Page 94 - THE DECAMERON: 100 Days on 100 Etchings by Petru Rusu
P. 94
“Girolamo and Salvestra“
A boy named Girolamo was born to a wealthy merchant, who in an awkward situation. How does she get rid of his body
dies when the boy is still young. Girolamo falls in love early without her husband finding out? The answer is: she’s not.
with a completely unsuitable neighbor girl called Salvestra (her Instead, she wakes her husband and asks him, hypothetically,
dad’s a tailor, and Girolamo’s mum doesn’t approve). Mom what he’d do if he were in that situation. You know, just
punishes him, lectures him, but to no effect. So she and his hypothetically. The husband says that he’d bring the corpse
guardians decide to pack him off to Paris. But Girolamo won’t back to its proper house. Well, says Salvestra, you’d better
be parted from Salvestra. Mom coaxes him by saying he only get your shoes on. She grabs his hand and makes him feel
has to go for one year. Of course, he stays away for a lot Girolamo’s cold corpse. Her husband is a real peach. He slings
longer. By the time he returns, Salvestra’s married. To make the body over his shoulder and deposits it on Girolamo’s
matters worse, Salvestra has forgotten him. Driven mad by doorstep. When the body’s discovered, everyone knows that
disappointment, Girolamo decides he has to speak to her in Girolamo died of grief. At the church, Salvestra’s husband asks
person. He decides to creep up on her at night while she’s her to go closer to the body so that she can hear if there’s
in bed with her husband. Salvestra nearly has a heart attack. any gossip. When she sees Girolamo, she begins to regret that
She turns out to be very practical, telling him to get the heck she didn’t kiss him. She’s so overwhelmed by Girolamo’s dead
out of there. Salvestra says that she loves her husband and face and the memory of their love that she drops down dead
they’re not kids anymore. Girolamo wants to die. In fact, he’s from grief, right on top of his body. Everyone understands
already turning cold. So he begs Salvestra to let him into immediately why Salvestra died. Her husband then tells the
bed to warm up. Amazingly, she agrees. Girolamo literally whole story and the two lovers are buried in the same tomb.
holds his breath until he dies. Best. Tantrum. Ever. Salvestra’s That is one evolved husband.
“Girolamo and Salvestra” retrieved from publicly source: shmoop
DECAMERON 94 <https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/decameron/summary/fourth-day-eighth-story>
