as thou deservest.' Wherefore the girl, sad
and grieving and fearful she knew not of what, abode without more
asking; yet many a time anights she piteously called him and prayed
him come to her, and whiles with many tears she complained of his long
tarrying; and thus, without a moment's gladness, she abode expecting
him alway, till one night, having sore lamented Lorenzo for that he
returned not and being at last fallen asleep, weeping, he appeared to
her in a dream, pale and all disordered, with clothes all rent and
mouldered, and herseemed he bespoke her thus: 'Harkye, Lisabetta; thou
dost nought but call upon me, grieving for my long delay and cruelly
impeaching me with thy tears. Know, therefore, that I may never more
return to thee, for that, the last day thou sawest me, thy brothers
slew me.' Then, having discovered to her the place where they had
buried him, he charged her no more call him nor expect him and
disappeared; whereupon she awoke and giving faith to the vision, wept
bitterly.

In the morning, being risen and daring not say aught to her brothers,
she determined to go to the place appointed and see if the thing were
true, as it had appeared to her in the dream. Accordingly, having
leave to go somedele without the city for her disport, she betook
herself thither,[241] as quickliest she might, in company of one who
had been with them[242] otherwhiles and knew all her affairs; and
there, clearing away the dead leaves from the place, she dug whereas
herseemed the earth was less hard. She had not dug long before she
found the body of her unhappy lover, yet nothing changed nor rotted,
and thence knew manifestly that her vision was true, wherefore she was
the most distressful of women; yet, knowing that this was no place for
lament, she would fain, an she but might, have borne away the whole
body, to give it fitter burial; but, seeing that this might not be,
she with a knife did off[243] the head from the body, as best she
could, and wrapping it in a napkin, laid it in her maid's lap. Then,
casting back the earth over the trunk, she departed thence, without
being seen of any, and returned home, where, shutting herself in her
chamber with her lover's head, she bewept it long and bitterly,
insomuch that she bathed it all with her tears, and kissed it a
thousand times in every part. Then, taking a great and goodly pot, of
those wherein they plant marjoram or sweet basil, she set the head
therein, folded in a fai