about midnight
Whereupon Neifile , while a slight smile died away upon her lips , thus began : -- Fair ladies , to entertain you with a goodly story , such as those which my predecessors have delighted you withal , is indeed a heavy burden , but , God helping me , I trust fairly well to acquit myself thereof . You are to know , then , that there dwelt aforetime in our city a most wealthy merchant , Arriguccio Berlinghieri by name , who foolishly , as we wot by daily experience is the way of merchants , thinking to compass gentility by matrimony , took to wife a young gentlewoman , by no means suited to him , whose name was Monna Sismonda . Now Monna Sismonda , seeing that her husband was much abroad , and gave her little of his company , became enamoured of a young gallant , Ruberto by name , who had long courted her : and she being grown pretty familiar with him , and using , perchance , too little discretion , for she affected him extremely , it so befell that Arriguccio , whether it was that he detected somewhat , or howsoever , waxed of all men the most jealous , and gave up going abroad , and changed his way of life altogether , and made it his sole care to watch over his wife , insomuch that he never allowed himself a wink of sleep until he had seen her to bed : which occasioned the lady the most grievous dumps , because 't was on no wise possible for her to be with her Ruberto . So , casting about in many ways how she might contrive to meet him , and being thereto not a little plied by Ruberto himself , she bethought her at last of the following expedient : to wit , her room fronting the street , and Arriguccio , as she had often observed , being very hard put to it to get him to sleep , but thereafter sleeping very soundly , she resolved to arrange with Ruberto that he should come to the front door about midnight , whereupon she would get her down , and open the door , and stay some time with him while her husband was in his deep sleep . And that she might have tidings of his arrival , yet so as that none else might wot aught thereof , she adopted the device of lowering a pack-thread from the bedroom window on such wise that , while with one end it should all but touch the ground , it should traverse the floor of the room , until it reached the bed , and then be brought under the clothes , so that , when she was abed , she might attach it to her great toe . Having so done , she sent word to Ruberto , that when he came , he must be sure to jerk the pack-thread , and , if her husband were asleep , she would loose it , and go open to him ; but , if he were awake , she would hold it taut and draw it to herself , to let him know that he must not expect her . Ruberto fell in with the idea , came there many times , and now forgathered with her and again did not .