he took him up and went with him to the market and collected alms for him that day till eventide, when he bore him back to his abode and waited till the morrow.  Next morning, he again took up the bier and walked round with it as before, in quest of charity.  Presently, the Chief of Police, who was of those who had given him alms on the previous day, met him; so he was angered and fell on the porters and beat them and took the dead body, saying, “I will bury him and win reward in Heaven."[FN#457] So his followers took him up and carrying him to the Police-officer, fetched gravediggers, who dug him a grave.  Then they brought him a shroud and perfumes[FN#458] and fetched an old man of the quarter, to wash him:  so the Shaykh recited over him the appointed prayers[FN#459] and laying him on the bench, washed him and shrouded him.  After he had been shrouded he skited;[FN#460] so the grey-beard renewed the washing and went away to make the Wuzu-ablution, whilst all the folk departed to do likewise, before the orisons of the funeral.  When the dead man found himself alone, he sprang up, as he were a Satan; and, donning the corpse-washer’s dress,[FN#461] took the cups and water-can[FN#462] and wrapped them up in the napkins; then he clapped his shroud under his armpit and went out.  The doorkeepers thought that he was the washer and asked him, “Hast thou made an end of the washing, so we may acquaint the Emir?” The sharper answered “Yes,” and made off to his abode, where he found the Marw man a-wooing his wife and saying to her, “By thy life, thou wilt never again look upon his face for the best reason that by this time he is buried:  I myself escaped not from them but after toil and trouble, and if he speak, they will do him to death.”  Quoth she, “And what wouldst thou have of me?” and quoth he, “Satisfy my desire and heal my disorder, for I am better than thy husband.”  And he began toying with her as a prelude to possession.  Now when the Rayy man heard this, he said, “Yonder wittol-pimp lusteth after my wife; but I will at once do him a damage.”  Then he rushed in upon them, and when Al-Marwazi saw him, he wondered at him and said to him, “How didst thou make thine escape?” Accordingly he told him the trick he had played and they abode talking of that which they had collected from the folk, and indeed they had gotten great store of money.  Then said the man of Marw, “In very sooth, mine absence hath been prolonged and lief would I return to my own land.”  Al-Razi said, “As thou willest;” and the other rejoined, “Let us divide the monies we have made and do thou go with me to my home, so I may show thee my tricks and my works.”  Replied the man of Rayy, “Come to-morrow, and we will divide the coin.”  So the Marw man went away and the other turned to his wife and said to her, “We have collected us great plenty of money, and the dog would fain take the half of it; but such thing shall never be, for my mind hath been changed against him, since I heard him making love to thee;