{"product_id":"2940013475731","title":"The Headswoman","description":"I\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt was a bland, sunny morning of a mediæval May,--an old-style May of\u003cbr\u003ethe most typical quality; and the Council of the little town of St.\u003cbr\u003eRadegonde were assembled, as was their wont at that hour, in the\u003cbr\u003epicturesque upper chamber of the Hôtel de Ville, for the dispatch of the\u003cbr\u003eusual municipal business. Though the date was early sixteenth century,\u003cbr\u003ethe members of this particular town-council possessed considerable\u003cbr\u003eresemblance to those of similar assemblies in the seventeenth,\u003cbr\u003eeighteenth, and even the nineteenth centuries, in a general absence of\u003cbr\u003eany characteristic at all--unless a pervading hopeless insignificance\u003cbr\u003ecan be considered as such. All the character in the room, indeed, seemed\u003cbr\u003eto be concentrated in the girl who stood before the table, erect, yet at\u003cbr\u003eher ease, facing the members in general and Mr. Mayor in particular; a\u003cbr\u003edelicate-handed, handsome girl of some eighteen summers, whose tall,\u003cbr\u003esupple figure was well set off by the quiet, though tasteful mourning in\u003cbr\u003ewhich she was clad.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Well, gentlemen,\" the Mayor was saying, \"this little business appears\u003cbr\u003eto be--er--quite in order, and it only remains for me to--er--review the\u003cbr\u003efacts. You are aware that the town has lately had the misfortune to\u003cbr\u003elose its executioner,--a gentleman who, I may say, performed the duties\u003cbr\u003eof his office with neatness and dispatch, and gave the fullest\u003cbr\u003esatisfaction to all with whom he--er--came in contact. But the Council\u003cbr\u003ehas already, in a vote of condolence, expressed its sense of\u003cbr\u003ethe--er--striking qualities of the deceased. You are doubtless also\u003cbr\u003eaware that the office is hereditary, being secured to a particular\u003cbr\u003efamily in this town, so long as any one of its members is ready and\u003cbr\u003ewilling to take it up. The deed lies before me, and appears to\u003cbr\u003ebe--er--quite in order. It is true that on this occasion the Council\u003cbr\u003emight have been called upon to consider and examine the title of the\u003cbr\u003eclaimant, the late lamented official having only left a daughter,--she\u003cbr\u003ewho now stands before you; but I am happy to say that Jeanne--the young\u003cbr\u003elady in question--with what I am bound to call great good-feeling on\u003cbr\u003eher part, has saved us all trouble in that respect, by formally applying\u003cbr\u003efor the family post, with all its--er--duties, privileges, and\u003cbr\u003eemoluments; and her application appears to be--er--quite in order. There\u003cbr\u003eis, therefore, under the circumstances, nothing left for us to do but to\u003cbr\u003edeclare the said applicant duly elected. I would wish, however, before\u003cbr\u003eI--er--sit down, to make it quite clear to the--er--fair petitioner,\u003cbr\u003ethat if a laudable desire to save the Council trouble in the matter has\u003cbr\u003eled her to a--er--hasty conclusion, it is quite open to her to\u003cbr\u003ereconsider her position. Should she determine not to press her claim,\u003cbr\u003ethe succession to the post would then apparently devolve upon her cousin\u003cbr\u003eEnguerrand, well known to you all as a practising advocate in the courts\u003cbr\u003eof this town. Though the youth has not, I admit, up to now proved a\u003cbr\u003econspicuous success in the profession he has chosen, still there is no\u003cbr\u003ereason why a bad lawyer should not make an excellent executioner; and in\u003cbr\u003eview of the close friendship--may I even say attachment?--existing\u003cbr\u003ebetween the cousins, it is possible that this young lady may, in due\u003cbr\u003ecourse, practically enjoy the solid emoluments of the position without\u003cbr\u003ethe necessity of discharging its (to some girls) uncongenial duties. And\u003cbr\u003eso, though not the rose herself, she would still be--er--near the rose!\"\u003cbr\u003eAnd the Mayor resumed his seat, chuckling over his little pleasantry,\u003cbr\u003ewhich the keener wits of the Council proceeded to explain at length to\u003cbr\u003ethe more obtuse.","brand":"SAP","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47082913399024,"sku":"2940013475731","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940013475731_p0.jpg?v=1763592848","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940013475731","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}