XXV + 

All sins whatever, quoth the abbess, turning casuist in the distress they were under, are held by the confessor of our convent to be either mortal or venial: there is no further division. Now a venial sin being the slightest and least of all sinsвБ†вАФbeing halvedвБ†вАФby taking either only the half of it, and leaving the restвБ†вАФor, by taking it all, and amicably halving it betwixt yourself and another personвБ†вАФin course becomes diluted into no sin at all. + 

Now I see no sin in saying, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, a hundred times together; nor is there any turpitude in pronouncing the syllable ger, ger, ger, ger, ger, were it from our matins to our vespers: Therefore, my dear daughter, continued the abbess of Ando√ЉilletsвБ†вАФI will say bou, and thou shalt say ger; and then alternately, as there is no more sin in fou than in bouвБ†вАФThou shalt say fouвБ†вАФand I will come in (like fa, sol, la, re, mi, ut, at our complines) with ter. And accordingly the abbess, giving the pitch note, set off thus: + 

Abbess, + 

} + 

Bou - - bou - - bou - - + 

Margarita, + 

вЄЇвБ†ger, - - ger, - - ger. + 

Margarita, + 

} + 

Fou - - fou - - fou - - + 

Abbess, + 

вЄЇвБ†ter, - - ter, - - ter. + 

The two mules acknowledged the notes by a mutual lash of their tails; but it went no furtherвБ†вЄЇвАЩTwill answer by anвАЩ by, said the novice. + 

Abbess, + 

} + 

Bou- bou- bou- bou- bou- bou- + 

Margarita, + 

вАФger, ger, ger, ger, ger, ger. + 

Quicker still, cried Margarita. + 

Fou, fou, fou, fou, fou, fou, fou, fou, fou. + 

Quicker still, cried Margarita. + 

Bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, bou, + 

Quicker stillвБ†вАФGod preserve me; said the abbessвБ†вАФThey do not understand us, cried MargaritaвБ†вАФBut the Devil does, said the abbess of Ando√Љillets. + 