she immediately apprehended it might be her husband, and therefore concealed her lover under a heap of damp unironed linen which had been bundled up in a comer near the window. She then ran to the door, and demanded who was there. "Open the door, thou wicked woman," cried the professor from without, "and thou wilt soon know it." The lady opened the door, and, seeing him with a sword in his hand, exclaimed, "good heavens! what means this, my dear Sir?"—"Thou well knowest whom thou hast in the house," he said. "Good heavens," cried the lady, "what is it you mean, are you mad? Look over the house," she said, "and if you find any one, I give you leave to execute your threats. How should I think of conducting myself otherwise than I always have done; beware, Sir, lest the evil spirit take possession of you, and lead you to destruction."

The husband, having got a candle, went looking about all over the house; in the cellar, behind and under all the casks, butts, and indeed in every corner: then ran up stairs like a madman; searched every part 'of the room, but the right one; under the bed; thrust his sword into every square inch of the bedding, yet could he not find any thing. The lady, who stuck close to him with a light in her hand, often repeated to him, "good master! cross yourself, for assuredly the evil spirit is in you, and has tempted you to seek after what does not exist, for if I had the most distant thought of such wickedness, I would be the death of myself. Therefore, I do entreat you not to suffer yourself to be seduced by such wicked thoughts." Upon which the professor, unable to find the object of his search, and hearing what the lady had said, began to think he was mistaken in his suspicions, and so put out the light, and returned to the college.

The lady immediately brought out Bacciuolo from under the clothes, and lighted a large fire; put on it a famous fine capon to boil, and they pledged each other merrily, the lady often saying, "You see, my good little man has not found us out;" and so they cheerfully spent some hours together. In the morning Bacciuolo went to the professor, and said, "Oh, my good sir! I will make you laugh."

"How is that?" said the professor. "Last night, after I had been a short time at the lady's house, in came the husband, and though he hunted every where in search of me, he could not find me, for she had hidden me under a heap of damp linen, that were going to be dried; and the lady talked the poor fellow over so, that he soon went away; when we had a large capon for supper, drank some excellent wine, and had the best fun you can imagine, and I have promised to return again to night."

"Be sure," said the professor, "when you go this evening, to let me know." Bacciuolo answered he would, and left the professor.

The professor meanwhile was in the utmost rage, and actually beside himself—so much so that he was not able to attend at the classes, he was so broken hearted. However, he consoled himself with the idea that he should catch him at night. So he purchased a breast plate, a light armour, and with his cuirass, rapier, and stiletto, cut quite a martial figure. When the time came, Bacciuolo innocently went to the professor, and said, "I am going."

"Well," said the professor, "go, and return to-morrow, and relate to me what may have happened."

"I will," said Bacciuolo, and marched off to the lady's house. The professor put on his armour, and followed Bacciuolo close at his heels, and thought of overtaking him at the door. The lady, who was upon the watch, opened the door quickly, let in her lover, and shut it again like lightning. When the professor reached the house he began to knock with all his might, making a tremendous noise. The lady in an instant put out the light, and made Bacciuolo slide behind her, opened the door, and clasping her arms on the neck of her husband, whirled him round and gave Bacciuolo an opportunity of slipping out; at the same time crying, "help! help! the man is mad, the man is mad;" still holding the poor gentleman tight round the waist.

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The neighbours, upon hearing this noise, ran out, and seeing the professor thus armed at all points, with his huge breast-plate, cuirass, helmet, long rapier, and stiletto, and the lady crying out, "Hold him, hold him, he is mad; he has cracked his brain with study;" thought it was really true, and that he had lost his wits. They began to say to him, "what means all this, good Signor? go to bed and rest—do not torment yourself in this way."

"How can I rest," he shouted, "when this wicked woman is harbouring a man in the house? I saw him go in with my own eyes."

"Oh wretched woman that I am," cried the lady, "ask these neighbours, all, whether they have ever witnessed improper conduct in me." They all with one voice answered, both men and women—"Do not think, Signor, so base a thing, for never was a better woman born than this lady—more virtuous or more decorous."

"How!" said the professor, "why I saw the man enter the house, and I am sure he is in it now." In the mean time two of the lady's brothers arrived, and when she saw them, she burst into tears, and said, "my dear brothers! this husband of mine is raving mad, and will have it that I have a man in the house, and wants to be the death of me, and you well know whether I am a woman likely to fall into such abominations." The brothers said to the armed philosopher, who foamed at the mouth with rage, "we marvel much, Sir, that you should dare suspect a sister of ours of such an act, and wonder what can make you dream of such a thing, having lived with her so long."

"I tell you," said the professor, "that there is a man in the house, and I have seen him."

"Well!" said the brothers, "let us hunt him out, and if he is found here, we will give her such a lesson as shall make you full amends." One of the brothers drew the lady aside, and said, "Hast thou in truth really got any one in the house?"

"Alas!" said the lady, "heaven forbid! may I die before I harbour such a thought as no woman of our family was ever guilty of. Art thou not ashamed to put such a question?" Upon which the brother felt quite happy, and the three went up to search. The professor directly made for the damp linen, pulled them about, and stabbed them through and through in every direction, hardly leaving an inch through which he did not stick his sword, and the while taunting and insulting Bacciuolo as if he had actually been under them.

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"Well," said the lady, "did I not tell you he was mad? see how he spoils the linen: thou hast not been at the trouble of getting them up—that is very clear." The brothers then began to think he was truly mad, and after seeking every where, and not finding any one, one brother said, "This fellow is certainly mad." The other then said, "Signor, in truth you do an infamous injustice to this sister of ours, in giving her so vile a character." But the professor, who well knew how matters stood, being in a rage, began to quarrel violently with them, and kept his naked sword in his hand. So each of them took a good stick, and being determined to administer a little wholesome correction, they laid them about the poor professor most unmercifully, and when they had nearly broken the sticks on his back, they bound him for a madman, telling every body that he had cracked his brain by intense study, and so they tied him up all