Now she was righteous in all her dealings and swerved not from
one word;[FN#3] so, when he saw that she consented not unto him,
he misdoubted that she would tell his brother, when he returned
from his journey, and said to her, 'An thou consent not to this
whereof I require thee, I will cause thee fall into suspicion and
thou wilt perish.' Quoth she, 'Be God (extolled be His perfection
and exalted be He!) [judge] betwixt me and thee, and know that,
shouldst thou tear me limb from limb, I would not consent to that
whereto thou biddest me.' His folly[FN#4] persuaded him that she
would tell her husband; so, of his exceeding despite, he betook
himself to a company of people in the mosque and told them that
he had witnessed a man commit adultery with his brother's wife.
They believed his saying and took act of his accusation and
assembled to stone her. Then they dug her a pit without the city
and seating her therein, stoned her, till they deemed her dead,
when they left her.

Presently a villager passed by [the pit and finding] her [alive,]
carried her to his house and tended her, [till she recovered].
Now, he had a son, and when the young man saw her, he loved her
and besought her of herself; but she refused and consented not to
him, whereupon he redoubled in love and longing and despite
prompted him to suborn a youth of the people of his village and
agree with him that he should come by night and take somewhat
from his father's house and that, when he was discovered, he
should say that she was of accord with him in this and avouch
that she was his mistress and had been stoned on his account in
the city. So he did this and coming by night to the villager's
house, stole therefrom goods and clothes; whereupon the old man
awoke and seizing the thief, bound him fast and beat him, to make