narrated by vicente hilario of batangas, batangas, who heard the story from an old man (now deceased) from the barrio of balayan.
long ago there lived in a distant kingdom an influential noble named ludovico, who vastly increased his wealth by his marriage to a rich heiress called clotilde. during the first ten years of their union she had never peeped out of her window or stirred out of her room: she only walked to the door of her chamber to bid farewell to her husband or to receive his parting kiss when he was off to attend to his official business, and to meet him with a [249]tender embrace when he returned. nobody else but ludovico and her chaperon could see or talk with her: to these two persons only did clotilde reveal her secrets and convey the thoughts of her spotless soul. she spent her time in voluntary seclusion, not in the luxuries of the court or the gaieties of society, but in embroidery, knitting, and in the unnecessary embellishment of her extremely lovely person.
but an incident now happened that seriously threatened to destroy the foundations of their blissful union, for there may be eddies and counter-currents in the steady and swift flow of a stream. the king invited all the nobles in the land to a sumptuous banquet to be given in one of the principal frontier cities. ludovico was among the first persons to accept the king’s invitation. when the luxurious repast was over, the guests gathered in groups around small tables in the adjoining grounds to while away the sultry hours and to discuss the questions of the day. one of these groups was composed of ludovico and six other nobles, among whom was a bold, sharp-tongued rich youth named pio. the conversation touched on topics concerning the fair sex, especially of women historically famous for their personal charms, virtues, and vices. the garrulous pio ridiculed the noble constancy and other excellent traits of the fair clotilde.
“i will bet you anything you want to bet, that you cannot learn the secrets of my wife in fifteen days,” said ludovico, his face flushed with wrath.
“all right,” said pio, exasperated by ludovico’s boast. “the loser shall be hanged. i will bet my life that i’ll know the secrets of your wife within fifteen days.”
the terms of the contract were carefully written down, solemnly ratified by the king, and signed by the two contestants and by the other high-born gentlemen.
pio set out the next day for ludovico’s home town. the inexperienced youth looked in vain for ludovico’s residence. finally he asked a jolly fellow, who showed him the house after a long roundabout conversation. pio went upstairs, where he saw the gray-haired chaperon sitting alone in the spacious hall, which was decorated to vie in magnificence with the most gorgeously furnished apartment of the king. the accomplished pio doffed his bonnet to the old woman, and politely asked for her mistress.
[250]“nobody but her husband and me is allowed to see her,” said the ugly old hag.
pio then sat down and began to talk to her. by his persuasive language and the magnetic touch of his hands he easily insinuated himself into her confidence. then, dropping a piece of gold on her palm, he said, “will you tell me the secrets of your mistress?”
the old woman looked at him suspiciously, but the brilliant coin proved too great a temptation for her. “clotilde,” she said, “has three golden1 locks of hair under her left armpit. i know this fact, because i bathe her every day.”
pio heaved a deep groan and turned his face aside. after recovering himself, he dropped another gold-piece into the hand of the chaperon, and said, “will you get one of those locks for me?”
she hesitated, but his eloquence was irresistible. “i’ll give you the lock to-morrow,” she said. pio then departed, and she returned to her mistress.
early the next morning, while the old woman was bathing clotilde as usual, she pulled out one of clotilde’s golden locks. “aray!” exclaimed clotilde, “what’s the matter with you?”
“never mind, never mind!” said the old woman with many caresses. “this is the only reward i want for my many faithful services to you.”
ignorant of the treasonable intrigues of her chaperon, clotilde said nothing more. before noon pio arrived. with trembling hands and pale cheeks, the old woman gave him the golden lock. she was amply rewarded with a purse of gold. ignorant of the fatal consequences of her treacherous act, she gayly went back to clotilde’s private chamber.
pio left the town late in the afternoon, and soon arrived at the capital. ludovico was struck aghast at the sight of the golden lock. he at once wrote a letter to his wife which ran in part as follows:—
“i have spent ten years of my life in perfect happiness with you. i expected to enjoy such blissful days for a much longer period. but now everything is hopeless. my life shall be ended by violence, because of your faithlessness. we shall see each other no more. receive the sad farewell of your ludovico.”
[251]when clotilde read this letter, she swooned. when she came to her senses, she awoke as from a trance. but when she beheld the letter again, she read again the opprobrious word “faithlessness” in her husband’s handwriting. she did not know what act of disloyalty she had committed. she moved about in her room by fits and starts. at last a thought came to her mind: she sent for the best goldsmith in town, and told him to make her a gold slipper adorned with precious stones. under her strict supervision the work was completed in a marvellously short time. then she put on her best clothes and the precious slipper, and with all possible expedition set out for ludovico.
clotilde arrived in the city just a few minutes before the execution. she drove directly to the king’s pavilion. her only companion was the same old woman who had caused all this trouble. the turbulent persons who had gathered in the public square to witness the horrible spectacle were awed by the loveliness and magnificent attire of clotilde. when she reached the king, and asked him for all the details concerning ludovico’s case, and when the king had given her all the information he could, she turned and pointed toward pio, and said, “that man has stolen my other slipper which looks like this one i am wearing.”
the king called pio from the place where he was standing, and told him all about the fair lady’s accusation. “i have not committed any crime against her,” said pio angrily. “i don’t even know her. this is the first time i have ever seen her.”
“sir,” said clotilde sneeringly, “why, then, did you tell his majesty and other persons that you have discovered my secrets? i am the wife of ludovico, whose life you have threatened to end by your deceit. i know now by what means you got possession of my golden lock.”
clotilde’s statement sealed pio’s fate. he was hanged in place of ludovico, who deeply regretted having doubted his faithful wife. and what happened to the old woman, who preferred the gold of an impostor to the kindness of a virtuous woman? the hag was sentenced to spend the remainder of her life in a damp, dreary dungeon.
