desirest to
discover. Thou wouldst fain find her who is thy enemy, although thou
deemest her to be thine innocent friend. I will show thee the way to
her. But I will think of ways and means to guard thee against her
wickedness. For that purpose I must know thy exact age. If thou hast
not quite forgotten thy former love for thy true master, tell me now
the day and hour of thy birth."

Jussuf willingly told him the day and the hour, for he was very glad
that Modibjah promised to tell him the native country of the
butterfly. What he said about the wickedness of an enemy he took for
the whims of an old man, and therefore it did not weigh at all with
him. In the meanwhile, Modibjah had gone into a side-chamber, and now
brought out a large, deep box, whilst he cleared away the parchments
and instruments spread about on the table. On the cover a great number
of cross lines were drawn through one another, and among them were
worked innumerable gold and silver stars. After he had carefully
traced all these, he produced a small box of ebony, skilfully inlaid
with streaks of mother-of-pearl.

"I have reckoned thine age," said he: "thou art now just thirty years,
nine months, and seven days, and eight hours old. All these years,
months, days, and hours form the figure of fifty-four. God be praised
and His great Prophet, it is not yet of the worst."

During this speech he sat down, and at a nod from him Jussuf seated
himself opposite. Then he pressed a hidden spring in the little black
box, the lid sprang up, and he shook the contents before Jussuf on the
table. They were a number of half-moons, little stars, triangles, and
other figures of ivory.

"Count out fifty-four of them," said he. And Jussuf did it.

After the old man had quickly collected the remainder together, and
placed them again in the box, he called to him to throw the figures
that he had counted out in the air in such a manner that they should
fall down on the table-cloth. Jussuf did as he was desired, and the
figures spread themselves in their fall over the whole table. The old
man considered them attentively for some time, and began to murmur,
half-singing, a form of words in a foreign language, and touched with
his finger quickly, as if he were counting one or other of them, now
and then taking away one and placing it with the others in the box. He
repeated his words twice, and counted and pointed with his finger,
taking away from the figures as at first, ti