I held my competitor in such contempt, that I let him get the start of me, on purpose to make him ridiculous; but I was not prepared for his pulling a golden apple out of his bag, and throwing it as far as he could in a direction different from that of the goal.  The sight of a curiosity so tempting was too much for my prudence; and it rolled away so roundly, and to such a distance, that I lost more time in reaching it than I looked for.  Before I overtook the old gentleman, he threw another apple, and this again led me a chase after it.  In short, I blush to say, that, resolved as I was to be tempted no further, seeing that the end of our course was now at hand, and my marriage with an old man instead of a young man was out of the question, he seduced me to give chase to a third apple, and fairly reached the goal before me.  I wept for rage and disgust, and meditated every species of unconjugal treatment of the old fox.  What right had he to marry such a child as I was?  I asked myself the question at the time; I asked it a thousand times afterwards; and I must confess, that the more I have tormented him, the more the retaliation delights me.

However, it was of no use at the moment.  The old wretch bore me off to his domains with an ostentatious triumph; and then, his jealousy misgiving him, he shut me up in a castle on a rock, where he endeavoured from that day forth to keep me from the sight of living being.  You may judge what sort of castle it was by its name—­Altamura (lofty wall).  It overlooked a desert on three sides, and the sea on the fourth; and a man might as well have flown as endeavoured to scale it.  There was but one path up to the entrance, very steep and difficult; and when you were there, you must have pierced outwork after outwork, and picked the lock of gate after gate.  So there sat I in this delicious retreat, hopeless, and bursting with rage.  I called upon death day and night, as my only refuge.  I had no comfort but in seeing my keeper mad with jealousy, even in that desolate spot.  I think he was jealous of the very flies.

My handsome youth, Ordauro, however, had not forgotten me; no, nor even given me up.  Luckily he was not only very clever, but rich besides; without which, to be sure, his brains would not have availed him a pin.  What does he do, therefore, but take a house in the neighbourhood on the sea-shore; and while my tormentor, in alarm and horror, watches every movement, and thinks him coming if he sees a cloud or a bird, Ordauro sets people secretly to work night and day, and makes a subterraneous passage up to the very tower!  Guess what I felt when I saw him enter!  Assuredly I did not show him the face which I shewed Folderico.  I die with joy this moment to think of my delight.  As soon as we could discourse of any thing but our meeting, Ordauro concerted measures for my escape; and the greatest difficulty being surmounted by the subterraneous passage, they at last succeeded.  But our enemy gave us a frightful degree of trouble.