you had found some excuse to send him out whilst I
took his place with you for a time."

"You need not go," she said. "He cannot get out of where he is. He may
cry as much as he will, but there is no one here likes him well enough
to let him out, and there he will stay; but if you would like to have
him set free, you have but to say so."

"By Our Lady," said he, "if he does not come out till I let him out, he
will wait a good long time."

"Well then, let us enjoy ourselves," said she, "and think no more about
him."

To cut matters short, they both undressed, and the two lovers lay down
in the fair bed, and did what they intended to do, and which is better
imagined than described.

When day dawned, her paramour took leave of her as secretly as he could,
and returned to his lodgings to sleep, I hope, and to breakfast, for he
had need of both.

Madam, who was as cunning as she was wise and good, rose at the usual
hour, and said to her women;

"It will soon be time to let out our prisoner. I will go and see what he
says, and whether he will pay his ransom."

"Put all the blame on us," they said. "We will appease him."

"All right, I will do so," she said.

With these words she made the sign of the Cross, and went nonchalantly,
as though not thinking what she was doing, into the cupboard where her
husband was still shut up in the chest. And when he heard her he began
to make a great noise and cry out, "Who is there? Why do you leave me
locked up here?"

His good wife, who heard the noise he was making replied timidly, as
though frightened, and playing the simpleton;

"Heavens! who is it that I hear crying?"

"It is I! It is I!" cried the husband.

"You?" she cried; "and where do you come from at this time?"

"Whence do I come?" said he. "You know very well, madam. There is no
need for me to tell you--but what you did to me I will some day do to
you,"--for he was so angry that he would willingly have showered abuse
upon his wife, but she cut him short, and said;

"Sir, for God's sake pardon me. On my oath I assure you that I did not
know you were here now, for, believe me, I am very much astonished that
you should be still here, for I ordered my women to let you out whilst I
was at prayers, and they told me they would do so; and, in fact, one of
them told me that you had been let out, and had gone into the town,
and would not return home, and so I went to bed soon afterwards without
waiting for you."