unded in before her, and stopped in front of the fire, begging
and praying to be allowed to stay.

All that day there was no food in the house, for the veils had not been
sold, and they had no money to buy anything with. So they all sat silent
at their work, inwardly cursing the head which was the cause of their
misfortunes.

When evening came, and there was no sign of supper, the head spoke, for
the first time that day:

'Good mother, does no one ever eat here? During all the hours I have
spent in your house not a creature has touched anything.'

'No,' answered the old woman, 'we are not eating anything.'

'And why not, good mother?'

'Because we have no money to buy any food.'

'Is it your custom never to eat?'

'No, for every morning I go into the city to sell my veils, and with the
few shillings I get for them I buy all we want. To-day I did not cross
the bridge, so of course I had nothing for food.'

'Then I am the cause of your having gone hungry all day?' asked the
head.

'Yes, you are,' answered the old woman.

'Well, then, I will give you money and plenty of it, if you will only do
as I tell you. In an hour, as the clock strikes twelve, you must be on
the bridge at the place where you met me. When you get there call out
"Ahmed," three times, as loud as you can. Then a negro will appear, and
you must say to him: "The head, your master, desires you to open the
trunk, and to give me the green purse which you will find in it."'

'Very well, my lord,' said the old woman, 'I will set off at once for
the bridge.' And wrapping her veil round her she went out.

Midnight was striking as she reached the spot where she had met the head
so many hours before.

'Ahmed! Ahmed! Ahmed!' cried she, and immediately a huge negro, as tall
as a giant, stood on the bridge before her.

'What do you want?' asked he.

'The head, your master, desires you to open the trunk, and to give me
the green purse which you will find in it.'

'I will be back in a moment, good mother,' said he. And three minutes
later he placed a purse full of sequins in the old woman's hand.

No one can imagine the joy of the whole family at the sight of all this
wealth. The tiny, tumble-down cottage was rebuilt, the girls had new
dresses, and their mother ceased selling veils. It was such a new thing
to them to have money to spend, that they were not as careful as they
might have been, and by-and-by there was not a single coin left in the
pur