embled; suspecting that her
master had come to take that which she would never give him.

Seeing she was frightened, he said nothing but attacked her with such
violence that he would soon have taken the place by storm if she had not
sued for peace. She said to him;

"Alas, sir, I beg for mercy! My life and honour are in your hands;--have
pity on me!"

"I care nothing about honour," said her master, who was very hot and
excited. "You are in my hands and cannot escape me," and with that he
attacked her more violently than before.

The girl, finding resistance was useless, bethought herself of a
stratagem, and said,

"Sir, I prefer to surrender of free-will than by force. Leave me alone,
and I will do all that you may require."

"Very well," said her master, "but be sure that I will not let you go
free."

"There is but one thing I would beg of you, sir" replied the girl.
"I greatly fear that my mistress may hear you; and if, by chance, she
should come and find you here, I should be lost and ruined, for she
would either beat me or kill me."

"She is not likely to come," said he, "she is sleeping soundly."

"Alas, sir, I am in great fear of her and, as I would be assured, I beg
and request of you, for my peace of mind and our greater security in
what we are about to do, that you let me go and see whether she is
sleeping, or what she is doing."

"By our Lady! you would never return," said the gentleman.

"I swear that I will," she replied, "and that speedily."

"Very good then," said he. "Make haste!"

"Ah, sir," said she. "It would be well that you should take this sieve
and work as I was doing; so that if my lady should by chance awake, she
will hear the noise and know that I am at work."

"Give it to me, and I will work well;--but do not stay long."

"Oh, no, sir. Hold this sieve, and you will look like a woman."

"As to that, God knows I care not," said he, and with that laid hold of
the sieve and began to work it as best he could.

Meanwhile the virtuous wench mounted to her lady's room and woke her,
and told her how her husband had attempted her virtue, and attacked her
whilst she was sifting meal, "And if it please you to come and see how I
escaped him," she said, "come down with me and behold him."

The lady rose at once, put on her dress, and was soon before the door
of the room where her lord was diligently sifting. And when she saw him
thus employed, and struggling with the sieve, she said to