[044]
All professed themselves ready enough to eat the pills; and so,
having set them in a row with Calandrino among them, Bruno,
beginning at one end, proceeded to give each a pill, and when he
came to Calandrino he chose one of the pills of dog-ginger and put it
in his hand.
[045]
Calandrino thrust it forthwith between his teeth and
began to chew it; but no sooner was his tongue acquainted with the
aloes, than, finding the bitterness intolerable, he spat it out.
[046]
Now,
the eyes of all the company being fixed on one another to see who should
spit out his pill, Bruno, who, not having finished the distribution,
feigned to be concerned with nought else, heard some one in his rear
say: "Ha! Calandrino, what means this?" and at once turning
round, and marking that Calandrino had spit out his pill:
[047]
"Wait a
while," quoth he, "perchance 'twas somewhat else that caused thee
to spit: take another;" and thereupon whipping out the other pill of
dog-ginger, he set it between Calandrino's teeth, and finished the
distribution. [048]Bitter as Calandrino had found the former pill, he
found this tenfold more so; but being ashamed to spit it out, he kept
it a while in his mouth and chewed it, and, as he did so, tears stood in
his eyes that shewed as large as filberts, and at length, being unable
to bear it any longer, he spat it out, as he had its predecessor.
[049]
Which
being observed by Buffalmacco and Bruno, who were then administering
the wine, and by all the company, 'twas averred by common
consent that Calandrino had committed the theft himself; for which
cause certain of them took him severely to task.
