ad forsaken
her, set herself to love this gentleman so heartily that she came to
forget her former grief, and to think of nothing but the skilful conduct
of her new amour, in which she succeeded so well that her mistress
perceived nought of it, for she was careful not to speak to her lover
in her mistress's presence. When she wished to talk with him she would
betake herself to the rooms of some ladies who lived at the Court,
amongst whom was one that her husband made a show of being in love with.

Now one dark evening she stole away after supper, without taking any
companion with her, and repaired to the apartment belonging to these
ladies, where she found the man whom she loved better than herself. She
sat down beside him, and leaning upon a table they conversed together
while pretending to read in the same book. Some one whom her husband had
set to watch then went and reported to him whither his wife was gone.
Being a prudent man, he said nothing, but as quickly as possible
betook himself to the room, where he found his wife reading the book.
Pretending, however, not to see her, he went straight to speak to the
other ladies, who were in another part of the room. But when his poor
wife found herself discovered by him in the company of a gentleman to
whom she had never spoken in his presence, she was in such confusion
that she quite lost her wits; and being unable to pass along the bench,
she leaped upon the table and fled as though her husband were pursuing
her with a drawn sword. And then she went in search of her mistress, who
was just about to withdraw to her own apartments.

When her mistress was undressed, and she herself had retired, one of
her women brought her word that her husband was inquiring for her. She
answered plainly that she would not go, for he was so harsh and strange
that she dreaded lest he should do her some harm.

At last, however, for fear of worse, she consented to go. Her husband
said not a word to her until they were in bed together, when being
unable to dissemble so well as he, she began to weep. And when he asked
her the cause of this, she told him that she was afraid lest he should
be angry at having found her reading in company with a gentleman.

He then replied that he had never forbidden her to speak to a man, and
did not take it ill that she had done so; but he did indeed take it ill
that she had run from him as though she had done something deserving of
censure, and her flight and