[047]
Now when the lady's brothers-in-law entered the room, and found
that the Angel Gabriel had taken flight, leaving his wings behind him,
being baulked of their prey, they roundly rated the lady, and then,
leaving her disconsolate, betook themselves home with the Angel's
spoils.
[048]
Whereby it befell, that, when 'twas broad day, the good man,
being on the Rialto, heard tell how the Angel Gabriel had come to
pass the night with Monna Lisetta, and, being surprised by her
brothers-in-law, had taken fright, and thrown himself into the Canal,
and none knew what was become of him. The good man guessed
in a trice that the said Angel was no other than the man he had at
home, whom on his return he recognized, and, after much chaffering,
brought him to promise him fifty ducats that he might not be given
up to the lady's brothers-in-law.
[049]
The bargain struck, Fra Alberto
signified a desire to be going. Whereupon: "There is no way,"
said the good man, "but one, if you are minded to take it. To-day
we hold a revel, wherein folk lead others about in various disguises;
as, one man will present a bear, another a wild man, and so forth;
and then in the piazza of San Marco there is a hunt, which done, the
revel is ended; and then away they hie them, whither they will, each
with the man he has led about.
[050]
If you are willing to be led by me
in one or another of these disguises, before it can get wind that you
are here, I can bring you whither you would go; otherwise I see not
how you are to quit this place without being known; and the lady's
brothers-in-law, reckoning that you must be lurking somewhere in this
quarter, have set guards all about to take you."
[051]
Loath indeed was Fra
Alberto to go in such a guise, but such was his fear of the lady's relations
that he consented, and told the good man whither he desired to be
taken, and that he was content to leave the choice of the disguise
to him. [052]The good man then smeared him all over with honey, and
covered him with down, set a chain on his neck and a vizard on
his face, gave him a stout cudgel to carry in one hand, and two
huge dogs, which he had brought from the shambles, to lead with
the other, and sent a man to the Rialto to announce that whoso would
see the Angel Gabriel should hie him to the piazza of San Marco; in
all which he acted as a leal Venetian.
[053]
And so, after a while, he led
him forth, and then, making him go before, held him by the chain
behind, and through a great throng that clamoured: "What manner
of thing is this? what manner of thing is this?" he brought him
to the piazza, where, what with those that followed them, and those
that had come from the Rialto on hearing the announcement, there
were folk without end.
[054]
Arrived at the piazza, he fastened his wild
man to a column in a high and exposed place, making as if he were
minded to wait till the hunt should begin; whereby the flies and
gadflies, attracted by the honey with which he was smeared, caused
him most grievous distress.
[055]
However, the good man waited only
until the piazza was thronged, and then, making as if he would
unchain his wild man, he tore the vizard from Fra Alberto's face,
saying: "Gentlemen, as the boar comes not to the hunt, and the hunt
does not take place, that it be not for nothing that you are come hither,
I am minded to give you a view of the Angel Gabriel, who comes
down from heaven to earth by night to solace the ladies of Venice."
[056]
The vizard was no sooner withdrawn than all recognized Fra Alberto,
and greeted him with hootings, rating him in language as offensive
and opprobrious as ever rogue was abused withal, and pelting him in
the face with every sort of filth that came to hand:
[057]
in which plight
they kept him an exceeding great while, until by chance the bruit
thereof reached his brethren, of whom some six thereupon put themselves
in motion, and, arrived at the piazza, clapped a habit on his
back, and unchained him, and amid an immense uproar led him off
to their convent, where, after languishing a while in prison, 'tis believed
that he died.
