Friday and Saturday storytelling abstention

The Friday and Saturday storytelling abstention is a religious pause in the company’s otherwise recurring entertainment. The queen presents it as a deliberate observance of the Passion of the Lord and a reminder of the company’s earlier devotions, temporarily setting aside the stories before they resume on Sunday.

The Rule and Its Religious Rationale

As the company’s evening gathering draws to a close, the queen notes that the next day is Friday, consecrated to the Passion of the Lord. She recalls that the company had already marked Friday and the following Saturday with devout observance when Neifile was queen, and proposes that they follow that example again. The pause is thus not an interruption imposed from outside but a rule the company renews by recalling its own earlier practice.

The Pause Is Agreed

The queen asks the company to abstain from its pleasant storytelling on both Friday and Saturday, directing attention instead to what had previously occurred on those days for the salvation of their souls. The company accepts her proposal. With much of the night already past, the members are dismissed to rest; the text records the suspension of storytelling without describing tales told during either day.

Sunday Resumption

On Sunday morning the queen and her company walk through the dew-covered grass and visit a nearby church, where they hear divine service at about half-tierce. They return home to eat, sing, and dance, after which the queen allows anyone who wishes to rest. Once the sun has passed the meridian, the company gathers again by the fountain for its customary storytelling. The return to tales follows worship and recreation, making the two-day abstention a bounded observance within the group’s continuing routine.