rts of her person and
seeing them fair, bethought himself what they should become in a
little while and felt some compassion of her; whilst, on the other
hand, the pricks of the flesh assailed him of a sudden and caused that
stand on end which erst lay prone, inciting him to issue forth of his
ambush and go take her and do his will of her. Between the one and the
other he was like to be overcome; but, calling to mind who he was and
what the injury he had suffered and wherefore and at whose hands and
he being thereby rekindled in despite and compassion and carnal
appetite banished, he abode firm in his purpose and let her go.

The lady, going up on to the tower and turning to the north, began to
repeat the words given her by the scholar, who, coming quietly into
the tower awhile after, little by little removed the ladder, which led
to the sollar where she was, and after awaited that which she should
do and say. Meanwhile, the lady, having seven times said her
conjuration, began to look for the two damsels and so long was her
waiting (more by token that she felt it cooler than she could have
wished) that she saw the dawn appear; whereupon, woeful that it had
not befallen as the scholar had told her, she said in herself, 'I fear
me yonder man hath had a mind to give me a night such as that which I
gave him; but, an that be his intent, he hath ill known to avenge
himself, for that this night hath not been as long by a third as was
his, forbye that the cold was of anothergates sort.' Then, so the day
might not surprise her there, she proceeded to seek to go down from
the tower, but found the ladder gone; whereupon her courage forsook
her, as it were the world had failed beneath her feet, and she fell
down aswoon upon the platform of the tower. As soon as her sense
returned to her, she fell to weeping piteously and bemoaning herself,
and perceiving but too well that this must have been the scholar's
doing, she went on to blame herself for having affronted others and
after for having overmuch trusted in him whom she had good reason to
believe her enemy; and on this wise she abode a great while. Then,
looking if there were no way of descending and seeing none, she fell
again to her lamentation and gave herself up to bitter thought, saying
in herself, 'Alas, unhappy woman! What will be said of thy brothers
and kinsfolk and neighbours and generally of all the people of
Florence, when it shall be known that thou has been found her