the governor of the
city, who had now run thither at the noise and carried him before
their chief. The latter, for that he was held of all a very sorry
fellow, straightway put him to the question and he confessed to having
entered the usurers' house to steal; whereupon the governor thought to
let string him up by the neck without delay.

The news was all over Salerno by the morning that Ruggieri had been
taken in the act of robbing the money-lenders' house, which the lady
and her maid hearing, they were filled with such strange and exceeding
wonderment that they were like to persuade themselves that they had
not done, but had only dreamed of doing, that which they had done
overnight; whilst the lady, to boot, was so concerned at the news of
the danger wherein Ruggieri was that she was like to go mad. Soon
after half tierce[258] the physician, having returned from Malfi and
wishing to medicine his patient, called for his prepared water and
finding the flagon empty, made a great outcry, saying that nothing
could abide as it was in his house. The lady, who was troubled with
another great chagrin, answered angrily, saying 'What wouldst thou
say, doctor, of grave matter, whenas thou makest such an outcry anent
a flagonlet of water overset? Is there no more water to be found in
the world?' 'Wife,' rejoined the physician, 'thou thinkest this was
common water; it was not so; nay, it was a water prepared to cause
sleep'; and told her for what occasion he had made it. When she heard
this, she understood forthright that Ruggieri had drunken the opiate
and had therefore appeared to them dead and said to her husband,
'Doctor, we knew it not; wherefore do you make yourself some more';
and the physician, accordingly, seeing he might not do otherwise, let
make thereof anew.

[Footnote 258: _i.e._ about half-past seven a.m.]

A little after, the maid, who had gone by her mistress's commandment
to learn what should be reported of Ruggieri, returned and said to
her, 'Madam, every one missaith of Ruggieri; nor, for aught I could
hear, is there friend or kinsman who hath risen up or thinketh to rise
up to assist him, and it is held certain that the prefect of police
will have him hanged to-morrow. Moreover, I have a strange thing to
tell you, to wit, meseemeth I have discovered how he came into the
money-lenders' house, and hear how. You know the carpenter overagainst
whose shop was the chest wherein we laid him; he was but now at the