Page:Matteo Bandello - twelve stories (IA cu31924102029083).pdf/284

took a torch like those that they light when the priest upraises the Body of Christ, and, going back, was fain to look once more upon the face of his dead lady. Then, searching the chest, he found chains and rings of gold that were hers, besides a goodly sum of money. All this he took, and after shutting the chest went out of the tomb, placing the stone at its mouth as before, with the help of an iron bar lying there. Then he made his way out of the church and the convent, through the friars' garden, and got back to his own home, where he remained many days without letting any one see him, for, as it seemed to him, he was still shut up in the tomb. It is my firm belief that if he ever fell in love again with any woman, he was wise enough not to let himself run such risks, for indeed they are not of the sort to be frequently encountered; and all should beware of loving women who hold their own ungoverned appetites more dear than their gallants' lives.