As I sat one day at the door of the Prefecture, behold, a woman suddenly
entered and said as though consulting me, “O my lord, I am the wife of
Such-an-one the Leach, and with him is a company of the notables[63] of
the city, drinking fermented drinks in such a place.” When I heard this,
I misliked to make a scandal; so I bluffed her off and sent her away
unsatisfied. Then I rose and walked alone to the place in question and
sat without till the door opened, when I rushed in and entering, found
the company even as the woman aforesaid had set out, and she herself
with them. I saluted them and they returned my salam and rising, treated
me with honour and seated me and served me with meat. Then I informed
them how one had denounced them to me, but I had driven him away and had
come to them by myself; so they thanked me and praising me for my
kindness, brought out to me from among them two thousand dirhams[64] and
I took them and went away. Now two months after this adventure, there
came to me one of the Kazi’s officers, with a paper, wherein was the
judge’s writ, summoning me to him. So I accompanied the officer and went
in to the Kazi, whereupon the plaintiff, he who had taken out the
summons, sued me for two thousand dirhams, declaring I had borrowed them
of him as the agent or guardian of the woman. I denied the debt, but he
produced against me a bond for that sum, attested by four of those who
were in company on the occasion; and they were present and bore witness
to the loan. I reminded them of my kindness and paid the amount,
swearing that I would never again follow a woman’s counsel. Is not this
marvellous? The company admired the goodliness of his tale and it
pleased Al-Malik al-Zahir; and the Wali said, “By Allah, this is a
strange story!” Then came forward the sixth constable and said to those
present, “Hear my adventure and that which befel me, to wit, that which
befel Such-an-one the Assessor, for ’tis rarer than this and finer.”