all told him, first one and then the other, that
he had judged wrongly, and spoken against the honour of his wife, and
that this was some other woman, as he would afterwards see for himself.

To restore him to good humour, after they had thus abused his eyes, the
citizen ordered that they should make him sit at the table, where he
drowned his suspicions by eating and drinking of what was left of the
supper, whilst they in the bed were robbing him of his honour.

The time came to leave, and he said good night to the citizen and his
companions, and begged they would let him leave by the postern door,
that he might the sooner return home. But the citizen replied that he
knew not then where to find the key; he thought also that the lock was
so rusted that they could not open the door, which they rarely if ever
used. He was content therefore to leave by the front gate, and make a
long detour to reach his house, and whilst the servants of the citizen
led him to the door, the good wife was quickly on her feet, and in a
short time, clad in a simple sark, with her corset on her arm, and come
to the postern. She made but one bound to her house, where she awaited
her husband (who came by a longer way) well-prepared as to the manner in
which she should receive him.

Soon came our man, and seeing still a light in the house, knocked at the
door loudly; and this good wife, who was pretending to clean the house,
and had a besom in her hands, asked -- what she knew well; "Who is
there?"

And he replied; "It is your husband."

"My husband!" said she. "My husband is not here! He is not in the town!"

With that he knocked again, and cried, "Open the door! I am your
husband."

"I know my husband well," quoth she, "and it is not his custom to return
home so late at night, when he is in the town. Go away, and do not knock
here at this hour."

But he knocked all the more, and called her by name once or twice. Yet
she pretended not to know him, and asked why he came at that hour, but
for all reply he said nothing but, "Open! Open!"

"Open!" said she. "What! are you still there you rascally whore-monger?
By St. Mary, I would rather see you drown than come in here! Go! and
sleep as badly as you please in the place where you came from."

Then her good husband grew angry, and thundered against the door as
though he would knock the house down, and threatened to beat his wife,
such was his rage,--of which she had not great fear; but at le