Janish is an underhanded fellow, who is the third character to appear before a distressed woman of high status, under assault from a thuggish man. The previous two, a nobleman and a commoner respectively, offered her no help, the former because he feared to lose his own wealth, and the latter because he doubted his capacity to help her. Janish runs the assailant through with the length of that blade, and the woman thanks her.
In the latter half of the story, Janish is brought before a court of law to be tried for her crimes of theft, from several reputable shops and denizens. As it seems the rogue is to be hanged for these crimes, the woman's word, powerful due to her nobility, demands Janish be spared, and it is so. The citizens present protest, but she insists that despite her savior's roguish demeanor, the rope belongs to those of poor virtue; ergo, 'commoner and nobleman should find themselves at the end of it before Janish.'