I was companying with the Kazi’s daughter.  Then he carried us off and gaoled us in his house and now (Alham-dolillah!) here we are between thy hands.  So do thou whatso thou will and command according to Holy Law and whoever shall deserve chastisement deal it to him, for thou art the lord of our necks and the master of our good.”  Now when the youth spake these words the King bade put to death the Chief of Police and harry his house and enslave his women and he commanded the Crier before the execution to cry about the thoroughfares of Cairo in front of the Wali that he was being led to die and declare, “This is the award of him who dishonoureth the noble and chargeth the folk with lying charges and false!” After that they slew the Chief of Police and thus carried out the King’s commandment.—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

          The Seven Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that after the Wali had been put to death the Sultan bestowed his good upon Mohammed Shalabi and having gifted him with munificent gifts sent him home with his spouse in all honour.  And when the youth returned to his quarters he fell to kissing his wife’s hands and feet, for that he had been saved at her hands by the stratagem she had wrought for him and she had preserved the honour of the Kazi’s daughter and had enabled her father to prevail over his enemy the Wali.[FN#465] “And now I will relate to thee” (quoth Shahrazad) “another tale touching the wiles of women;” and thereupon she fell to recounting the story of

The fellah and his wicked wife.[FN#466]

There was of olden time in the land of Egypt a Fellah, or tiller of the ground, who had a fair woman to wife and she had another man to friend.  The husband used to sow every year some fifty faddan[FN#467] of seeding-wheat wherein there was not one barley-grain, and grind it in the mill and pass this meal to his spouse who would sift it and bolt it.  Then would she take the softest and best of the flour to make thereof either scones or cakes[FN#468] or something more toothsome which she would give to her friend and feed him therewith, whereas the refuse of the flour[FN#469] she would make into loaves for her husband so this bread would be ruddy-brown of hue.[FN#470]