Patient Countess_.--L. and Ed.

In the city of Tours there dwelt a chaste and comely townswoman, who, by
reason of her virtues, was not only loved but feared also and respected
by her husband. Nevertheless, with all the fickleness of men who grow
weary of ever eating good bread, he fell in love with a farm tenant (2)
of his own, and would oft-time leave Tours to visit the farm, where he
always remained two or three days; and when he came back to Tours he was
always in so sorry a plight that his wife had much ado to cure him, yet,
as soon as he was whole again, he never failed to return to the place
where pleasure caused him to forget all his ills.

2 The French word here is _metayere_. The _metayer_ (fem.
metayere) was a farm tenant under the general control of his
landlord, who supplied him with seed and took to himself a
considerable portion of the produce. The system was done
away with at the Revolution, but was revived here and there
under the Restoration, when some of the nobles came to
"their own" again, and there may even nowadays be a few
instances of the kind.--Ed.

When his wife, who was anxious above all things for his life and health,
found him constantly return home in so evil a plight, she went to the
farm and found there the young woman whom her husband loved. Then,
without anger but with graceful courage, she told her that she knew her
husband often went to see her, but that she was ill-pleased to find him
always return home exhausted in consequence of her sorry treatment of
him. The poor woman, influenced as much by respect for her mistress
as by regard for the truth, was not able to deny the fact, and craved
forgiveness.

The lady asked to see the room and bed in which her husband was wont
to sleep, and found it so cold and dirty and ill-appointed that she was
moved to pity. Forthwith she sent for a good bed furnished with sheets,
blankets and counterpane such as her husband loved; she caused the room
to be made clean and neat and hung with tapestries; provided suitable
ware for his meat and drink, a pipe of good wine, sweetmeats and
confections, and begged the woman to send him back no more in so
miserable a state.

It was not long before the husband again went, as was his wont, to see
his tenant, and he was greatly amazed to find his poor lodging in such
excellent order. And still more was he surprised when the woman gave him
to drink in a silver