There was oncein the city of Bokharaa water-carrierwho used to carry water to the house of a goldsmith and had done thus thirty years. Now the goldsmith had a wife of exceeding beauty and elegance and withal renowned for modestychastity and piety. One daythe water-carrier cameas of wontand poured the water into the cisterns. Now the woman was standing in the midst of the court；so he went up to her and taking her handstroked it and pressed itthen went away and left her.
When her husband came home from the bazaarshe said to him'I would have thee tell me what thou hast done in the bazaar，todayto anger God the Most High.'Quoth he'I have done nothing.'Nay，'rejoined she'butby Allahthou hast indeed done something to anger God；and except thou tell me the truth，I will not abide in thy houseand thou shalt not see menor will I see thee.'I will tell thee the truth，'answered he.
'As I was sitting in my shop this daya woman came up to me and bade me make her a bracelet. Then she went away and I wrought her a bracelet of gold and laid it aside. Presently，she returned and I brought her out the bracelet. She put out her hand and I clasped the bracelet on her wrist；and I wondered at the whiteness of her hand and the beauty of her wrist and recalled what the poet says：
Braceletsupon her wristsof glittering virgin gold She hath，like fire ablaze on running water cold.
It is as if the wrists and bracelets thereabout Were water girt with fireright wondrous to behold.
So I took her hand and pressed it and squeezed it.'God is Most Great！'exclaimed the woman. 'Why didst thou this ill thing？ Know that the water-carrierwho has come to our house these thirty yearsnor sawst thou ever any treason in him，took my hand to day and pressed and squeezed it.'Quoth her husband'O womanlet us crave pardon of God！ VerilyI repent of what I didand do thou ask forgiveness of God for me.'God pardon me and thee，'said she'and vouchsafe to make good the issue of our affair！'
Next daythe water-carrier came in to the jeweller's wife and throwing himself at her feetgrovelled in the dust and besought pardon of hersaying'O my ladyacquit me of that which Satan deluded me to do；for it was he that seduced me and led me astray.'Go thy ways，'answered she；'the fault was not in theebut in my husbandfor that he did what he did in his shopand God hath retaliated upon him in this world.'And it is related that the goldsmithwhen his wife told him how the water-carrier had used hersaid'Tit for tat！ If I had done morethe water-carrier had done more.'And this became a current byword among the folk.
So it behoveth a wife to be both outward and inward with her husbandcontenting herself with little from himif he cannot give her muchand taking pattern by Aaisheh the Truthful and Fatimeh the Clean Maid（may God the Most High accept of them）that she may be of the company of the righteous.
