[This is just the Siddi Kür story of the mischief-making fox, which I have given as ‘The Perfidious Friend’ in ‘Sagas from the Far East,’ and similar to the first Pantcha Tantra story.]
[2] ‘Esempio,’ see preface. ‘Esempiuccio,’ a termination of endearment, meaning in this place ‘a nice “esempio”.’ [↑]
[3] ‘Vecchiaccia,’ bad old woman. [↑]
[4] ‘Forma di formaggio,’ a whole cheese. ‘Cacio,’ the proper word for cheese, is almost entirely superseded by ‘formaggio,’ which comes from ‘forma,’ the press or mould in which it is made. [↑]
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE ROOM OF A HOTEL.[1]
They say there was a countess who was very fond of her husband, and her husband was very fond of her; and they vowed nothing should ever make the one think ill of the other.
One day the brother of the countess, who had been long away at the wars, and whom the count had never seen, came back to see her just while the count was out.