The surprise and pain were so great, that I fainted and fell down. I remained for so great a length of time in that state that it afforded the merchant sufficient opportunity to shut up his shop, and make his escape. When I returned to my senses, I perceived my cheek entirely covered with blood. The old lady and my women had the precaution, at the first instant, to cover my face with my veil, so that when the people collected to see what was the matter, they could perceive nothing; but believed it to be only a sudden weakness that had seized me. The old woman who accompanied me, and who was extremely chagrined at the accident which had happened, endeavoured nevertheless to give me courage. “Indeed, my good mistress,” she said to me, “I sincerely ask your pardon. I am the only cause of this misfortune. I carried you to this merchant because he was my countryman, and I could never have thought he would have been guilty of so great a wickedness; but do not afflict yourself; let us lose no time in returning to your house; I will give you a remedy which shall make so perfect a cure in three days, that not the least possible mark, or scar, shall remain.” My fainting had rendered me so weak that I could scarcely walk; I, however, contrived to get home, but on entering my chamber I again fainted. In the mean time the old woman applied her remedy, I recovered from the fit, and went immediately to bed. Night came, and my husband arrived. He perceived that my head was very much wrapped up, and asked me the reason of it. I told him that I had a bad head-ache, which I hoped would have satisfied him, but he took up a taper, and observing that I had a wound on my cheek, “How happened this?” he cried. Now, although I was not guilty of a very great fault, I could not make up my mind to discover the whole affair to him; to enter also into this detail, seemed to me not the most decorous. I told him that as I was going to purchase the silk I wanted, and which he had given me permission to do, a porter with a bundle of wood had passed so close to me at the corner of a very narrow street, that one of the sticks had grazed my cheek; but that it was a mere trifle. At this my husband was excessively enraged. “This act,” he cried, “shall not remain unpunished; I will to-morrow give an order to the officer of the police, to arrest all these brutes of porters, and hang every one of them.” Fearful of occasioning the death of so many innocent people, “Take care, my lord,” I cried, how you commit such an act of injustice: I should be very sorry to be the cause of your doing it; and if I were to be guilty of such a crime, I should think myself unworthy of pardon.”--“Tell me then, sincerely,” he said, “what am I to think of your wound?”