en; I will have a
new cage made for you." The master arrived, the windows were all opened,
and he embraced his wife. At dinner they placed the parrot in the middle
of the table, and when the joy was at its height the bird threw some
soup in its master's eyes. The master, when he felt it, put his hands to
his eyes, and the parrot darted at his throat, strangled him, and flew
away.

He flew away to the country, and saying, "I am a parrot, and I become a
man," he was changed into a handsome, cunning, and well-kempt man on the
Corso. He met the cavalier: "Do you know," said this one, "that the poor
lady's husband is dead? a parrot strangled him!" "Truly? poor woman!
poor woman!" said the notary, and went his way without speaking of the
wager. The notary learned that the lady had a mother, and went to her to
ask her daughter in marriage. After hesitating, the lady finally said
yes, and they were married. That evening the notary said to the lady:
"Now tell me, who killed your husband?" "A parrot." "And what about this
parrot?" The lady told him everything to where the parrot dashed the
broth in its master's eyes, and then flew away. "True! true!" said the
notary. "Was I not the parrot?" "It was you! I am amazed." "It was I,
and I became a parrot for your sake!"

The next day the notary went to the cavalier to get the four hundred
ounces of the wager, which he enjoyed with his wife.

* * * * *

The three stories related by the parrot are, as has been seen, in
reality one story, and they are, in fact found as such independent of
the frame.[35] It has also been seen that the story or stories related
by the parrot are, substantially, the same in all the versions. The
Florentine version alone does not contain the episode of the doll. The
story, as a whole, has no parallels, although it bears a slight
resemblance to the story in the Pentamerone (II. 2), "Green Meadow." The
princess as physician, and the secret malady of the prince or princess,
are traits which abound in all the popular tales of Europe.[36]

Many single stories of Oriental origin will be found in the chapters
following. We shall close this one with a story which was popular in
Europe during the Middle Ages, being found in one of the great
collections of that period, the _Gesta Romanorum_. Of the various
Italian versions we shall select one from Pomigliano d'Arco called:

XLVIII. TRUTHFUL JOSEPH.

Once upon a time there was a