ve this, she
softly called her maid and discovering to her her misadventure sought
counsel of her. The maid marvelled exceedingly and herself pulled and
pinched Ruggieri, but, finding him without sense or motion, agreed
with her mistress that he was certainly dead and counselled her put
him forth of the house. Quoth the lady, 'And where can we put him, so
it may not be suspected, whenas he shall be seen to-morrow morning,
that he hath been brought out hence?' 'Madam,' answered the maid, 'I
saw, this evening at nightfall, over against the shop of our neighbour
yonder the carpenter, a chest not overbig, the which, an the owner
have not taken it in again, will come very apt for our affair; for
that we can lay him therein, after giving him two or three slashes
with a knife, and leave him be. I know no reason why whoso findeth him
should suppose him to have been put there from this house rather than
otherwhence; nay, it will liefer be believed, seeing he was a young
man of lewd life, that he hath been slain by some enemy of his, whilst
going about to do some mischief or other, and after clapped in the
chest.'

The maid's counsel pleased the lady, save that she would not hear of
giving him any wound, saying that for naught in the world would her
heart suffer her to do that. Accordingly she sent her to see if the
chest were yet whereas she had noted it and she presently returned and
said, 'Ay.' Then, being young and lusty, with the aid of her mistress,
she took Ruggieri on her shoulders and carrying him out,--whilst the
lady forewent her, to look if any came,--clapped him into the chest
and shutting down the lid, left him there. Now it chanced that, a day
or two before, two young men, who lent at usance, had taken up their
abode in a house a little farther and lacking household gear, but
having a mind to gain much and spend little, had that day espied the
chest in question and had plotted together, if it should abide there
the night, to carry it off to their own house. Accordingly, midnight
come, they sallied forth and finding the chest still there, without
looking farther, they hastily carried it off, for all it seemed to
them somewhat heavy, to their own house, where they set it down beside
a chamber in which their wives slept and there leaving it, without
concerning themselves for the nonce to settle it overnicely, betook
them to bed.

Presently, the morning drawing near, Ruggieri, who had slept a great
while, having by