?"
screamed the astonished devotee.

"Release me; do not crush my poor ribs within your grasp. Set me down,
and I will walk with you, as soon as I have put on slippers."

The people crowded round to know what was the matter. "Ho, ho, that will
presently appear," replied Yussuf. "His wife is his creditor, and I am
her law officer; my demand is, that you restore to her fifty dinars,
besides all the gold jewels and ornaments she has had these last fifty
years."

"How can that be," replied the little man, "seeing that I am not forty
years old?"

"That may be the case in fact," replied Yussuf; "but law is a very
difficult thing, as you will find out. So come along with me to the
cadi."

The party then proceeded on their way to the cadi, but they had not gone
many yards, when the papouche-maker whispered to Yussuf, "Most valiant
and powerful sir, I quarrelled with my wife last night, on account of
her unreasonable jealousy. I did pronounce the divorce, but there was no
one to hear. If we slept together once more, she would be pacified.
Therefore, most humane sir, I entreat you to interfere."

"Was there no witness?" inquired Yussuf.

"None, good sir," replied the man, slipping five direhms into the hand
of Yussuf.

"Then I decide that there is no divorce," replied Yussuf, pocketing the
money, "and therefore you are no debtor. Woman, come hither. It appears
that there was no divorce--so says your husband--and you have no witness
to prove it. You are therefore no creditor. Go to your husband, and walk
home with him; he is not much of a husband, to be sure, but still he
must be cheap at the three dirhems which you have paid me. God be with
you. Such is my decree."

The woman, who had already repented of her divorce, was glad to return,
and with many compliments, they took their leave of him. "By Allah!"
exclaimed Yussuf, "but this is good. I will live and die an officer of
the law." So saying he returned home for his basket, purchased his
provisions and wine, and lighting up his house, passed the evening in
carousing and singing as before.

While Yussuf was thus employed, the caliph was desirous of ascertaining
the effect of the new decree, relative to the baths. "Giaffar," said he,
"I wonder whether I have succeeded in making that wine-bibber go to bed
supperless? Come, let us pay him a visit."

"For the sake of Islam, O caliph," replied Giaffar, "let us forbear to
trifle with that crackbrained drunkard any more.