A certain assessor was one day taken with a woman and much people
assembled before his house and the lieutenant of police and his
men came to him and knocked at the door. The assessor looked out
of window and seeing the folk, said, "What aileth you?" Quoth
they, "[Come,] speak with the lieutenant of police such an one."
So he came down and they said to him, "Bring forth the woman that
is with thee." Quoth he, "Are ye not ashamed? How shall I bring
forth my wife?" And they said, "Is she thy wife by
contract[FN#118] or without contract?" ["By contract,"] answered
he, "according to the Book of God and the Institutes of His
Apostle." "Where is the contract?" asked they; and he replied,
"Her contract is in her mother's house." Quoth they, "Arise and
come down and show us the contract." And he said to them, "Go
from her way, so she may come forth." Now, as soon as he got wind
of the matter, he had written the contract and fashioned it after
her fashion, to suit with the case, and written therein the names
of certain of his friends as witnesses and forged the signatures
of the drawer and the wife's next friend and made it a contract
of marriage with his wife and appointed it for an excuse.[FN#119]
So, when the woman was about to go out from him, he gave her the
contract that be had forged, and the Amir sent with her a servant
of his, to bring her to her father. So the servant went with her
and when she came to her door, she said to him, "I will not
return to the citation of the Amir; but let the witnesses[FN#120]
present themselves and take my contract."

Accordingly, the servant carried this message to the lieutenant
of police, who was standing at the assessor's door, and he said,
"This is reasonable." Then said [the assessor] to the servant,