is wife asleep, awoke her
saying--

"Guess, my wife, what hour it is.''

"I have not heard the clock strike since I went to bed," she replied.

"It is three hours after midnight," said he.

"If that be so," said his wife, "where have you been all this time? I
greatly fear that your health will be the worse for it."

"Sweetheart," said the Prince, "watching will never make me ill when
I am engaged in preventing those who try to deceive me from going to
sleep."

So saying, he began to laugh so heartily that his wife begged him to
tell her of the matter. This he did at length, showing her the wolf's
skin (4) which his servant had brought him. After making merry at
the expense of the hapless lovers, they went to sleep in gentle
tranquillity, while the other two passed the night in torment, fearing
and dreading lest the affair should be revealed.

However, the gentleman, knowing right well that he could not use
concealment with the Prince, came to him in the morning when he was
dressing to beg that he would not expose him, and would give orders for
the return of his cloak.

The Prince pretended that he knew nothing of the matter, and put such a
face on it that the gentleman was wholly at a loss what to think. But
in the end he received a rating that he had not expected, for the Prince
assured him that, if ever he went to the lady's room again, he would
tell the King of it, and have him banished the Court.

"I pray you, ladies, judge whether it had not been better for this poor
lady to have spoken freely to him who did her the honour of loving and
esteeming her, instead of leading him by her dissimulation to prove her
in a way that brought her so much shame."

"She knew," said Geburon, "that if she confessed the truth she would
wholly lose his favour, and this she on no account desired to do."

"It seems to me," said Longarine, "that when she had chosen a husband
to her liking, she ought not to have feared the loss of any other man's
affection."

"I am sure," said Parlamente, "that if she had dared to reveal her
marriage, she would have been quite content with her husband; but she
wished to hide it until her daughters were wed, and so she would not
abandon so good a means of concealment."

"It was not for that reason," said Saffredent, "but because the ambition
of women is so great that they are never satisfied with having only
one lover. I have heard that the discreetest of them are glad to have
three--one,