entlemen, here! What are you looking for? Beautiful veils,
beautiful wares?"

[Illustration]

"Good sir," replied one of them, "your wares may do very well, but our
wives are peculiar, and it has become the fashion in this city to buy
veils only of the handsome clerk, Said. We have been looking for him
this half-hour, but cannot find him; now if you can tell us where we
will meet him, we will buy from you some other time."

"Allah il Allah!" cried Kalum-Bek with a smirk. "The Prophet has led
you to the right door. You wish to buy veils of the handsome Said?
Good, just step inside; this is his place."

One of the men laughed at Kalum's short and ugly figure, and his
assertion that he was the handsome clerk; but the other, believing that
Kalum was trying to make sport of him, did not remain long in his debt,
but paid the merchant back in his own coin. Kalum-Bek was beside
himself; he called his neighbors to witness that his was the only shop
in the bazar that went by the name of "the shop of the handsome clerk;"
but the neighbors, who envied him the run of custom he had enjoyed for
some time, pretended not to know anything about the matter, and the two
men then made an attack upon the old liar, as they called him. Kalum
defended himself more with shrieks and curses than by the use of his
fists, and thus attracted a large crowd before his shop. Half the city
knew him to be a mean, avaricious old miser, nor did the bystanders
grudge him the cuffs he received; and one of his assailants had just
plucked the old man by the beard, when his arm was seized, and with a
sudden jerk he was thrown to the ground with such violence that his
turban fell off and his slippers flew to some distance.

The crowd, which very likely would have been rejoiced to see Kalum-Bek
well punished, grumbled loudly. The fallen man's companion looked
around to see who it was that had ventured to throw his friend down;
but when he saw a tall, strong youth, with flashing eyes and courageous
mien, standing before him, he did not think it best to attack him,
especially as Kalum regarding his rescue as a miracle, pointed to the
young man and cried: "Now then! what would you have more? There he
stands beyond a doubt, gentlemen; that is Said, the handsome clerk."
The people standing about laughed, while the prostrate man got up
shamefacedly, and limped off with his companion without buying either
shawl or veil.

"O you star of all clerks, you crown of the