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Quoth she, "Thy wife hath a man friend who passed every night

with her during thine absence." Thereupon the husband went to his

wife in a violent rage and bashed her with a bashing severe

enough to satisfy any body. The woman, suspecting that one of the

slave girls had been tattling to the master, called them together

and questioned them upon their oaths, when all swore that they

had kept the secret, but that the Parrot had not, adding, "And we

heard her with our own ears." Upon this the woman bade one of the

girls to set a hand mill under the cage and grind therewith and a

second to sprinkle water through the cage roof and a third to run

about, right and left, flashing a mirror of bright steel through

the livelong night. Next morning when the husband returned home

after being entertained by one of his friends, he bade bring the

Parrot before him and asked what had taken place whilst he was

away.