Of the first he had suffered none for days, and the second was far from him who wished to die.
Leaving the ancient woman in charge of the house, which she barred and bolted, next morning they took a boat, and the three of them rowed the body of the old knight a league out into the quiet sea.

There, after a brief prayer, they cast him into the deep, weighted with stones, so that he might never rise again.
Then they returned, not too soon, for they found thieves in the act of breaking into the house, probably in search of food.

These miserable, half-starved men they spared, though they could have killed them easily enough.

They even gave them a pouch full of biscuit and dried meat ere they dismissed them.

This they did quickly, since one of them, as they could see, was already stricken by the plague and had not long to live.
When they were gone, the old woman being out of the house, whence she had fled on hearing the robbers, they collected all Sir Geoffrey's and his lady's jewels and plate, of which there was much, for he lived in state in Venice, as became an ambassador.