The juggler acknowledged the applause of his exalted audience by bowing deeply in the direction of the High Table. Then he gathered his balls and his torches, from which black wisps of smoke still curled, and left the Great Hall via the long velvet curtain that screened the further archway.
The King, muffling a yawn, turned to his left, and whispered to his faithful squire: 'These little entertainments are all very well, David. But we have seen acrobats and suchlike a-plenty. I believe it's time for the special show of which you have boasted.'
Squire David, seemingly unworried by His Majesty's petulance, replied: 'I think the next act will be more to your liking, Your Royal Highness.'
Turning, he gestured discreetly to the Master of Ceremonies, who stood with arms folded and his fat paunch wobbling in front of him. The Master waddled over towards a row of pageboys who waited attentively behind the Table, and gave various directions. One page trotted away and disappeared behind the curtain. Two others grabbed long conical extinguishers, and, reaching up to the high sconces on the walls, dowsed every second torch. An excited murmur began to swell throughout the Hall, for the onlookers knew well what this dimming of the lights betokened. And all eyes soon turned towards the screened arch; the King, in particular, could be seen craning his neck intently as he eagerly awaited what was to come, for David had told him beforehand that the forthcoming act had proved a sensation at the recent commoners' feast. The Queen, too, looked on, but in her case with an air of studied indifference.
After an interval of a few seconds, the edge of the curtain was raised. A man and a girl emerged, walking hand in hand towards the space between the banqueting-tables. They were plainly peasant workers from the fields, for their faces were craggy and sunburned, and their forearms and thighs well-muscled from hard physical toil. The rest of their bodies, which glistened faintly under a thick application of pine oil, could be seen to be shapely and lightly tanned (for each wore nothing but a narrow loincloth of black silk). The man's black hair had been cut quite short, and the girl's deep auburn locks were styled after the fashion of a page. Their appearance was impressive indeed, reflected the Squire; he made a mental note to congratulate the court dresser on how well he had turned out this pair for the occasion.
The couple halted at a point in line with the King and Queen, but did not bow and curtsey, or acknowledge the presence of Royalty in any way. Standing apart, they raised their arms towards the hammer-beam roof and froze motionless on tiptoe, while the audience looked on in expectation. A wild orgiastic dance now began, both participants jerking their bodies wildly, running, jumping, even turning handstands and somersaults, each apparently oblivious to the other's presence even when the flesh of their thighs or backsides occasionally slapped together.
Finally, by seeming accident, they ended face to face and, without ceasing their fluid motion for an instant, flung themselves into a passionate clinch, the ripe fullness of the girl's bosom squeezed against the man's chest. Thus they remained, mouths locked, fingers gliding over each other's backs, bottoms and thighs, for what seemed an eternity to the riveted onlookers.
