their nostrils." She also sent to the women he had married and
divorced, and gave them of his good the equivalent of their
dowers and a solatium for losing their noses. And every day she
assembled the goodwives of the quarter and cooked for them
manifold kinds of food because her spouse the Kazi was possessed
of property approaching two Khaznahs[FN#219] of money, he being
ever loath to expend what his hand could hend and unprepared to
part with aught on any wise, for the excess of his niggardness
and his greed of gain. Nor did she cease from so doing for a
length of time until suddenly she overheard folk saying, "Our
Kazi hath borne a babe." And such bruit spread abroad and was
reported in sundry cities, nor ceased the rumour ere it reached
the ears of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad city. Now
hearing it he marvelled and cried, "Extolled be Allah! this hap,
by the Lord, never can have happened save at the hand of some
woman, a wise and a clever at contrivance; nor would she have
wrought after such fashion save to make public somewhat erst
proceeding from the Kazi, either his covetous intent or his high-
handedness in commandment. But needs must this good wife be
summoned before me and recount the cunning practice she hath
practiced;--Allah grant her success in the prank she hath played
upon the Judge." Such was her case; but as concerns the Kazi, he
abode working at builders' craft till his bodily force was
enfeebled and his frame became frail; so presently quoth he to
himself, "Do thou return to thy native land, for a long time hath
now passed and this affair is clean forgotten." Thereupon he
returned to Tarabulus, but as he drew near thereto he was met
outside the city by a bevy of small boys who were playing at
forfeits, and lo and behold! cried one to his comrades, "O lads,
do ye remember such and such a year when our Kazi was brought to