ngue. At last he determined to keep silence, and not say a word
till the opportunity came,--and you may guess that he had plenty of
patience.

Whilst he was waiting and looking at the lady engaged with the last
comer, the worthy husband came home to enquire after the health of his
good wife, as it was very proper of him to do.

She soon heard him, and as quickly as may be, made her lover get out of
bed, and as she did not know where to hide him, since she could not put
him in the garret, she made him lie down between the bed and the wall,
and covered him with his clothes, and said to him.

"I have no better place to put you--have a little patience."

She had hardly finished speaking when her husband came into the room,
and though he had heard nothing, he found the bed all rumpled and tossed
about, the quilt dirty and soiled, and looking more like the bed of a
bride than the couch of an invalid.

The doubts he had formerly entertained, combined with the appearance of
the bed, made him call his wife by her name, and say.

"Wicked whore that you are! I did not believe you when you shammed
illness this morning! Where is the whoremonger? I swear to God, if I
find him, he will have a bad end, and you too." Then, putting his hand
on the quilt, he went on. "This looks nice, doesn't it? It looks as
though the pigs had slept on it!"

"What is the matter with you, you nasty drunkard?" she replied. "Why
make me suffer when you get too much wine in your belly? That's a nice
salutation, to call me a whore! I would have you to know that I am
nothing of the kind, but much too virtuous and too honest for a rascal
like you, and my only regret is that I have been so good to you, for
you are not worth it. I do not know why I do not get up and scratch
your face in such a manner that you would remember it all your life, for
having abused me without cause."

If you ask how she dared reply to her husband in this manner, I should
answer there were two reasons,--that is she had both right and might on
her side. For, as you may guess, if it had come to blows, both the
lover in the garret, and the one by the bed, would have come to her
assistance.

The poor husband did not know what to say when he heard his wife abuse
him thus, and as he saw that big words were of no use, he left the
matter to God, who does justice to all, and replied;

"You make many excuses for your palpable faults, but I care little what
you say. I am not going to q