ing his mistake,
addressed not himself to mend it as best he might, but said, 'Of what
wilt thou pay me? What canst thou do to me?' Therewithal the hostess,
who thought herself with her husband, said to Adriano, 'Good lack,
hark to our guests how they are at I know not what words together!'
Quoth Adriano, laughing, 'Leave them do, God land them in an ill
year! They drank overmuch yesternight.'

The good wife, herseeming she had heard her husband scold and hearing
Adriano speak, incontinent perceived where and with whom she had been;
whereupon, like a wise woman as she was, she arose forthright, without
saying a word, and taking her little son's cradle, carried it at a
guess, for that there was no jot of light to be seen in the chamber,
to the side of the bed where her daughter slept and lay down with the
latter; then, as if she had been aroused by her husband's clamour, she
called him and enquired what was to do between himself and Pinuccio.
He answered, 'Hearest thou not what he saith he hath done this night
unto Niccolosa?' 'Marry,' quoth she, 'he lieth in his throat, for he
was never abed with Niccolosa, seeing that I have lain here all night;
more by token that I have not been able to sleep a wink; and thou art
an ass to believe him. You men drink so much of an evening that you do
nothing but dream all night and fare hither and thither, without
knowing it, and fancy you do wonders. 'Tis a thousand pities you don't
break your necks. But what doth Pinuccio yonder? Why bideth he not in
his own bed?' Adriano, on his part, seeing how adroitly the good wife
went about to cover her own shame and that of her daughter, chimed in
with, 'Pinuccio, I have told thee an hundred times not to go abroad,
for that this thy trick of arising in thy sleep and telling for true
the extravagances thou dreamest will bring thee into trouble some day
or other. Come back here, God give thee an ill night!'

The host, hearing what his wife and Adriano said, began to believe in
good earnest that Pinuccio was dreaming; and accordingly, taking him
by the shoulders, he fell to shaking and calling him, saying,
'Pinuccio, awake; return to thine own bed.' Pinuccio having
apprehended all that had been said began to wander off into other
extravagances, after the fashion of a man a-dream; whereat the host
set up the heartiest laughter in the world. At last, he made believe
to awake for stress of shaking, and calling to Adriano, said, 'Is it
already day,