thereof.

The lady long time kept silence: but at last she yielded to his urgency,
and discovered to him the whole matter from first to last. Whereat
Giliberto was at first very wroth; but on second thoughts, considering
the purity of the lady's purpose, he was better advised, and dismissing
his anger:--"Dianora," quoth he, "'tis not the act of a discreet or
virtuous lady to give ear to messages of such a sort, nor to enter into
any compact touching her chastity with any man on any terms. Words that
the ears convey to the heart have a potency greater than is commonly
supposed, and there is scarce aught that lovers will not find possible.
'Twas then ill done of thee in the first instance to hearken, as
afterwards to make the compact; but, for that I know the purity of thy
soul, that thou mayst be quit of thy promise, I will grant thee that
which, perchance, no other man would grant, being also swayed thereto by
fear of the necromancer, whom Messer Ansaldo, shouldst thou play him
false, might, peradventure, cause to do us a mischief. I am minded, then,
that thou go to him, and contrive, if on any wise thou canst, to get thee
quit of this promise without loss of virtue; but if otherwise it may not
be, then for the nonce thou mayst yield him thy body, but not thy soul."
Whereat the lady, weeping, would none of such a favour at her husband's
hands. But Giliberto, for all the lady's protestations, was minded that
so it should be.

Accordingly, on the morrow about dawn, apparelled none too ornately,
preceded by two servants and followed by a chambermaid, the lady hied her
to Messer Ansaldo's house. Apprised that his lady was come to see him,
Messer Ansaldo, marvelling not a little, rose, and having called the
necromancer:--"I am minded," quoth he, "that thou see what goodly gain I
have gotten by thine art." And the twain having met the lady, Ansaldo
gave way to no unruly appetite, but received her with a seemly obeisance;
and then the three repaired to a goodly chamber, where there was a great
fire, and having caused the lady to be seated, thus spoke
Ansaldo:--"Madam, if the love that I have so long borne you merit any
guerdon, I pray you that it be not grievous to you to discover to me the
true occasion of your coming to me at this hour, and thus accompanied."
Shamefast, and the tears all but standing in her eyes, the lady made
answer:--"Sir 'tis neither love that I bear you, nor pledged you, that
brings me hither, but the c