Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/93

 When she returned home, she anxiously waited for the night, in the belief that there would be no better time to tell her husband, who was somewhat unpredictable, of the criticism.

So, when night came, and it was time to go sleep, they went to bed. And as the woman began to caress her husband, she started to mention the excellent qualities of his Lion, and she told him at length that she knew of no defect, except for that it could never be weighed because of the great mass of the gold that it was made of.

And she said to her husband, "in truth, since your great knowledge enabled you to put wheels under the paws so that the Lion could easily be moved anywhere, your ingenuity should also enable you to find a way to solve this defect."

These words caused the goldsmith to be annoyed, because if he revealed the method to his wife, he was afraid that one day his theft could be discovered. On the other hand, if he kept it hidden from her, he would seem to have greatly damaged his reputation with her.

He told her, "I have resolved to never reveal this method to anyone. Nevertheless, because you are my wife and I love you with all my heart, I would not want to conceal it from you since I believe that you will never reveal it to anyone. But if, on the other hand, others would learn of my secrets, my reputation would be diminished and likewise, would be your standing and honor among other women."