Grahame, Kenneth - The Headswoman

7/31/2019 Grahame, Kenneth - The Headswoman

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/grahame-kenneth-the-headswoman 1/58



The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Headswoman, by Kenneth

Grahame

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost

and with

almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give

it away or

re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg

License included

with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

Title: The Headswoman

Author: Kenneth Grahame

Illustrator: Marcia Lane Foster

Release Date: November 8, 2010 [EBook #34243]

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HEADSWOMAN

***

Produced by Suzanne Shell, David Wilson and the Online

Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

(This

file was produced from images generously made available

by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

The Headswoman



BY THE SAME AUTHOR

THE GOLDEN AGE

DREAM DAYS

PAGAN PAPERS

THE BODLEY HEAD



T H EH E A D S W O M A N

By Kenneth Grahame

With Illustrations in Colour

and Woodcuts byMarcia Lane Foster



L O N D O

John Lane The Bodley Head Limited

New York John Lane Company

First Published 1898Illustrated Edition 1921

Printed In Great Britain by R. Clay & Sons, Ltd., Bungay, Suffolk.

List of Illustrations

“Now That we have been properlyintroduced allow me to apologise” Frontispiece

Facing page

“You see I am Familiar with the Routine....Good-morning, Gentlemen!” 8

“Au revoir, Sir! If you should happen to be inthe Market-place any Morning” 28

Endeavouring to convey the Tardy Prisoner tothe Scaffold 32

“Nay, pardon me, Sweet One, ’twas but a Jestof Mine” 36

But at this oint a Hubbub arose at the Foot of



the Scaffold 42

“Now, mark my Words, you Miserable LittleBladder-o’-Lard, see if I don’t take thisout of your Skin presently” 44

An Invitation arrived, backed by an Escort of Half-a-dozen very Tall Archers 46

The Headswoman

I



T was a bland, sunnymorning of a mediæval May,—an old-style May of the

most typical quality; and the Council of the little town of St. Radegonde were assembled, as was their wont atthat hour, in the picturesque upper chamber of the Hôtelde Ville, for the dispatch of the usual municipal business.Though the date was early sixteenth century, themembers of this particular town-council possessedconsiderable resemblance to those of similar assembliesin the seventeenth, eighteenth, and even the nineteenth

centuries, in a general absence of any characteristic at all—unless a pervading hopeless insignificance can beconsidered as such. All the character in the room,indeed, seemed to be concentrated in the girl who stoodbefore the table, erect, yet at her ease, facing themembers in general and Mr. Mayor in particular; adelicate-handed, handsome girl of some eighteensummers, whose tall, supple figure was well set off by thequiet, though tasteful mourning in which she was clad.

“Well, gentlemen,” the Mayor was saying, “this littlebusiness appears to be—er—quite in order, and it onlyremains for me to—er—review the facts. You are awarethat the town has lately had the misfortune to lose itsexecutioner—a entleman ho I ma sa erformed



the duties of his office with neatness and dispatch, andgave the fullest satisfaction to all with whom he—er— came in contact. But the Council has already, in a vote of condolence, expressed its sense of the—er—strikingqualities of the deceased. You are doubtless also awarethat the office is hereditary, being secured to a particular

family in this town, so long as any one of its members isready and willing to take it up. The deed lies before me,and appears to be—er—quite in order. It is true that onthis occasion the Council might have been called upon toconsider and examine the title of the claimant, the latelamented official having only left a daughter,—she whonow stands before you; but I am happy to say thatJeanne—the young lady in question—with what I am

bound to call great good-feeling on her part, has savedus all trouble in that respect, by formally applying for thefamily post, with all its—er—duties, privileges, andemoluments; and her application appears to be—er— quite in order. There is, therefore, under thecircumstances, nothing left for us to do but to declare thesaid applicant duly elected. I would wish, however,before I—er—sit down, to make it quite clear to the—er

—fair petitioner, that if a laudable desire to save theCouncil trouble in the matter has led her to a—er—hastyconclusion, it is quite open to her to reconsider her position. Should she determine not to press her claim, thesuccession to the post would then apparently devolveupon her cousin Enguerrand, well known to you all as apractising advocate in the courts of this town. Though theyouth has not, I admit, up to now proved a conspicuous

success in the profession he has chosen, still there is noreason why a bad lawyer should not make an excellentexecutioner; and in view of the close friendship—may Ieven say attachment?—existing between the cousins, it ispossible that this young lady may, in due course,practically enjoy the solid emoluments of the positionwithout the necessit of dischar in its to some irls



uncongenial duties. And so, though not the rose herself,she would still be—er—near the rose!” And the Mayor resumed his seat, chuckling over his little pleasantry,which the keener wits of the Council proceeded toexplain at length to the more obtuse.

“Permit me, Mr. Mayor,” said the girl quietly, “first tothank you for what was evidently the outcome of a kindlythough misdirected feeling on your part; and then to setyou right as to the grounds of my application for the postto which you admit my hereditary claim. As to my cousin,your conjecture as to the feeling between us is greatlyexaggerated; and I may further say at once, from myknowledge of his character, that he is little qualified either

to adorn or to dignify an important position such as this.A man who has achieved such indifferent success in aminor and less exacting walk of life, is hardly likely toshine in an occupation demanding punctuality,concentration, judgment,—all the qualities, in fine, that goto make a good business man. But this is beside thequestion. My motive, gentlemen, in demanding what ismy due, is a simple and (I trust) an honest one, and I

desire that there should be no misunderstanding. It is mywish to be dependent on no one. I am both willing andable to work, and I only ask for what is the commonright of humanity,—admission to the labour market. Howmany poor, toiling women would simply jump at achance like this which fortune, by the accident of birth,lays open to me! And shall I, from any false deference tothat conventional voice which proclaims this thing as

‘nice,’ and that thing as ‘not nice,’ reject a handicraftwhich promises me both artistic satisfaction and acompetence? No, gentlemen; my claim is a small one,— only a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. But I canaccept nothing less, nor consent to forgo my rights, evenfor any contingent remainder of possible cousinlyfavour!”



There was a touch of scorn in her fine contralto voice asshe finished speaking; the Mayor himself beamedapproval. He was not wealthy, and had a large family of daughters; so Jeanne’s sentiments seemed to him entirelyright and laudable.

“Well, gentlemen,” he began briskly, “then all we’ve gotto do, is to——”

“Beg pardon, your worship,” put in Master Robinet, thetanner, who had been sitting with a petrified, Bill-the-Lizard sort of expression during the speechifying: “but arewe to understand as how this here young lady is going tobe the public executioner of this here town?”

“Really, neighbour Robinet,” said the Mayor, somewhatpettishly, “you’ve got ears like the rest of us, I suppose;and you know the contents of the deed; and you’ve hadmy assurance that it’s—er—quite in order; and as it’sgetting towards lunch-time——”

“But it’s unheard of,” protested honest Robinet. “There

hasn’t ever been no such thing—leastways not as I’veheard tell.”



“Well, well, well,” said the Mayor, “everything must havea beginning, I suppose. Times are different now, youknow. There’s the march of intellect, and—er—all thatsort of thing. We must advance with the times—don’tyou see, Robinet?—advance with the times!”



“Well, I’m——” began the tanner.

But no one heard, on this occasion, the tanner’s opinionas to his condition, physical or spiritual; for the clear contralto cut short his obtestations.

“If there’s really nothing more to be said, Mr. Mayor,”she remarked, “I need not trespass longer on your valuable time. I propose to take up the duties of myoffice to-morrow morning, at the usual hour. The salarywill, I assume, be reckoned from the same date; and Ishall make the customary quarterly application for suchadditional emoluments as may have accrued to me duringthat period. You see I am familiar with the routine.

Good-morning, gentlemen!” And as she passed from theCouncil chamber, her small head held erect, even thetanner felt that she took with her a large portion of theMay sunshine which was condescending that morning togild their deliberations.

II



NE evening, afew weeks later, Jeanne was taking a stroll on theramparts of the town, a favourite and customary walk of hers when business cares were over. The pleasantexpanse of country that lay spread beneath her—the richsunset, the gleaming, sinuous river, and the noble old

château that dominated both town and pasture from itsadjacent height—all served to stir and bring out in her those poetic impulses which had lain dormant during theworking day; while the cool evening breeze smoothedout and obliterated any little jars or worries which mighthave ensued during the practice of a profession in whichshe was still something of a novice. This evening she feltfairly happy and content. True, business was rather brisk,

and her days had been fully occupied; but this matteredlittle so long as her modest efforts were appreciated, andshe was now really beginning to feel that, with practice,her work was creditably and artistically done. In asatisfied, somewhat dreamy mood, she was drinking inthe various sweet influences of the evening, when sheperceived her cousin approaching.

“Good-evening, Enguerrand,” cried Jeanne pleasantly;she was thinking that since she had begun to work for her living she had hardly seen him—and they used to be suchgood friends. Could anything have occurred to offendhim?

Enguerrand drew near somewhat moodily, but could nothelp allowing his expression to relax at sight of her fair

young face, set in its framework of rich brown hair,wherein the sunset seemed to have tangled itself and tocling, reluctant to leave it.

“Sit down, Enguerrand,” continued Jeanne, “and tell mewhat you’ve been doing this long time. Been very busy,and winning forensic fame and gold?”



“Well, not exactly,” said Enguerrand, moody once more.“The fact is, there’s so much interest required nowadaysat the courts that unassisted talent never gets a chance.And you, Jeanne?”

“Oh, I don’t complain,” answered Jeanne lightly. “Of

course, it’s fair-time just now, you know, and we’realways busy then. But work will be lighter soon, and thenI’ll get a day off, and we’ll have a delightful ramble andpicnic in the woods, as we used to do when we werechildren. What fun we had in those old days,Enguerrand! Do you remember when we were quite littletots, and used to play at executions in the back-garden,and you were a bandit and a buccaneer, and all sorts of

dreadful things, and I used to chop off your head with apaper-knife? How pleased dear father used to be!”

“Jeanne,” said Enguerrand, with some hesitation, “you’vetouched upon the very subject that I came to speak toyou about. Do you know, dear, I can’t help feeling—itmay be unreasonable, but still the feeling is there—thatthe profession you have adopted is not quite—is just a

little——”

“Now, Enguerrand!” said Jeanne, an angry flashsparkling in her eyes. She was a little touchy on thissubject, the word she most affected to despise being alsothe one she most dreaded,—the adjective “unladylike.”

“Don’t misunderstand me, Jeanne,” went on Enguerrand

imploringly: “you may naturally think that, because Ishould have succeeded to the post, with its income andperquisites, had you relinquished your claim, there istherefore some personal feeling in my remonstrances.Believe me, it is not so. My own interests do not weighwith me for a moment. It is on your account, Jeanne, andours alone that I ask ou to consider whether the hi her



æsthetic qualities, which I know you possess, may notbecome cramped and thwarted by ‘the trivial round, thecommon task,’ which you have lightly undertaken.However laudable a professional life may be, one alwaysfeels that with a delicate organism such as woman, someof the bloom may possibly get rubbed off the peach.”

“Well, Enguerrand,” said Jeanne, composing herself withan effort, though her lips were set hard, “I will do you thejustice to believe that personal advantage does notinfluence you, and I will try to reason calmly with you,and convince you that you are simply hide-bound by old-world prejudice. Now, take yourself, for instance, whocome here to instruct me: what does your profession

amount to, when all’s said and done? A mass of lies,quibbles, dodges, and tricks, that would make any self-respecting executioner blush! And even with the dirtyweapons at your command, you make but a poor showof it. There was that wretched fellow you defended onlytwo days ago. (I was in court during the trial— professional interest, you know.) Well, he had his regular alibi all ready, as clear as clear could be; only you must

needs go and mess and bungle the thing up, so that, justas I expected all along, he was passed on to me for treatment in due course. You may like to have his opinion—that of a shrewd, though unlettered person. ‘It’s a realpleasure, miss,’ he said, ‘to be handled by you. Youknows your work, and you does your work—thoughp’raps I ses it as shouldn’t. If that blooming fool of amouthpiece of mine’—he was referring to you, dear, in

your capacity of advocate—‘had known his business half as well as you do yours, I shouldn’t a bin here now!’And you know, Enguerrand, he was perfectly right.”

“Well, perhaps he was,” admitted Enguerrand. “You see,I had been working at a sonnet the night before, and Icouldn’t get the rhymes right, and they would keep



comng nto my ea n court an mxng t emseves upwith the alibi. But look here, Jeanne, when you saw Iwas going off the track, you might have given me afriendly hint, you know—for old times’ sake, if not for the prisoner’s!”

“I daresay,” replied Jeanne calmly: “perhaps you’ll tell

me why I should sacrifice my interests because you’reunable to look after yours. You forget that I receive abonus, over and above my salary, upon each exercise of my functions!”

“True,” said Enguerrand gloomily: “I did forget that. Iwish I had your business aptitudes, Jeanne.”

“I daresay you do,” remarked Jeanne. “But you see,dear, how all your arguments fall to the ground. Youmistake a prepossession for a logical base. Now if I hadgone, like that Clairette you used to dangle after, andbeen waiting-woman to some grand lady in a château,— a thin-blooded compound of drudge and sycophant,— then, I suppose, you’d have been perfectly satisfied. Sofeminine! So genteel!”

“She’s not a bad sort of girl, little Claire,” saidEnguerrand reflectively (thereby angering Jeanne afresh):“but putting her aside,—of course you could always beatme at argument, Jeanne; you’d have made a much better lawyer than I. But you know, dear, how much I careabout you; and I did hope that on that account even aprejudice, however unreasonable, might have some little

weight. And I’m not alone, let me tell you, in my views.There was a fellow in court only to-day, who was sayingthat yours was only a succès d’estime, and that woman,as a naturally talkative and hopelessly unpunctual animal,could never be more than a clever amateur in theprofession you have chosen.”



“That will do, Enguerrand,” said Jeanne proudly; “itseems that when argument fails, you can stoop so low asto insult me through my sex. You men are all alike,— steeped in brutish masculine prejudice. Now go away,and don’t mention the subject to me again till you’re quitereasonable and nice.”

III

EANNE passed asomewhat restless night after her small scene with her cousin, waking depressed and unrefreshed. Though shehad carried matters with so high a hand, and had scoredso distinctly all around, she had been more agitated thanshe had cared to show. She liked Enguerrand; and moreespecially did she like his admiration for her; and thatchance allusion to Clairette contained possibilities thatwere alarming. In embracing a professional career, shehad never thought for a moment that it could militateagainst that due share of admiration to which, as a girl,

’



this morning all the more narrow and inexcusable. Sherose languidly, and as soon as she was dressed sent off alittle note to the Mayor, saying that she had a nervousheadache and felt out of sorts, and begging to beexcused from attendance on that day; and the missivereached the Mayor just as he was taking his usual place

at the head of the Board.

“Dear, dear!” said the kind-hearted old man, as soon ashe had read the letter to his fellow-councilmen: “I’m verysorry. Poor girl! Here, one of you fellows, just run roundand tell the gaoler there won’t be any business to-day.Jeanne’s seedy. It’s put off till to-morrow. And now,gentlemen, the agenda——”

“Really, your worship,” exploded Robinet, “this is simplyridiculous!”

“Upon my word, Robinet,” said the Mayor, “I don’tknow what’s the matter with you. Here’s a poor girlunwell,—and a more hard-working girl isn’t in the town,—and instead of sympathising with her, and saying

you’re sorry, you call it ridiculous! Suppose you had aheadache yourself! You wouldn’t like——”

“But it is ridiculous,” maintained the tanner stoutly. “Whoever heard of an executioner having a nervous headache?There’s no precedent for it. And ‘out of sorts,’ too!Suppose the criminals said they were out of sorts, anddidn’t feel up to being executed?”

“Well, suppose they did,” replied the Mayor, “we’d tryand meet them half-way, I daresay. They’d have to beexecuted some time or other, you know. Why on earthare you so captious about trifles? The prisoners won’tmind, and I don’t mind: nobody’s inconvenienced, andeverybody’s happy!”



“You’re right there, Mr. Mayor,” put in another councilman. “This executing business used to give thetown a lot of trouble and bother; now it’s all as easy askiss-your-hand. Instead of objecting, as they used to do,and wanting to argue the point and kick up a row, thefellows as is told off for execution come skipping along in

the morning, like a lot of lambs in May-time. And thenthe fun there is on the scaffold! The jokes, the back answers, the repartees! And never a word to shock ababy! Why, my little girl, as goes through the market-place every morning—on her way to school, you know—she says to me only yesterday, she says, ‘Why,father,’ she says, ‘it’s as good as the play-actors,’ shesays.”

“There again,” persisted Robinet; “I object to that too.They ought to show a properer feeling. Playing atmummers is one thing, and being executed is another,and people ought to keep ’em separate. In my father’stime, that sort of thing wasn’t thought good taste, and Idon’t hold with new-fangled notions.”

“Well, really, neighbour,” said the Mayor, “I think you’reout of sorts yourself to-day. You must have got out of bed the wrong side this morning. As for a little joke,more or less, we all know a maiden loves a merry jestwhen she’s certain of having the last word! But I’ll tellyou what I’ll do, if it’ll please you; I’ll go round and seeJeanne myself on my way home, and tell her—quitenicely, you know—that once in a way doesn’t matter;

but that if she feels her health won’t let her keep regular business hours, she mustn’t think of going on withanything that’s bad for her. Like that, don’t you see?And now, gentlemen, let’s read the minutes!”

Thus it came about that Jeanne took her usual walk thatevening with a ruffled brow and a swelling heart; and her



little han opene an shut angrily as she pace theramparts. She couldn’t stand being found fault with. Howcould she help having a headache? Those clods of citizens didn’t know what a highly strung sensitiveorganisation was. Absorbed in her reflections, she hadtaken several turns up and down the grassy footwaybefore she became aware that she was not alone. A

youth, of richer dress and more elegant bearing than thegeneral run of the Radegundians, was leaning in anembrasure, watching the graceful figure with evidentinterest.

“Something has vexed you, fair maiden?” he observed,coming forward deferentially as soon as he perceived hewas noticed; “and care sits but awkwardly on that

smooth young brow.”

“Nay, it is nothing, kind sir,” replied Jeanne; “we girlswho work for our living must not be too sensitive. Myemployers have been somewhat exigent, that is all. I didwrong to take it to heart.”

“’Tis the way of the bloated capitalist,” rejoined the

young man lightly, as he turned to walk by her side.“They grind us, they grind us; perhaps some day they willcome under your hands in turn, and then you can paythem out. And so you toil and spin, fair lily! And yet,methinks, those delicate hands show little trace of labour?”

“You wrong me, indeed, sir,” replied Jeanne merrily.

“These hands of mine, that you are so good as to admire,do great execution!”

“I can well believe that your victims are numerous,” hereplied; “may I be permitted to rank myself among thelatest of them?”



“I wish you a etter fortune, kin sir,” answere Jeannedemurely.

“I can imagine no more delightful one,” he replied; “andwhere do you ply your daily task, fair mistress? Notentirely out of sight and access, I trust?”



“Nay, sir,” laughed Jeanne, “I work in the market-placemost mornings, and there is no charge for admission; andaccess is far from difficult. Indeed, some complain—but

that is no business of mine. And now I must be wishingyou a good-evening. Nay,”—for he would have detainedher,—“it is not seemly for an unprotected maiden to tarryin converse with a stranger at this hour. Au revoir , sir! If you should happen to be in the market-place anymorning——” And she tripped lightly away. The youth,gazing after her retreating figure, confessed himself strangely fascinated by this fair unknown, whose

particular employment, by the way, he had forgotten toask; while Jeanne, as she sped homewards, could nothelp reflecting that, for style and distinction, this newacquaintance threw into the shade all the Enguerrandsand others she had met hitherto—even in the course of business.

IV



HE next morning wasbright and breezy, and Jeanne was early at her post,feeling quite a different girl. The busy little market-placewas full of colour and movement, and the gay patches of flowers and fruit, the strings of fluttering kerchiefs, andthe piles of red and yellow pottery, formed an artisticsetting to the quiet impressive scaffold which theyframed. Jeanne was in short sleeves, according to theetiquette of her office, and her round graceful armsshowed snowily against her dark blue skirt and scarlet,

tight-fitting bodice. Her assistant looked at her withadmiration.

“Hope you’re better, miss,” he said respectfully. “It wasjust as well you didn’t put yourself out to comeyesterday; there was nothing particular to do. Only onefellow, and he said he didn’t care; anything to oblige alady!”

“Well, I wish he’d hurry up now, to oblige a lady,” saidJeanne, swinging her axe carelessly to and fro: “tenminutes past the hour; I shall have to talk to the Mayor about this.”

“It’s a pity there ain’t a better show this morning,”



,scaffold and spat meditatively into the busy throng below.“They do say as how the young Seigneur arrived at theChâteau yesterday—him as has been finishing hiseducation in Paris, you know. He’s as likely as not to bein the market-place to-day; and if he’s disappointed, hemay go off to Paris again, which would be a pity, seeing

the Château’s been empty so long. But he may go toParis, or anywhere else he’s a mind to, he won’t seebetter workmanship than in this here little town!”

“Well, my good Raoul,” said Jeanne, colouring slightly atthe obvious compliment, “quality, not quantity, is whatwe aim at here, you know. If a Paris education has beenproperly assimilated by the Seigneur, he will not fail to

make all the necessary allowances. But see, the prison-doors are opening at last!”



They both looked across the little square to the prison,which fronted the scaffold; and sure enough, a smallbody of men, the Sheriff at their head, was issuing fromthe building, conveying, or endeavouring to convey, thetardy prisoner to the scaffold. That gentleman, however,seemed to be in a different and less obliging frame of mind from that of the previous day; and at every paceone or other of the guards was shot violently into themiddle of the square, propelled by a vigorous kick or blow from the struggling captive. The crowd,unaccustomed of late to such demonstrations of feeling,and resenting the prisoner’s want of taste, hooted loudly;but it was not until that ingenious mediæval arrangementknown as la marche aux crapauds had been brought to



upon to present himself before the young lady he hadalready so unwarrantably detained.

Jeanne’s profession had both accustomed her tosurprises and taught her the futility of considering her clients as drawn from any one particular class; yet she

could hardly help feeling some astonishment onrecognising her new acquaintance of the previousevening. That, with all his evident amiability of character,he should come to this end, was not in itself a specialsubject for wonder; but that he should have beenconversing with her on the ramparts at the hour when— after courteously excusing her attendance on the scaffold—he was cooling his heels in prison for another day,

seemed hardly to be accounted for, at first sight. Jeanne,however, reflected that the reconciling of apparentcontradictions was not included in her official duties.

The Sheriff, wiping his heated brow, now read the formalprocès delivering over the prisoner to the executioner’shands; “and a nice job we’ve had to get him here,” headded on his own account. And the young man, who had

remained perfectly tractable since his arrival, steppedforward and bowed politely.

“Now that we have been properly introduced,” said hecourteously, “allow me to apologise for anyinconvenience you have been put to by my delay. Thefault was entirely mine, and these gentlemen are in noway to blame. Had I known whom I was to have the

pleasure of meeting, wings could not have conveyed meswiftly enough.”

“Do not mention, I pray, the word inconvenience,”replied Jeanne, with that timid grace which so wellbecame her. “I only trust that any slight discomfort it maybe my duty to cause you before we part will be as easily



par one . n now— or e mornng, a as a vances— any little advice or assistance that I can offer is quite atyour service; for the situation is possibly new, and youmay have had but little experience.”

“Faith! none worth mentioning,” said the prisoner gaily.“Treat me as a raw beginner. Though our acquaintance

has been but brief, I have the utmost confidence in you.”

“Then, sir,” said Jeanne, blushing, “suppose I were toassist you in removing this gay doublet, so as to give bothof us more freedom and less responsibility?”

“A perquisite of the office?” queried the prisoner with asmile, as he slipped one arm out of its sleeve.

A flush came over Jeanne’s fair brow. “That wasungenerous,” she said.

“Nay, pardon me, sweet one,” said he, laughing: “’twasbut a poor jest of mine—in bad taste, I willingly admit.”



“I was sure you did not mean to hurt me,” she repliedkindly, while her fingers were busy in turning back thecollar of his shirt. It was composed, she noticed, of thefinest point lace; and she could not help a feeling of regretthat some slight error—as must, from what she knew,

exist somewhere—should compel her to take a courseso at variance with her real feelings. Her only comfortwas that the youth himself seemed entirely satisfied withhis situation. He hummed the last air from Paris duringher ministrations, and when she had quite finished, kissedthe pretty fingers with a metropolitan grace.



“And now, sir,” said Jeanne, “if you will kindly come thisway: and please to mind the step—so. Now, if you willhave the goodness to kneel here—nay, the sawdust isperfectly clean; you are my first client this morning. Onthe other side of the block you will find a nick, more or less adapted to the human chin, though a perfect fitcannot, of course, be guaranteed in every case. So! Areyou pretty comfortable?”

“A bed of roses,” replied the prisoner. “And what areally admirable view one gets of the valley and the river,from just this particular point!”

“Charming, is it not?” replied Jeanne. “I’m so glad youdo justice to it. Some of your predecessors have really

quite vexed me by their inability to appreciate that view.It’s worth coming here to see it. And now, to return tobusiness for one moment,—would you prefer to give theword yourself? Some people do; it’s a mere matter of taste. Or will you leave yourself entirely in my hands?”

“Oh, in your fair hands,” replied her client, “which I begyou to consider respectfully kissed once more by your faithful servant to command.”

Jeanne, blushing rosily, stepped back a pace, moisteningher palms as she grasped her axe, when a puffing andblowing behind caused her to turn her head, and sheperceived the Mayor hastily ascending the scaffold.

“Hold on a minute, Jeanne, my girl,” he gasped. “Don’t

be in a hurry. There’s been some little mistake.”

Jeanne drew herself up with dignity. “I’m afraid I don’tquite understand you, Mr. Mayor,” she replied in freezingaccents. “There’s been no little mistake on my part thatI’m aware of.”



“No, no, no,” said the Mayor apologetically; “but onsomebody else’s there has. You see it happened in thisway: this here young fellow was going round the townlast night; and he’d been dining, I should say, and he wascarrying on rather free. I will only say so much in your presence, that he was carrying on decidedly free. So thetown-guard happened to come across him, and he was

very high and very haughty, he was, and wouldn’t givehis name nor yet his address—as a gentleman should,you know, when he’s been dining and carrying on free.So our fellows just ran him in—and it took the pick of them all their time to do it, too. Well, then, the other chapwho was in prison—the gentleman who obliged youyesterday, you know—what does he do but slip out andrun away in the middle of all the row and confusion; andvery inconsiderate and ungentlemanly it was of him totake advantage of us in that mean way, just when wewanted a little sympathy and forbearance. Well, theSheriff comes this morning to fetch out his man for execution, and he knows there’s only one man toexecute, and he sees there’s only one man in prison, andit all seems as simple as A B C—he never was much of a

mathematician, you know—so he fetches our friend herealong, quite gaily. And—and that’s how it came about,you see; hinc illæ lachrymæ, as the Roman poet has it.So now I shall just give this young fellow a good talkingto, and discharge him with a caution; and we sha’n’trequire you any more to-day, Jeanne, my girl.”

“Now, look here, Mr. Mayor,” said Jeanne severely,

“you utterly fail to grasp the situation in its true light. Allthese little details may be interesting in themselves, anddoubtless the press will take note of them; but they areentirely beside the point. With the muddleheadedness of your officials (which I have frequently remarked upon) Ihave nothing whatever to do. All I know is, that thisyoung gentleman has been formally handed over to me



or execu on, w a e necessary ega requremen s;and executed he has got to be. When my duty has beenperformed, you are at liberty to reopen the case if youlike; and any ‘little mistake’ that may have occurredthrough your stupidity you can then rectify at your leisure.Meantime, you’ve no locus standi here at all; in fact,you’ve no business whatever lumbering up my scaffold.

So shut up and clear out.”

“Now, Jeanne, do be reasonable,” implored the Mayor.“You women are so precise. You never will make anyallowance for the necessary margin of error in things.”

“If I were to allow the necessary margin for all your errors, Mayor,” replied Jeanne coolly, “the edition would

have to be a large-paper one, and even then the textwould stand a poor chance. And now, if you don’t allowme the necessary margin to swing my axe, there may beanother ‘little mistake’——”



But at this point a hubbub arose at the foot of thescaffold, and Jeanne, leaning over, perceived sundry tallfellows, clad in the livery of the Seigneur, engaged indispersing the municipal guard by the agency of well-directed kicks, applied with heartiness and anatomicalknowledge. A moment later, there strode on to the

scaffold, clad in black velvet, and adorned with his goldchain of office, the stately old seneschal of the Château,evidently in a towering passion.

“Now, mark my words, you miserable little bladder-o’-lard,” he roared at the Mayor (whose bald head certainlyshone provokingly in the morning sun), “see if I don’t



take this out of your skin presently!” And he passed onto where the youth was still kneeling, apparently quiteabsorbed in the view.

“My lord,” he said firmly though respectfully, “your hair-brained folly really passes all bounds. Have you entirelylost your head?”

“Faith, nearly,” said the young man, rising and stretchinghimself. “Is that you, old Thibault? Ow, what a crick I’vegot in my neck! But that view of the valley was reallydelightful!”

“Did you come here simply to admire the view, mylord?” inquired Thibault severely.



“I came because my horse would come,” replied theyoung Seigneur lightly: “that is, these gentlemen herewere so pressing; they would not hear of any refusal; andbesides, they forgot to mention what my attendance wasrequired in such a hurry for. And when I got here,Thibault, old fellow, and saw that divine creature—nay, agoddess, dea certé —so graceful, so modest, so anxiousto acquit herself with credit—— Well, you know myweakness; I never could bear to disappoint a woman.She had evidently set her heart on taking my head; andas she had my heart already——”

“I think, my lord,” said Thibault, with some severity, “youhad better let me escort you back to the Château. Thisappears to be hardly a safe place for light-headed and

”



Jeanne, as was natural, had the last word. “Understandme, Mr. Mayor,” said she, “these proceedings areentirely irregular. I decline to recognise them, and whenthe quarter expires I shall claim the usual bonus!”

V

HEN,an hour or two later, an invitation arrived—courteouslyworded but significantly backed by an escort of half-a-dozen tall archers—for both Jeanne and the Mayor toattend at the Château without delay, Jeanne for her partreceived it with neither surprise nor reluctance. She hadfelt it especially hard that the only two interviews fate hadgranted her with the one man who had made someimpression on her heart should be hampered, the one by

considerations of propriety, the other by the conflictingclaims of her profession and its duties. On this occasion,now, she would have an excellent chaperon in theMayor; and, business being over for the day, they couldmeet and unbend on a common social footing. TheMayor was not at all surprised either, considering whathad gone before; but he was exceedingly terrified, and



together to the Château. That young lady’s remarks,however, could hardly be called exactly comforting.



“I always thought you’d put your foot in it some day,Mayor,” she said. “You are so hopelessly wanting insystem and method. Really, under the present happy-go-lucky police arrangements, I never know whom I may

not be called upon to execute. Between you and mycousin Enguerrand, life is hardly safe in this town. Andthe worst of it is, that we other officials on the staff haveto share in the discredit.”

“What do you think they’ll do to me, Jeanne?”whimpered the Mayor, perspiring freely.

“Can’t say, I’m sure,” pursued the candid Jeanne. “Of course, if it’s anything in the rack line of business, I shallhave to superintend the arrangements, and then you canfeel sure you’re in capable hands. But probably they’llonly fine you pretty smartly, give you a month or two inthe dungeons, and dismiss you from your post; and youwill hardly grudge any slight personal inconvenienceresulting from an arrangement so much to the advantage

of the town.”

This was hardly reassuring, but the Mayor’s officialreprimand of the previous day still rankled in thisunforgiving young person’s mind.

On their reaching the Château the Mayor was conducted



as e, to e ea t wt y aut; an rom t e soun sof agonised protestation and lament which shortlyreached Jeanne’s ears, it was evident that he was havinga mauvais quart d’heure. The young lady was shownrespectfully into a chamber apart, where she had hardlyhad time to admire sufficiently the good taste of thefurniture and the magnificence of the tapestry with which

the walls were hung, when the Seigneur entered andwelcomed her with a cordial grace that put her entirely ather ease.

“Your punctuality puts me to shame, fair mistress,” hesaid, “considering how unwarrantably I kept you waitingthis morning, and how I tested your patience by myignorance and awkwardness.”

He had changed his dress, and the lace round his neck was even richer than before. Jeanne had alwaysconsidered one of the chief marks of a well-bred man tobe a fine disregard for the amount of his washing-bill; andthen with what good taste he referred to recent events— putting himself in the wrong, as a gentleman should!

“Indeed, my lord,” she replied modestly, “I was only tooanxious to hear from your own lips that you bore me noill-will for the part forced on me by circumstances in our recent interview. Your lordship has sufficient critical goodsense, I feel sure, to distinguish between the woman andthe official.”

“True, Jeanne,” he replied, drawing nearer; “and while I

shrink from expressing, in their fulness, all the feelings thatthe woman inspires in me, I have no hesitation—for Iknow it will give you pleasure—in acquainting you withthe entire artistic satisfaction with which I watched you atyour task!”

“But, indeed,” said Jeanne, “you did not see me at my



best. In fact, I can’t help wishing—it’s ridiculous, Iknow, because the thing is hardly practicable—but if Icould only have carried my performance quite through,and put the last finishing touches to it, you would nothave been judging me now by the mere ‘blocking-in’ of what promised to be a masterpiece!”

“Yes, I wish it could have been arranged somehow,” saidthe Seigneur, reflectively; “but perhaps it’s better as it is.I am content to let the artist remain for the present ontrust, if I may only take over, fully paid up, the woman Iadore!”

Jeanne felt strangely weak. The official seemed oozingout at her fingers and toes, while the woman’s heart beat

even more distressingly.

“I have one little question to ask,” he murmured (his armwas about her now).

“Do I understand that you still claim your bonus?”

Jeanne felt like water in his strong embrace; but she

nerved herself to answer, faintly but firmly, “Yes!”

“Then so do I,” he replied, as his lips met hers.

· · · · · · ·

Executions continued to occur in St. Radegonde; the

Radegundians being conservative and very human. Butmuch of the innocent enjoyment that formerly attendedthem departed after the fair Châtelaine had ceased toofficiate. Enguerrand, on succeeding to the post, weddedClairette, she being (he was heard to say) a more suitablematch in mind and temper than others of whom he wouldname no names. Rumour had it that he found his match



and something over; while as for temper—and mind(which she gave him in bits). But the domestic trials of high-placed officials have a right to be held sacred. Theprofession, in spite of his best endeavours, languishednevertheless. Some said that the scaffold lacked its oldattraction for criminals of spirit; others, more unkindly,

that the headsman was the innocent cause, and thatEnguerrand was less fatal in his new sphere thanformerly, when practising in the criminal court asadvocate for the defence.



End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Headswoman,

Kenneth Grahame

*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE HEADSWOMA

***

***** This file should be named 34243-h.htm or 34243-

h.zip *****

This and all associated files of various formats willfound in:

http://www.gutenberg.org/3/4/2/4/34243/

Produced by Suzanne Shell, David Wilson and the Onlin

Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

(This

file was produced from images generously made availab

by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

Updated editions will replace the previous one--the o

editions

will be renamed.

Creating the works from public domain print editions

means that noone owns a United States copyright in these works, so

Foundation

(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United

States without

permission and without paying copyright royalties.



,

set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this

license, apply to

copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electro

works to

protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademar

Project

Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be uif you

charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific

permission. If you

do not charge anything for copies of this eBook,

complying with the

rules is very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly

purpose

such as creation of derivative works, reports,performances and

research. They may be modified and printed and given

away--you may do

practically ANYTHING with public domain eBooks.

Redistribution is

subject to the trademark license, especially commerci

redistribution.

*** START: FULL LICENSE ***

THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WO

To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promot

the free

distribution of electronic works, by using or

distributing this work

(or any other work associated in any way with the phr

"Project



Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms o

the Full Project

Gutenberg-tm License (available with this file or onl

at

http://gutenberg.org/license).

Section 1. General Terms of Use and RedistributingProject Gutenberg-tm

electronic works

1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project

Gutenberg-tm

electronic work, you indicate that you have read,

understand, agree to

and accept all the terms of this license and intellec

property

(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree

abide by all

the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and

return or destroy

all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works i

your possession.If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access t

Project

Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to

bound by the

terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from

person or

entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in parag

1.E.8.

1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. I

may only be

used on or associated in any way with an electronic w

by people who

a ree to be bound b the terms of this a reement. The



are a few

things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm

electronic works

even without complying with the full terms of this

agreement. See

paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you ca

with ProjectGutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms

this agreement

and help preserve free future access to Project

Gutenberg-tm electronic

works. See paragraph 1.E below.

1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundatio

("the Foundation"or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collec

of Project

Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individ

works in the

collection are in the public domain in the United Sta

If an

individual work is in the public domain in the United

States and you arelocated in the United States, we do not claim a right

prevent you from

copying, distributing, performing, displaying or crea

derivative

works based on the work as long as all references to

Project Gutenberg

are removed. Of course, we hope that you will support

Project

Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting free access to

electronic works by

freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm works in complian

with the terms of

this agreement for keeping the Project Gutenberg-tm n



assoc a e w

the work. You can easily comply with the terms of thi

agreement by

keeping this work in the same format with its attache

full Project

Gutenberg-tm License when you share it without charge

with others.

1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are

located also govern

what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in mos

countries are in

a constant state of change. If you are outside the Un

States, check

the laws of your country in addition to the terms of

agreement

before downloading, copying, displaying, performing,

distributing or

creating derivative works based on this work or any o

Project

Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no

representations concerning

the copyright status of any work in any country outsithe United

States.

1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Projec

Gutenberg:

1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to,

other immediateaccess to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must

appear prominently

whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any

work on which the

phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the

phrase "Project



Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed,

performed, viewed,

copied or distributed:

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no co

and with

almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, g

it away or

re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg

License included

with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org

1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electron

work is derived

from the public domain (does not contain a noticeindicating that it is

posted with permission of the copyright holder), the

can be copied

and distributed to anyone in the United States withou

paying any fees

or charges. If you are redistributing or providing ac

to a work

with the phrase "Project Gutenberg" associated with oappearing on the

work, you must comply either with the requirements of

paragraphs 1.E.1

through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of the

work and the

Project Gutenberg-tm trademark as set forth in paragr

1.E.8 or

1.E.9.

1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electron

work is posted

with the permission of the copyright holder, your use

distribution



. . . .

any additional

terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional ter

will be linked

to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works pos

with the

permission of the copyright holder found at the begin

of this work.

1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Pro

Gutenberg-tm

License terms from this work, or any files containing

part of this

work or any other work associated with Project Gutenb

tm.

1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or

redistribute this

electronic work, or any part of this electronic work,

without

prominently displaying the sentence set forth in

paragraph 1.E.1 with

active links or immediate access to the full terms of

Project

Gutenberg-tm License.

1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in

binary,

compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary

form, including any

word processing or hypertext form. However, if youprovide access to or

distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a

format other than

"Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the

official version

posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site



(www.gutenberg.org),

you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense to th

user, provide a

copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means of

obtaining a copy upon

request, of the work in its original "Plain Vanilla

ASCII" or other

form. Any alternate format must include the full Proj

Gutenberg-tm

License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.

1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing,

displaying,

performing, copying or distributing any Project

Gutenberg-tm worksunless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.

1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of

providing

access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electr

works provided

that

- You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits y

derive from

the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated usin

the method

you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. T

fee is

owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm tradema

but hehas agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph t

the

Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalt

payments

must be paid within 60 days following each date on wh



prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your

periodic tax

returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked as

such and

sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Founda

at the

address specified in Section 4, "Information aboutdonations to

the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation."

- You provide a full refund of any money paid by a us

who notifies

you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of recei

that s/he

does not agree to the terms of the full ProjectGutenberg-tm

License. You must require such a user to return or

destroy all copies of the works possessed in a physic

medium

and discontinue all use of and all access to other co

of

Project Gutenberg-tm works.

- You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a

refund of any

money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a def

in the

electronic work is discovered and reported to you wit

90 days

of receipt of the work.

- You comply with all other terms of this agreement f

free

distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works.

1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a



ro ec u en erg- m

electronic work or group of works on different terms

are set

forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission i

writing from

both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundatio

and Michael

Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademarkContact the

Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below.

1.F.

1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees exp

considerable

effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcr

and proofread

public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg

collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-

electronic

works, and the medium on which they may be stored, ma

contain

"Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete,inaccurate or

corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or ot

intellectual

property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or

other medium, a

computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cann

be read by

your equipment.

1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Exce

for the "Right

of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.

the Project

Gutenber Literar Archive Foundation the owner of t



Project

Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distribut

a Project

Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement,

disclaim all

liability to you for damages, costs and expenses,

including legalfees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGE

STRICT

LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT

EXCEPT THOSE

PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE

FOUNDATION, THE

TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREE

WILL NOT BELIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT,

CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR

INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE

POSSIBILITY OF SUCH

DAMAGE.

1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If yo

discover adefect in this electronic work within 90 days of

receiving it, you can

receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for i

sending a

written explanation to the person you received the wo

from. If you

received the work on a physical medium, you must retu

the medium with

your written explanation. The person or entity that

provided you with

the defective work may elect to provide a replacement

copy in lieu of a

refund. If you received the work electronically, the



providing it to you may choose to give you a second

opportunity to

receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund.

the second copy

is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing

without further

opportunities to fix the problem.

1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or

refund set forth

in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-

WITH NO OTHER

WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING

NOT LIMITED TO

WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTIBILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURP

1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certai

implied

warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain

types of damages.

If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this

agreement violates the

law of the state applicable to this agreement, the

agreement shall be

interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or limitat

permitted by

the applicable state law. The invalidity or

unenforceability of any

provision of this agreement shall not void the remain

provisions.

1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold th

Foundation, the

trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundat

anyone

providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic w



in accordance

with this agreement, and any volunteers associated wi

the production,

promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm

electronic works,

harmless from all liability, costs and expenses,

including legal fees,

that arise directly or indirectly from any of the

following which you do

or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this or any

Project Gutenberg-tm

work, (b) alteration, modification, or additions or

deletions to any

Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any Defect you cau

Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project

Gutenberg-tm

Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free

distribution of

electronic works in formats readable by the widest

variety of computersincluding obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computer

It exists

because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and

donations from

people in all walks of life.

Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteer

with theassistance they need, are critical to reaching Projec

Gutenberg-tm's

goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm

collection will

remain freely available for generations to come. In 2



Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to

provide a secure

and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and fut

generations.

To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary

Archive Foundation

and how your efforts and donations can help, see Sect3 and 4

and the Foundation web page at http://www.pglaf.org.

Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg

Literary Archive

Foundation

The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is

non profit

501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the

laws of the

state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by

Internal

Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax

identification

number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted

http://pglaf.org/fundraising. Contributions to the

Project Gutenberg

Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the

full extent

permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.

The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557

Melan Dr. S.

Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employe

are scattered

throughout numerous locations. Its business office is

located at



809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801)

1887, email

[email protected]. Email contact links and up to dat

contact

information can be found at the Foundation's web site

official

page at http://pglaf.org

For additional contact information:

Dr. Gregory B. Newby

Chief Executive and Director

[email protected]

Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project

Gutenberg

Literary Archive Foundation

Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive

without wide

spread public support and donations to carry out its

mission of

increasing the number of public domain and licensed wthat can be

freely distributed in machine readable form accessibl

the widest

array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many

small donations

($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintain

tax exempt

status with the IRS.

The Foundation is committed to complying with the law

regulating

charities and charitable donations in all 50 states o

the United

States. Com liance re uirements are not uniform and i



takes a

considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to

and keep up

with these requirements. We do not solicit donations

locations

where we have not received written confirmation of

compliance. ToSEND DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance

any

particular state visit http://pglaf.org

While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from

states where we

have not met the solicitation requirements, we know o

prohibitionagainst accepting unsolicited donations from donors i

such states who

approach us with offers to donate.

International donations are gratefully accepted, but

cannot make

any statements concerning tax treatment of donations

received fromoutside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our

small staff.

Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for curr

donation

methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a nu

of other

ways including checks, online payments and credit car

donations.

To donate, please visit: http://pglaf.org/donate

Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenber



e ec ron c

works.

Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the

Project Gutenberg-tm

concept of a library of electronic works that could b

freely shared

with anyone. For thirty years, he produced anddistributed Project

Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of

volunteer support.

Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from

several printed

editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain

the U.S.

unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do no

necessarily

keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper

edition.

Most people start at our Web site which has the main

search facility:

http://www.gutenberg.org

This Web site includes information about Project

Gutenberg-tm,

including how to make donations to the Project GutenbLiterary

Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBook

and how to

subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new

eBooks.



Documents

Grahame, Kenneth - The Headswoman