Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 8, 1897.djvu/132

 108 there or not; but, as soon as the woman espied the messenger, she laid hold of him, in order that he might commit a sin with her. Being thus engaged, he was delayed (in returning) to his master, who went after him. Now when the woman recognised that her paramour had, according to custom, come to her to stay with her, she bade the page go to the inner room, while his master entered to have connection with her. But during the time these two were occupied, her husband arrived: she was afraid of her paramour entering the inner room, lest he would see his page there, so she cried to her paramour: 'Draw your sword, and go out at the door, cursing me and saying everything that's bad of me, but don't speak to my husband.' Her paramour did as she had said: he drew his sword, and left, cursing and swearing at the woman. At once her husband entered, and asked her what was the matter with that fellow who had his sword drawn and was cursing her. And the wife replied to him: ' The servant of the king came trembling with fright, and entered my abode, and took refuge with me; and so I stood up against this man, and prevented him from entering the house; and thus he left, cursing me.' And the husband enquired: 'Where is the servant?' She answered: 'Lo, in the inner room.' On the husband going out to see whether the master of the servant had gone, and on his not seeing him, he returned and called the servant from within, and told him to go in peace, since his master had departed. And he addressed his wife thus: 'I am of opinion that you acted kindly to that servant.' And now, my sovereign lord! be aware that that which I have told thee is for this purpose, that thou shouldst not give ear to wicked women, for they are base to excess." And the king gave orders that his son be not killed.

. VI.—The reply of the woman on the third day:—When the woman heard these things, she spake to the king on the third day thus: "These thy philosophers are wicked men, and they will be injurious to thee." The