drest and away he goeth a-horseback, with his hawk on his fist, to the
open plains, to see him fly, whilst I, such as you see me, abide in
bed alone and ill-content; wherefore I have many a time had a mind to
do that which I have now done, nor hath aught hindered me therefrom
but that I waited to do it in the presence of gentlemen who would be
just judges in my quarrel, as methinketh you will be.' The gentlemen,
hearing this and believing her affection for Nicostratus to be no
otherwise than as her words denoted, turned all to the latter, who was
angered, and said, laughing, 'Ecod, how well hath the lady done to
avenge herself of her wrong by the death of the hawk!' Then, with
divers of pleasantries upon the subject (the lady being now gone back
to her chamber), they turned Nicostratus his annoy into laughter;
whilst Pyrrhus, seeing all this, said in himself, 'The lady hath given
a noble beginning to my happy loves; God grant she persevere!'

Lydia having thus slain the hawk, not many days were passed when,
being in her chamber with Nicostratus, she fell to toying and
frolicking with him, and he, pulling her somedele by the hair, by way
of sport, gave her occasion to accomplish the second thing required of
her by Pyrrhus. Accordingly, taking him of a sudden by a lock of his
beard, she tugged so hard at it, laughing the while, that she plucked
it clean out of his chin; whereof he complaining, 'How now?' quoth
she. 'What aileth thee to pull such a face? Is it because I have
plucked out maybe half a dozen hairs of thy beard? Thou feltest not
that which I suffered, whenas thou pulledst me now by the hair.' On
this wise continuing their disport from one word to another, she
privily kept the lock of hair that she had plucked from his beard and
sent it that same day to her lover.

Anent the last of the three things required by Pyrrhus she was harder
put to it for a device; nevertheless, being of a surpassing wit and
Love making her yet quicker of invention, she soon bethought herself
what means she should use to give it accomplishment. Nicostratus had
two boys given him of their father, to the intent that, being of
gentle birth, they might learn somewhat of manners and good breeding
in his house, of whom, whenas he was at meat, one carved before him
and the other gave him to drink. Lydia called them both and giving
them to believe that they stank at the mouth, enjoined them that,
whenas they served Nicostratus, they should s