Three good giants

Everybody was in good humor, none more so than the jovial old King himself. When the huge table was cleared of all its rich viands and its sparkling wines, and the guests were about leaving the hall, Grandgousier distributed to each of the deserving soldiers the ornaments on the sideboard, w T hich, in the mass, weighed eight hundred thousand and fourteen golden besants worth in great antique vases, rich pots, basins, superb cups, goblets, candlesticks, comfit-boxes, anc other such golden plate. In addition to this princely gift, Grand gousier caused to be counted out from the Royal Coffers, to each hero, twelve hundred thousand golden crowns ; and, as a further mark of his special favor, he directed that to such as he named should be granted, in perpetuity for themselves and their heirs, if they should happen to have any, certain castles and neighboring lands.

To Master Ponocrates, he gave Roche-Clerrnaud.

To Gymnaste, Le Coudray.

To Eudemon, Montpensier.

And so on with the favorites.

"Ho ! ho ! my boy ! " suddenly cried Father Grandgousier, tapping his big forehead with his mighty finger. 'We have forgotten some one, and him « .

our bravest, too ! "

"Whom?"

' Why, our gallant Friar."

" Oh ! as for Friar John, trust him to me, Father. / shall take care of him !"

"What wilt thou do, my boy?"

"What will I do ? Why, I shall build for him a Monas-terv a hundred times more magnificent than those Convents at Bonni-vet, Cham-bourg, and Chantilly, that are the boast of the world. Our Friar shall be the Abbot of Theleme, and he will make a famous Abbot, too !"

THE WONDERFUL WINDING STAIKWAT.

And so Gargantua built for his friend Friar John a Monastery greater than the Convent at Bonnivet, and the Convent at Chambourg, and the Convent at Chantilly; for his had nine thousand, three hundred and thirty-two chambers. But its greatest beauty, after all, was a wonderful winding stair-way, up which six men-at-arms might ride abreast, with their six lances at rest, to the very top of the Abbey.

CHAPTER XXII. GRANDGOUSIER'S DEATH. — GARGANTUA'S MARRIAGE. — PANTAGRUEL IS BORN.

AFTER the war of the Bunmakers, all the kings and princes and nobles, for hundreds of miles around, carne to congratulate the two mighty Giants. It was a time of royal feasting, and the Palace smelt more strongly of old, rich, dead dinners and suppers than ever before. For a whole year, its walls rang with laughter and joyous shouts, and then the kings and princes, nobles and friends, took to horse and returned to their homes, leaving Grandgousier and Gargantua in peace, with the love of all their subjects and

the respect of their neighbors, for many happy years, over which there was but one cloud, the death of the kind old Queen Gargamelle, During all these years, more than I can now tell, Grandgousier was, of course, getting old, and at last grew so weak that he was forced to take to his bed.

"Gargantua, my boy, thou art already getting on in years," the old man said one day, after a fit of weakness, when he felt that he could not long live. "Why dost thou not marry, my son?"

"To tell the truth, Father, I have never once thought of marrying. Thou hast been so good to me that thou hast driven all thoughts of women away from me. Yet, if thou sayest the word, then shall I seek a wife."

" Seek, then, my boy, the Princess Badebec, the beautiful daughter of my good friend, the King of the Amaurotes, in Utopia. Make her thy wife if thou lovest thy Father. And thy Father's blessing will be on thee forever!" The good old King had scarcely whispered the last word when he feebly placed his hand on the head of Gargantua, who was kneeling by the bed. Then he stretched out to his full giant-length, gave a deep sigh of content, and died.

Gargantua was then at an age which would, in our day, be looked upon as quite venerable. He was just five hundred and twenty-one years old on the day when he buried his Father. He mourned him two years to the very month, day, hour, and minute. At the end of the last year, he charged his Prime Minister with a solemn proposal of marriage to the charming Princess Badebec. None so lovely as the Princess Badebec had, up to that time, ever been seen outside ot Utopia.

Gargantua was five hundred and twenty-three years old when his nuptials with the Princess were celebrated in great state, and he had just turned his five hundred and twenty-fifth year, when he had at once the great joy of hearing that he had a son, and the deep sorrow of losing his dear wife, the lovely Queen Badebec herself.