I Was one day abroad on business with certain of my comrades; and, as we walked along behold, we fell in with a company of women,

The Third Constable's History 13 as they were moons, and among them one, the tallest of them and the handsomest. When I saw her and she saw me, she lagged behind her companions and waited for me till I came up to her and bespake her. she said, "O my lord (Allah favour you!) I saw you prolong your looking on me and I fancied that you knew me. If it be thus, let me learn more of you." I said, "By God, I know you not, save that the Most High Lord has cast the love of you into my heart and the goodliness of your qualities has confounded me; and that wherewith the Almighty has gifted you of those eyes that shoot with shafts has captivated me." And she rejoined, "By God, indeed I feel the like of that which you feel; ay, and even more; so that It seems to me I have known you from childhood." Then i said, "A man cannot well effect all whereof he has need in the market places." She asked me, "Have you a house?" and I answered, "No, By God, nor is this city my dwelling place." Rejoined she, "By God, nor have I a place; but I will contrive for you."

Then she went on before me and I followed her till she came to a lodging house and said to the Housekeeper, "Have you an empty room?" The other replied, "Yes:" and my mistress said, "Give us the key." So we took the key and going up to see the room, entered to inspect it; after which she went out to the Housekeeper and giving her a dirham, said to her, "Take the douceur of the key for the chamber pleases us, and here is another dirham for your trouble. Go, fetch us a gugglet of water, so we may refresh ourselves and rest till siesta time pass and the heat decline, when the man will depart and bring our bag and baggage." Therewith the Housekeeper rejoiced and brought us a mat, two gugglets of water on a tray, a fan and a leather rug. We abode thus till the setting in of mid afternoon, when she said, "Needs must I make the Ghusl ablution before I fare."

I said, "Get water wherewith we may both wash," and drew forth from my pocket a score or so of dirhams, thinking to give them to her; but she cried, "Refuge with Allah!" And brought out of her pocket a handful of silver, saying, "But for destiny and that the Almighty has caused the love of you fall into my heart, there had not happened that which has happened." I said, "Accept this in requital of that which you have spent;" and she said, "O my lord, by and by, whenas mating is prolonged between us, you will see if the like of me looks unto money and means or no." Then the lady took a jar of water and going into the lavatory, made the Ghusl ablution and presently coming forth, prayed the mid afternoon prayer and craved pardon of Allah Almighty for the sin into which she had fallen. Now I had he asked name and she answered, "Rayhánah," and described to me her dwelling place. When I saw her make the ablution, I said within myself, "This woman does in this way, and shall I not do the like of her doing?" Then I said to her, "perhaps you will seek us another jar of water?"

Accordingly she went out to the Housekeeper and said to her, "O my sister, take this Nusf and fetch us for it water wherewith we may wash the flags." So the Housekeeper brought two jars of water and I took one of them and giving her my clothes, entered the lavatory and bathed. When I had made an end of bathing, I cried out, saying, "Harkye, my lady Rayhanah!" However none answered me. So I went out and found her not; but I did find that she had taken my clothes and all that was in them of silver, to wit, four hundred dirhams. She had also carried off my turband and my kerchief and I lacked the wherewithal to veil my shame; so I suffered somewhat than which death is less grievous and abode looking about the place, hoping that Perhaps I might espy a rag wherewith to hide my nakedness. Then I sat a little and presently going up to the door, smote upon it; at which up came the Housekeeper and I said to her, "O my sister, what has Allah done with the woman

The Third Constable's History 15 who was here?" She replied, "The lady came down just now and said, 'I'm going to cover the boys with the clothes,' adding, 'and I have left him sleeping; If he awake, tell him not to stir till the clothes come to him.'" Then I cried, "O my sister, secrets are safe with the fair dealing and the freeborn. By God, this woman is not my wife, nor ever in my life have I seen her before this day!" And I recounted to her the whole affair and begged of her to cover me, informing her that my private parts were clean unconcealed. She laughed and cried out to the women of the lodging house, saying, "Ho, Fátimah! Ho, Khadíjah! Ho, Harífah! Ho, Saninah!" Whereupon all those who were in the place of women and neighbours flocked to me and fell a mocking me and saying, "O pimp, what had you to do with gallantry?" Then one of them came and looked in my face and laughed, and another said, "By God, you might have known that she lied, from the time she said she liked you and was in love with you! What is there in you to love?"

A third said, "This is an old man without wisdom;" and all vied one with other in exercising their wits upon me, I suffering mighty sore chagrin. However, one of the women took compassion on me after a while, and brought me a rag of thin stuff and cast it on me. With this I covered my shame, and no more, and abode awhile thus: then I said in myself, "The husbands of these women will presently gather together upon me and I shall be disgraced." So I went out by another door of the lodging house, and young and old crowded about me, running after me and crying, "A madman! A madman!" Till I came to my house and knocked at the door; whereupon out came my wife and seeing me naked, tall, bare of head, cried out and ran in again, saying, "This is a maniac, a Satan!" But, when my family and spouse knew me, they rejoiced and said to me, "What ails you?" I told them that thieves had taken my clothes and stripped me and had been like to slay me; and when I assured them that the rogues would have slaughtered me, they praised Allah Almighty and gave me joy of my safety. So consider the craft this woman practised upon me, and I pretending to cleverness and wiliness. Those present marvelled at this story and at the doings of women; then came forward a fourth constable and said,

"Now that which has happened me of strange adventures is yet stranger than this, and 'twas after the following fashion."