re, I will put him, or cause him to be put, in such
a condition that he will never again worry me or any one else."

"Ah, Monseigneur," she replied, "by God you are wrong to imagine such
things about him, and I am sure also that he does not think of me."

With that, the last-comer left, and, on the morrow, his friend, the
first-comer did not fail to come early in the morning to hear the news,
and the other related to him in full all that had passed, how he had
pretended to be angry and threatened to kill his rival, and the replies
the jade made.

"By my oath," said the first, "she acted the comedy well! Now let me
have my turn, and I shall be very much surprised if I do not play my
part equally well."

A certain time afterwards his turn came, and he went to the wench, who
received him as lovingly as she always did, and as she had previously
received her other lover. If his friend the last-comer had been cross
and quarrelsome both in manner and words, he was still more so, and
spoke to her in this manner;

"I curse the hour and the day on which I made your acquaintance, for
it is not possible to load the heart of a poor lover with more sorrows,
regrets, and bitter cares than oppress and weigh down my heart to-day.
Alas! I chose you amongst all others as the perfection of beauty,
gentleness, and kindness, and hoped that I should find in you truth and
fidelity, and therefore I gave you all my heart, believing in truth that
it was safe in your keeping, and I had such faith in you that I would
have met death, or worse, had it been possible, to save your honour.
Yet, when I thought myself most sure of your faith, I learned, not only
by the report of others but by my own eyes, that another had snatched
your love from me, and deprived me of the hope of being the one person
in the world who was dearest to you."

"My friend," said the wench, "I do not know what your trouble is, but
from your manner and your words I judge that there is something
the matter, but I cannot tell what it is if you do not speak more
plainly--unless it be a little jealousy which torments you, and if so, I
think, if you are wise, that you will soon banish it from your mind. For
I have never given you any cause for that, as you know me well enough
to be aware, and you should be sorry for having used such expressions to
me."

"I am not the sort of man," said he, "to be satisfied with mere words.
Your excuses are worth nothing. You cannot deny that s