unt,
for if the police came to hear of it the worthy couple ran the risk of
being thrown into prison for wilful murder. In order to prevent this
dreadful calamity they both set about inventing some plan which would
throw suspicion on some one else, and at last they made up their minds
that they could do no better than select a Jewish doctor who lived
close by as the author of the crime. So the tailor picked up the
hunchback by his head while his wife took his feet and carried him to
the doctor's house. Then they knocked at the door, which opened
straight on to a steep staircase. A servant soon appeared, feeling her
way down the dark staircase and inquired what they wanted.

"Tell your master," said the tailor, "that we have brought a very sick
man for him to cure; and," he added, holding out some money, "give him
this in advance, so that he may not feel he is wasting his time." The
servant remounted the stairs to give the message to the doctor, and the
moment she was out of sight the tailor and his wife carried the body
swiftly after her, propped it up at the top of the staircase, and ran
home as fast as their legs could carry them.

Now the doctor was so delighted at the news of a patient (for he was
young, and had not many of them), that he was transported with joy.

"Get a light," he called to the servant, "and follow me as fast as you
can!" and rushing out of his room he ran towards the staircase. There
he nearly fell over the body of the hunchback, and without knowing what
it was gave it such a kick that it rolled right to the bottom, and very
nearly dragged the doctor after it. "A light! a light!" he cried
again, and when it was brought and he saw what he had done he was
almost beside himself with terror.

"Holy Moses!" he exclaimed, "why did I not wait for the light? I have
killed the sick man whom they brought me; and if the sacred Ass of
Esdras does not come to my aid I am lost! It will not be long before I
am led to jail as a murderer."

Agitated though he was, and with reason, the doctor did not forget to
shut the house door, lest some passers-by might chance to see what had
happened. He then took up the corpse and carried it into his wife's
room, nearly driving her crazy with fright.

"It is all over with us!" she wailed, "if we cannot find some means of
getting the body out of the house. Once let the sun rise and we can
hide it no longer! How were you driven to commit such a terrible
crime