se and
going to the doors, locked them from within; after which he posted
himself at the window, so he might see her return and show her that he
had gotten wind of her fashions; and there he abode till such time as
she came back. The lady, returning home and finding herself locked
out, was beyond measure woeful and began to essay an she might avail
to open the door by force, which, after Tofano had awhile suffered,
'Wife,' quoth he, 'thou weariest thyself in vain, for thou canst
nowise come in here again. Go, get thee back whereas thou hast been
till now and be assured that thou shalt never return thither till such
time as I shall have done thee, in respect of this affair, such honour
as beseemeth thee in the presence of thy kinsfolk and of the
neighbours.'

The lady fell to beseeching him for the love of God that it would
please him open to her, for that she came not whence he supposed, but
from keeping vigil with a she-neighbour of hers, for that the nights
were long and she could not sleep them all out nor watch at home
alone. However, prayers profited her nought, for that her brute of a
husband was minded to have all the Aretines[349] know their shame,
whereas none as yet knew it; wherefore, seeing that prayers availed
her not, she had recourse to threats and said, 'An thou open not to
me, I will make thee the woefullest man alive.' 'And what canst thou
do to me?' asked Tofano, and Mistress Tessa, whose wits Love had
already whetted with his counsels, replied, 'Rather than brook the
shame which thou wouldst wrongfully cause me suffer, I will cast
myself into this well that is herenigh, where when I am found dead,
there is none will believe otherwise than that thou, for very
drunkenness, hast cast me therein; wherefore it will behove thee flee
and lose all thou hast and abide in banishment or have thy head cut
off for my murderer, as thou wilt in truth have been.'

[Footnote 349: _i.e._ inhabitants of Arezzo.]

Tofano was nowise moved by these words from his besotted intent;
wherefore quoth she to him, 'Harkye now, I can no longer brook this
thy fashery, God pardon it thee! Look thou cause lay up[350] this
distaff of mine that I leave here.' So saying, the night being so dark
that one might scarce see other by the way, she went up to the well
and taking a great stone that lay thereby, cried out, 'God pardon me!'
and let it drop into the water. The stone, striking the water, made a
very great noise, which when Tof