such wise that she would sooner lose a finger than suffer one of her
tresses to be cut off."

"I warn you," replied the mayoress, "that if on this very day the head
of this young girl is not shorn smooth beneath my hand as a melon, the
child to which I am about to give birth will have a head of hair on
its face, and if it happens to be a female, look you, a pretty
daughter is in store for you!"

"But bethink yourself that Maria will ask, who knows, a good few
crowns for this shaving."

"Bethink yourself that if not, your heir or heiress, begotten after
many years' marriage, will come amiss; and bear in mind, by the way,
that we are not so young as to hope to replace this by another."

Upon this she turned her back to the mayor, and went to her apartment
crying out: "I want the hair, I must have the hair, and if I do not
get the hair, by my halidom I shall never become a mother."

In the meantime the funeral had taken place without any novelty to
mention, excepting that if in the streets any loose fellow in the
crowd assayed to annoy the fair Maria, the hooded mute, of whom we
made mention before, quickly drew from beneath his cloak a strap, with
which he gave a lash to the insolent rogue without addressing one word
to him, and then walked straight on as if nothing had happened. When
all the mourners returned, the mayor seized hold of Maria's hand and
said to her:

"And now, fair maid, let us withdraw for a little while into this