be well rewarded, if he told the truth; whereas, if he lied, he
should be thrown into prison for life. Thereupon the little page, eager
to have the good and to avoid the evil, told him the whole story, and
showed him the letter that his mistress had written to the preacher. At
this her husband was the more astonished and grieved, as he had all his
life long been persuaded of the faithfulness of his wife, in whom he had
never discovered a fault.

Nevertheless, being a prudent man, he concealed his anger, and so that
he might fully learn his wife's intention, he sent a reply as though
from the preacher, thanking her for her goodwill, and declaring that his
was as great towards her. The page, having sworn to his master that he
would conduct the matter with discretion, (3) brought the counterfeit
letter to his mistress, who was so greatly rejoiced by it that her
husband could see that her countenance was changed; for, instead of
growing lean from the fasts of Lent, she now appeared fairer and fresher
than before they began.

3 This is borrowed from MS. 1520. In our MS. the passage
runs, "The page having shown his master how to conduct this
affair," &c.--L.

It was now mid-Lent, but no thought of the Passion or Holy Week
prevented the lady from writing her frenzied fancies to the preacher
according to her wont; and when he turned his eyes in her direction, or
spoke of the love of God, she thought that all was done or said for love
of her; and so far as her eyes could utter her thoughts, she did not
spare them.

The husband never failed to return her similar answers, but after Easter
he wrote to her in the preacher's name, begging her to let him know how
he could secretly see her. She, all impatient for the meeting, advised
her husband to go and visit some estates of theirs in the country, and
this he agreed to do, hiding himself, however, in the house of a friend.
Then the lady failed not to write to the preacher that it was time he
should come and see her, since her husband was in the country.

The gentleman, wishing thoroughly to try his wife's heart, then went to
the preacher, and begged him for the love of God to lend him his robe.
The preacher, who was a man of worth, replied that the rules of
his Order forbade it, and that he would never lend his robe for a
masquerade. (4) The gentleman assured him, however, that he would make
no evil use of it, and that he wanted it for a matter necessary to his