and said to him, “Wall hi, thou liest, O certain person!” “Wherein do I lie?” quoth he, and quoth the other, “I will teach thee and show thee manifestly whether thy wife be a lady or a whore.  Do thou rise up from amongst us and hie thee home and go thou in to her and say, ’O woman, I am intent upon travelling to a certain place and being absent for a matter of four days and after will return; so do thou arise, O woman, and bring me some bread and a mould of cheese by way of viaticum.’  Then go thou forth from beside her and disappear for a while; and presently returning home hide thee in a private place without uttering a word.”  Cried those present, “By Allah, indeed these words may not be blamed.”  Accordingly, the man went forth from them and fared till he entered his house where he said, “O woman, bring me something of provision for a journey:  my design is to travel and to be absent for a space of four days or haply six.”  Cried the wife, “O my lord, thou art about to desolate me nor can I on any wise bear parting from thee; and if thou needs must journey do thou take me with thee.”  Now when the man heard these the words of his wife he said to himself, “By Allah, there cannot be the fellow of my spouse amongst the sum of womankind,” presently adding to her, “I shall be away from four to six days but do thou keep watch and ward upon thyself and open not my door to anyone at all.”  Quoth she, “O Man, how canst thou quit me?[FN#398] and indeed I cannot suffer such separation.”  Quoth he, “I shall not long be separated from thee;” and so saying he fared forth from her and disappeared for the space of an hour, after which he returned home softly walking and hid himself in a place where none could see him.  Now after the space of two hours behold, a Costermonger[FN#399] came into the house and she met him and salam’d to him and said, “What hast thou brought for me?” “Two lengths of sugar-cane,” said he, and said she, “Set them down in a corner of the room.”  Then he asked her, “Whither is thy husband gone?” and she answered, “On a journey:  may Allah never bring him back nor write his name among the saved and our Lord deliver me from him as soon as possible!” After this she embraced him and he embraced her and she kissed him and he kissed her and enjoyed her favours till such time as he had his will of her; after which he went his ways.  When an hour had passed a Poulterer[FN#400] came to the house, whereupon she arose and salam’d to him and said, “What hast thou brought me?” He answered, “A pair of pigeon-poults;” so she cried, “Place them under yon vessel."[FN#401] Then the man went up to the woman and he embraced her and she embraced him and he tumbled[FN#402] her and she tumbled him; after which he had his will of her and presently he went off about his own business.  When two hours or so had gone by there came to her another man which was a Gardener;[FN#403] so she arose and met him with a meeting still fairer than the first two and asked him, “What hast thou brought with