ell my lady to give herself no concern for me till
such time as she can at her commodity come to me, but bid her do this
as quickliest she may.' The maid turned back into the house and betook
herself to bed, whilst the lady said to her gallant, 'Well, how sayst
thou? Thinkest thou that, an I wished him such weal as thou fearest, I
would suffer him stand a-freezing down yonder?' So saying, she betook
herself to bed with her lover, who was now in part satisfied, and
there they abode a great while in joyance and liesse, laughing and
making mock of the wretched scholar, who fared to and fro the while in
the courtyard, making shift to warm himself with exercise, nor had
whereas he might seat himself or shelter from the night-damp. He
cursed her brother's long stay with the lady and took everything he
heard for the opening of a door to him by her, but hoped in vain.

The lady, having solaced herself with her lover till near upon
midnight, said to him, 'How deemest thou, my soul, of our scholar?
Whether seemeth to thee the greater, his wit or the love I bear him?
Will the cold which I presently cause him suffer do away from thy mind
the doubts which my pleasantries aroused therein the other day?'
Whereto he replied, 'Heart of my body, yes, I know right well that,
like as thou art my good and my peace and my delight and all my hope,
even so am I thine.' 'Then,' rejoined she, 'kiss me a thousand times,
so I may see if thou say sooth.' Whereupon he clipped her fast in his
arms and kissed her not a thousand, but more than an hundred thousand
times. Then, after they had abidden awhile in such discourse, the lady
said, 'Marry, let us arise a little and go see if the fire is anydele
spent, wherein this my new lover wrote me that he burnt all day long.'
Accordingly, they arose and getting them to the accustomed lattice,
looked out into the courtyard, where they saw the scholar dancing a
right merry jig on the snow, so fast and brisk that never had they
seen the like, to the sound of the chattering of the teeth that he
made for excess of cold; whereupon quoth the lady, 'How sayst thou,
sweet my hope? Seemeth to thee that I know how to make folk jig it
without sound of trump or bagpipe?' Whereto he answered, laughing, 'Ay
dost thou, my chief delight.' Quoth the lady, 'I will that we go down
to the door; thou shalt abide quiet, whilst I bespeak him, and we
shall hear what he will say; belike we shall have no less diversion
thereof than w