ercy.

But it happened, by I know not what chance, that the host of the inn,
the husband of the woman, was seeking his wife to tell her something,
and passing by chance by the chamber where his wife and the knight were
playing the cymbals, heard the sound. He turned towards the spot where
this pleasant pastime was going on, and pushing open the door, saw the
knight and his wife harnessed together, at which he was by far the most
astonished of the three, and drew back quickly, fearing to prevent and
disturb the said work which they were performing. But all that he did
by way of menace or remonstrance was to call out from behind the door;
"Morbleu! you are not only wicked but thoughtless. Have you not the
sense, when you want to do anything of that sort, to shut the door
behind you? Just fancy what it would have been if anyone else had
found you! By God, you would have been ruined and dishonoured, and your
misdeeds discovered and known to all the town! In the devil's name, be
more careful another time!" and without another word, he closed the
door and went away; and the honest couple re-tuned their bagpipes, and
finished the tune they had begun.

And when this was finished, each went his or her own way as
unconcernedly as though nothing had happened; and the circumstance would
I believe have never been known--or at least not so publicly as to come
to your ears, and the ears of so many other people,--had it not been
that the husband vexed himself so little about the matter that he
thought less of being cuckolded than he did of finding the door
unbolted.

*****

STORY THE SEVENTY-SECOND -- NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION.

By Monseigneur De Commensuram.

_Of a gentleman of Picardy who was enamoured of the wife of a knight his
neighbour; and how he obtained the lady's favours and was nearly caught
with her, and with great difficulty made his escape, as you will hear
later._

Apropos of the previous story, there lived formerly in Picardy--and I
believe he is living there now--a gentlemen who was so enamoured of the
wife of a knight, his neighbour, that he deemed no day or hour happy if
he were not with her, or at least had news of her;--and he was quite as
dear to her--which is no small matter.

But the misfortune was that they could find no means of meeting secretly
to open their hearts to each other, and in no case would they do so in
the presence of a third person, however good a friend he or she m