and saw her face, the love of her gat hold upon his heart and he became passionately fond of her and his soul prompted him to evil.  So he besought her to lie with him, but she refused and showed him how foul was his deed, and he found him no way to win what he wished;[FN#418] wherefore he wooed her with soft speech and gentle ways.  Now she was righteous in all her doings and never swerved from one saying;[FN#419] so, when he saw that she consented not to him, he had no doubts but that she would tell his brother, when he returned from his journey, and quoth he to her, “An thou consent not to whatso I require of thee, I will cause a scandal to befal thee and thou wilt perish.”  Quoth she, “Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) judge betwixt me and thee, and know that, shouldst thou hew me limb from limb, I would not consent to that thou biddest me to do.”  His ignorance[FN#420] of womankind persuaded him that she would tell her spouse; so he betook himself of his exceeding despite, to a company of people in the mosque and informed them that he had witnessed a man commit adultery with his brother’s wife.  They believed his word and documented his charge and assembled to stone her.[FN#421] Then they dug her a pit outside the city and seating her therein, stoned her, till they deemed her dead, when they left her.  Presently a Shaykh of a village passed by the pit and finding her alive, carried her to his house and cured her of her wounds.  Now he had a youthful son, who, as soon as he saw her, loved her and besought her of her person; but she refused and consented not to him, whereupon he redoubled in love and longing and his case prompted him to suborn a youth of the people of his village and agree with him that he should come by night and take somewhat from his father’s house and that, when he was seized and discovered, he should say that she was his accomplice in this and avouch that she was his mistress and had been stoned on his account in the city.  Accordingly he did this, and, coming by night to the villager’s house, stole therefrom goods and clothes; whereupon the owner awoke and seizing the thief, pinioned him straitly and beat him to make him confess; and he confessed against the woman that she was a partner in the crime and that he was her lover from the city.  The news was bruited abroad and the citizens assembled to put her to death; but the Shaykh with whom she was forbade them and said, “I brought this woman hither, coveting the recompense of Allah, and I know not the truth of that which is said of her and will not empower any to hurt or harm her.”  Then he gave her a thousand dirhams, by way of alms, and thrust her forth of the village.  As for the thief, he was imprisoned for some days; after which the folk interceded for him with the old man, saying, “This is a youth and indeed he erred;” and he released him from his bonds.  Meanwhile the woman went out at hap-hazard and donning a devotee’s dress, fared on without ceasing, till she came to