Page:The Pentamerone, or The Story of Stories.djvu/412

378 beautiful stepchildren such malice." So he gave orders that the sentence should be instantly executed. Then choosing a very rich lord among his vassals, he gave him Nennella to wife, and the daughter of another great lord to Nennillo; allowing them enough to live upon, with their father, so that they wanted for nothing in the world. But the stepmother, shut into the cask and shut out from life, kept on crying out through the bunghole as long as she had breath,

The pleasure which Paola's story gave to all the listeners is not to be told; but it being now Ciommetella's turn to speak, on receiving the signal she began as follows.