had rescued the woman from the pit and carried her to his
dwelling and tended her there, [till she recovered].

Here they halted and took up their lodging with the old man, who
questioned the husband of his case and that of his brother and
the reason of their journey, and he said, 'I purpose to go with
my brother, this sick man, to the holy woman, her whose prayers
are answered, so she may pray for him and God may make him whole
by the blessing of her prayers.' Quoth the villager, 'By Allah,
my son is in a parlous plight for sickness and we have heard that
the holy woman prayeth for the sick and they are made whole.
Indeed, the folk counsel me to carry him to her, and behold, I
will go in company with you. And they said, 'It is well.' So they
passed the night in that intent and on the morrow they set out
for the dwelling of the holy woman, this one carrying his son and
that his brother.

Now the man who had stolen the clothes and forged a lie against
the pious woman, pretending that he was her lover, sickened of a
sore sickness, and his people took him up and set out with him to
visit the holy woman, and Destiny brought them all together by
the way. So they fared on, till they came to the city wherein the
man dwelt for whom she had paid a thousand dirhems, to deliver
him from torment, and found him about to travel to her, by reason
of a sickness that had betided him. So they all fared on
together, unknowing that the holy woman was she whom they had so
foully wronged, and ceased not going till they came to her city
and foregathered at the gates of her palace, to wit, that wherein
was the tomb of the king's daughter.