land. I bring you news."
"Poor, what news do you bring?"
“The news I bring is that there are three nobodies here who make themselves masters of others, three beggars who have no pity on a woman and a child. The news I bring is that this scum is finished doing bad things. The news I bring is that there are sharp, pointed knives on the table. Arm yourself, and do battle. At the strongest the garland. Ho!"
In a moment, the three brothers were lying on the ground, bleeding like pigs. Then the lord greeted his wife and said to her:
"My lady, you see how I work. What will you give me in payment?
"Poor, I'll give you half of my property."
"My lady, that's not enough. You must be my wife."
"No, poor thing. I will never be your wife."
"My lady, you see how I work. Say no again, and I'll bleed you and your child too."
"At the will of God. No. I did not want these three suitors. I do not want you. Bleed us, me and my son."
“My lady, I would be wrong, because you are my wife, and this child is my son."
"Poor, if I'm your wife, if this child is your son, prove that you were right."
“Wife, here is half of my marriage contract. Show yours."
"It's true. You are my husband."
So the lord kissed his wife and son. All three sat down to table and supped heartily. At dessert, the Devil arrived, just as the lord was finishing a plate of nuts.
“Oh! you are there, Devil. You miss getting paid. You will have more than I promised you. Here, pick up the carrion of these three nothings worth, and take them to your hell."
"GOOD. But you promised me a portion of the first meal you would have with your wife and son."
"Damn, that's right. Wait a bit."
The lord looked carefully at all the nutshells he had eaten, to be sure that no portion of the fruit had remained in the shells.
“Here, Devil. Here is what I promised you."
The Devil took the shells, and looked at them for a long time. Not a portion of the fruit remained in the shells.
“Listen,” he said to the lord. "You are a wise man. If I had found the smallest piece of fruit in the shells, I would immediately take you to my hell, with your wife and your son."
The Devil left confused, with the carrion of the three gallants, and the masters of the castle went to bed.
For a long time the lord lived happily with his wife and son. When they died, the Good Lord put them in paradise.
Cric, Cric,
My tale is done.
Cric, Crac,
My tale is finished.
Next Tale: The Young Man and the Great Beast with a Human Head