And now Portia and Nerissa entered the house, and dressing themselves in their own apparel, they awaited the arrival of their husbands, who soon followed them with Antonio; and Bassanio presenting his dear friend to the lady Portia, the congratulations and welcomings of that lady were hardly over, when they perceived Nerissa and her husband quarreling in a corner of the room.  “A quarrel already?” said Portia.  “What is the matter?” Gratiano replied, “Lady, it is about a paltry gilt ring that Nerissa gave me, with words upon it like the poetry on a cutler’s knife, Love me, and leave me not.”

“What does the poetry or the value of the ring signify?” said Nerissa.  “You swore to me when I gave it to you, that you would keep it till the hour of death; and now you say you gave it to the lawyer’s clerk.  I know you gave it to a woman.”—­“By this hand,” replied Gratiano, “I gave it to a youth, a kind of boy, a little scrubbed boy, no higher than yourself; he was clerk to the young counselor that by his wise pleading saved Antonio’s life:  this prating boy begged it for a fee, and I could not for my life deny him.”  Portia said, “You were to blame, Gratiano, to part with your wife’s first gift.  I gave my lord Bassanio a ring, and I am sure he would not part with it for all the world.”  Gratiano, in excuse for his fault, now said, “My lord Bassanio gave his ring away to the counselor, and then the boy, his clerk, that took some pains in writing, he begged my ring.”

Portia, hearing this, seemed very angry, and reproached Bassanio for giving away her ring; and she said Nerissa had taught her what to believe, and that she knew some woman had the ring.  Bassanio was very unhappy to have so offended his dear lady, and he said with great earnestness, “No, by my honor, no woman had it, but a civil doctor, who refused three thousand ducats of me, and begged the ring, which, when I denied him, he went displeased away.  What could I do, sweet Portia?  I was so beset with shame for my seeming ingratitude, that I was forced to send the ring after him.  Pardon me, good lady; had you been there, I think you would have begged the ring of me to give the worthy doctor.”

“Ah!” said Antonio, “I am the unhappy cause of these quarrels!”

Portia bid Antonio not to grieve at that, for that he was welcome notwithstanding; and then Antonio said, “I once did lend my body for Bassanio’s sake; and but for him to whom your husband gave the ring, I should have now been dead.  I dare be bound again, my soul upon the forfeit, your lord will nevermore break his faith with you.”—­“Then you shall be his surety,” said Portia; “give him this ring, and bid him keep it better than the other.”

When Bassanio looked at this ring, he was strangely surprised to find it the same he gave away; and then Portia told him how she was the young counselor, and Nerissa was her clerk; and Bassanio found, to his unspeakable wonder and delight, that it was by the noble courage and wisdom of his wife that Antonio’s life was saved.