yonder; but, for
that I seem to him fairer than any she in heaven, he hath fallen in
love with me and cometh full oft to lie with me; seestow now?'[228]

[Footnote 227: _cf._ Artemus Ward's "Natives of the Universe and other
parts."]

[Footnote 228: _Mo vedi vu_, Venetian for _Or vedi tu_, now dost thou
see? I have rendered it by the equivalent old English form.]

The gossip, to whom it seemed a thousand years till she should be
whereas she might repeat these things, took her leave of Madam Lisetta
and foregathering at an entertainment with a great company of ladies,
orderly recounted to them the whole story. They told it again to their
husbands and other ladies, and these to yet others, and so in less
than two days Venice was all full of it. Among others to whose ears
the thing came were Lisetta's brothers-in-law, who, without saying
aught to her, bethought themselves to find the angel in question and
see if he knew how to fly, and to this end they lay several nights in
wait for him. As chance would have it, some inkling of the matter[229]
came to the ears of Fra Alberto, who accordingly repaired one night to
the lady's house, to reprove her, but hardly had he put off his
clothes ere her brothers-in-law, who had seen him come, were at the
door of her chamber to open it.

[Footnote 229: _i.e._ not of the trap laid for him by the lady's
brothers-in-law, but of her indiscretion in discovering the secret.]

Fra Alberto, hearing this and guessing what was to do, started up and
having no other resource, opened a window, which gave upon the Grand
Canal, and cast himself thence into the water. The canal was deep
there and he could swim well, so that he did himself no hurt, but made
his way to the opposite bank and hastily entering a house that stood
open there, besought a poor man, whom he found within, to save his
life for the love of God, telling him a tale of his own fashion, to
explain how he came there at that hour and naked. The good man was
moved to pity and it behoving him to go do his occasions, he put him
in his own bed and bade him abide there against his return; then,
locking him in, he went about his affairs. Meanwhile, the lady's
brothers-in-law entered her chamber and found that the angel Gabriel
had flown, leaving his wings there; whereupon, seeing themselves
baffled, they gave her all manner hard words and ultimately made off
to their own house with the angel's trappings, leaving her
disconsolate.

Bro