man had died from the blow he had received;
but of course this was a mistake, as you will see from my account, and
I only am the murderer; and although I am innocent of any wish to
commit a crime, I must suffer for it all the same, or else have the
blood of two Musselmans on my conscience. Therefore send away this
man, I pray you, and let me take his place, as it is I who am guilty."

On hearing the declaration of the Jewish doctor, the chief of police
commanded that he should be led to the gallows, and the Sultan's
purveyor go free. The cord was placed round the Jew's neck, and his
feet had already ceased to touch the ground when the voice of the
tailor was heard beseeching the executioner to pause one moment and to
listen to what he had to say.

"Oh, my lord," he cried, turning to the chief of police, "how nearly
have you caused the death of three innocent people! But if you will
only have the patience to listen to my tale, you shall know who is the
real culprit. If some one has to suffer, it must be me! Yesterday, at
dusk, I was working in my shop with a light heart when the little
hunchback, who was more than half drunk, came and sat in the doorway.
He sang me several songs, and then I invited him to finish the evening
at my house. He accepted my invitation, and we went away together. At
supper I helped him to a slice of fish, but in eating it a bone stuck
in his throat, and in spite of all we could do he died in a few
minutes. We felt deeply sorry for his death, but fearing lest we
should be held responsible, we carried the corpse to the house of the
Jewish doctor. I knocked, and desired the servant to beg her master to
come down as fast as possible and see a sick man whom we had brought
for him to cure; and in order to hasten his movements I placed a piece
of money in her hand as the doctor's fee. Directly she had disappeared
I dragged the body to the top of the stairs, and then hurried away with
my wife back to our house. In descending the stairs the doctor
accidentally knocked over the corpse, and finding him dead believed
that he himself was the murderer. But now you know the truth set him
free, and let me die in his stead."

The chief of police and the crowd of spectators were lost in
astonishment at the strange events to which the death of the hunchback
had given rise.

"Loosen the Jewish doctor," said he to the hangman, "and string up the
tailor instead, since he has made confession of his cr