Page 194 - THE DECAMERON: A Visionary Journey in 100 Stories and 100 Etchings by Petru Russu

colder than he liked, as it had snowed heavily all day. However, he bore We may find his words as amusing as the sight of him."
The Decameron to her lover, "Let's go to the chamber and peek through a lattice at the They quietly left the room and went to the door. The lady, leaving it closed,
it patiently, expecting to be rewarded soon. After a while, the lady said

scholar you are jealous of and see how he responds to the maid I sent
called the scholar through a small hole in a low voice. Hearing her, the
to speak with him." They went to a lattice where they could see without
scholar praised God, thinking he would be admitted. He came to the
being seen and heard the maid call from another window, saying, "Rinieri,
door and said, "Here I am, Madam; open for God's sake; let me in, for I
my lady is distressed because one of her brothers is here tonight. After
talking with her for a long time, he must sup with her and has not yet left,
with the snow, it is very cold. But the nights are much colder in Paris. I
but I think he will soon. That is why she hasn't come to you, but she will am dying of cold." "Oh, yes," replied the lady, "I know you are cold, and
cannot let you in yet because my accursed brother, who came to supper,
come soon. She hopes you don't mind waiting." The scholar, believing is still here. He will leave soon, and then I will let you in immediately. I just
her, replied, "Tell my lady not to worry about me and to come when she managed to slip away to give you heart so the wait won't bother you."
can." The maid withdrew and went to bed, while the lady said to her "But, Madam," replied the scholar, "for the love of God, let me in so I can
lover, "Now, what do you think? If I cared for him as you fear, would I have a roof over my head. It has been snowing heavily for some time, and
let him stay there and freeze?" With that, the lady and her now partly it is still snowing. I will wait as long as you please once I am inside." "Oh,
reassured lover went to bed, where they laughed and made merry over my sweet love," said the lady, "I cannot, for this door makes such a noise
the luckless scholar. when opened that my brother would hear. But I will go tell him to leave
and then come back to let you in." "Go at once, then," said the scholar,
The scholar paced up and down the courtyard to keep warm, as he had "and please make sure a good fire is kindled so I can warm myself when
nowhere to sit or take shelter. He cursed the lady's brother for his long I get in. I am so chilled that I can barely feel anything." "That can hardly
stay and thought every sound was the lady opening the door. But his be," replied the lady, "if it is true, as you claimed in your letters, that you
hopes were in vain. The lady, having enjoyed herself with her lover until are all afire with love for me. It is clear to me now that you were mocking
nearly midnight, then said to him, "How do you rate our scholar, my love? me. I will leave you now; wait and be of good cheer."
Which is greater, his wit or the love I bear him? Will the cold he now
suffers, which I arranged, banish the suspicion my light words planted in The lady and her lover, who had heard everything with immense delight,
your heart the other day?" "Indeed, my heart," replied the lover, "I now went to bed. They had little sleep that night, spending most of it making
know that just as you are my joy, my consolation, my bliss, so am I to merry over the unfortunate scholar. His teeth chattered so much that
you." "Then," said the lady, "I must have a thousand kisses from you to he seemed to have turned into a stork. Realizing he had been fooled, he
prove your words." The lover's answer was to embrace her and give her made several fruitless attempts to open the door and find a way out. He
not just a thousand but a hundred thousand kisses. They dallied a while paced like a lion, cursing the weather, the long night, his simplicity, and
longer, and then the lady said, "Let's get up now and see if the fire, with the lady's perversity. His wrath turned his love for her into bitter enmity,
which this new lover of mine claimed to burn, is quite spent." They went and he plotted grand schemes of revenge, more determined than ever.
to the lattice they had used before and peered into the courtyard, where Slowly the night passed, and at dawn, the maid, following her mistress's
they saw the scholar dancing a hornpipe to the music of his chattering instructions, came down, opened the courtyard door, and greeted Rinieri
teeth, shivering from the cold. They had never seen anyone dance so with a compassionate air, saying, "Curse the one who came here last night;
nimbly and quickly. "What do you say, my sweet hope?" asked the lady. he kept us up all night and left you freezing out here. But don't be upset;
"Don't I know how to make men dance without a trumpet or cornemuse?" what couldn't happen tonight will happen another time. I know my lady
"Indeed you do, my heart's delight," replied the lover. The lady then said, could not bear what happened." Despite his anger, the scholar, knowing
"I want to go down to the door. You stay quiet, and I will speak to him. that threats only put the threatened on guard, kept his resentment to
190
The Decameron