, I fear you have got the veriest shrew of all."
"Well," said Petruchio, "I say no, and therefore for assurance that I
speak the truth, let us each one send for his wife, and he whose wife
is most obedient to come at first when she is sent for, shall win a
wager which we will propose." To this the other two husbands willingly
consented, for they were quite confident that their gentle wives would
prove more obedient than the headstrong Katherine; and they proposed
a wager of twenty crowns, but Petruchio merrily said he would lay as
much as that upon his hawk or hound, but twenty times as much upon his
wife. Lucentio and Hortensio raised the wager to an hundred crowns,
and Lucentio first sent his servant to desire Bianca would come to
him. But the servant returned, and said, "Sir, my mistress sends you
word she is busy and cannot come." "How," said Petruchio, "does she
say she is busy and cannot come? Is that an answer for a wife?" Then
they laughed at him, and said, it would be well if Katherine did not
send him a worse answer. And now it was Hortensio's turn to send for
his wife; and he said to his servant, "Go, and intreat my wife to come
to me." "Oh ho! intreat her!" said Petruchio. "Nay, then, she needs
must come." "I am afraid, sir," said Hortensio, "your wife will not be
intreated." But presently this civil husband looked a little blank,
when the servant returned without his mistress; and he said to him,
"How now! Where is my wife?" "Sir," said the servant, "my mistress
says you have some goodly jest in hand, and therefore she will not
come. She bids you come to her." "Worse and worse!" said Petruchio;
and then he sent his servant, saying, "Sirrah, go to your mistress,
and tell her I command her to come to me." The company had scarcely
time to think she would not obey this summons, when Baptista, all in
amaze, exclaimed, "Now, by my hollidam, here comes Katherine!" and she
entered, saying meekly to Petruchio, "What is your will, sir, that you
send for me?"--"Where is your sister and Hortensio's wife?" said he.
Katherine replied, "They sit conferring by the parlour-fire." "Go,
fetch them hither!" said Petruchio. Away went Katherine without reply
to perform her husband's command. "Here is a wonder," said Lucentio,
"if you talk of a wonder." "And so it is," said Hortensio; "I marvel
what it bodes." "Marry, peace it bodes," said Petruchio, "and love,
and quiet life, and right supremacy; and to be short, every thing
that