There was once a devotee, a recluse, a woman who had devoted
herself to religion. Now she used to resort to a certain King's
palace,
[FN#217] whose dwellers were blessed by her presence and
she was held of them in high honour. One day she entered that
palace according to her custom and sat down beside the King's
wife. Presently the Queen gave her a necklace, worth a thousand
dinars, saying, "Keep this for me, O woman, whilst I go to the
Hammam." So she entered the bath, which was in the palace, and
the pious woman remaining in the place where the Queen was and
awaiting her return laid the necklace on the prayer-carpet and
stood up to pray. As she was thus engaged, there came a
magpie
[FN#218] which snatched up the necklace, while she went out
to obey a call of nature and carrying it off, hid it inside a
crevice in a corner of the palace-walls. When the Queen came out
of the bath, she sought the necklace of the recluse, who also
searched for it, but found it not nor could light on any trace of
it; so she said to the King's wife, "By Allah, O my daughter,
none hath been with me. When thou gavest me the necklace, I laid
it on the prayer-carpet, and I know not if one of the servants
saw it and took it without my heed, whilst I was engaged in
prayer. Almighty Allah only knoweth what is come of it!" When the
King heard what had happened, he bade his Queen put the
bath-woman to the question by fire and grievous blows, --And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
King bade his Queen question the bath-woman with fire and
grievous blows, they tortured her with all manner tortures, but
could not bring her to confess or to accuse any. Then he
commanded to cast her into prison and manacle and fetter her; and
they did as he bade. One day, after this, as the King sat in the
inner court of his palace, with the Queen by his side and water
flowing around him, he saw the pie fly into a crevice in a corner
of the wall and pull out the necklace, whereupon he cried out to
a damsel who was with him, and she caught the bird and took the
necklace from it. By this the King knew that the pious bath-woman
had been wronged and repented of that he had done with her. So he
sent for her to the presence and fell to kissing her head and
with many tears sought pardon of her. Moreover, he commanded much
treasure to be given to her, but she refused and would none of
it. However, she forgave him and went away, swearing never again
to enter any one's house. So she betook herself to wandering in
the mountains and valleys and worshipped God until she died, and
Almighty Allah have mercy upon her! "And for an instance of the
malice of the male sex" (continued the damsel), "I have heard, O
King, tell this tale of
The Two Pigeons."
