124
-
hanging herself. Found by her husband, she was carried tothe cemetery and put in a cave, it being the eve of Sabbathwhen she could not be buried. At midnight she awoke, revivedand started weeping. In the morning a duke, riding along,heard her crying, took her with him and kept her as a slavefor his wife. Seven years passed. The duke had been absentfor a time and was now expected home. The wife askedher to string the pearls for her while she went to the bath.Whilst the girl was stringing the pearls, a bird came andsnatched the string out of her hands and flew away. Hermistress would not believe her story and placed her in ahouse of ill- fame as punishment. Seven years passed. Theking wanted to build a new palace and a large tree in thegarden was cut down to be used as a beam. On the top ofit was found a bird's nest with the string of pearls in it.The people remembered the loss, sent for the girl, beggedher pardon, freed her from slavery and sent her home. Shethen came to a place where she worked in a synagogue anda Beth ha- Midrash. At one time a great scholar was announ-ced to arrive, who refused to stay anywhere else but in thesynagogue. Here the woman attended on him. One nightshe saw him weeping and crying until the morning. Afterbeing pressed for an answer, he told her of the disappearanceof his wife, for they had not been able to find her in thecave, and that he had always been hoping to find her, andthat he had refused to marry any other woman. She remind-ed him now of his lost wife. Then she made herself knownto him, gave him all the details and signs, told him her storyand they returned home and lived happily for many years.
342( 4). In the time of David, there were three years offamine. A poor man with nine sons and daughters hadnothing to eat for several days. A neighbour gave them9 boiled eggs.After 20 years the man claimed compensa-tion on the loss of the chickens continually hatched. Hecame to David, who condemned the poor man to pay300 dinars of gold. He did not have this amount; offeredsons and daughters as slaves for 200 dinars and his house