A water-carrier in Bokhara held the duty of carrying water to the goldsmith’s house for thirty years. His wife had a perfect blend of beauty and brilliance, apart from modesty and piousness.
One day when the water-carrier customarily poured the water into the cisterns at their house, he suddenly caught the lady’s hand, squeezed it and left the house. The goldsmith’s wife got worried. Soon after, when her husband returned home, she asked him to swear to her if he had committed something sinful that he had hidden from her.
Then he revealed that by chance, he was visited by a lady to buy a gold bracelet at his shop. Seeing the whiteness and beauty of her wrist, he couldn’t control himself and pressed her hand and squeezed it while clasping the bracelet on her wrist. His wife then informed him what had happened to her that morning and that the water-carrier had used her. The goldsmith was guilty of his deed.
The next day, the water-carrier came forward and asked the woman for her forgiveness, to which she answered it was indeed her husband’s folly and not the water-carrier’s. Both the goldsmith and his wife realized had he (goldsmith) done something more, the water-carrier would have done more.
