Pray don't mention it," said Horace; "only too pleased if I've been of
any use to you."

"In the sky it is written upon the pages of the air: 'He who doth kind
actions shall experience the like.' Am I not an Efreet of the Jinn?
Demand, therefore, and thou shalt receive."

"Poor old chap!" thought Horace, "he's very cracked indeed. He'll be
wanting to give me a present of some sort soon--and of course I can't
have that.... My dear Mr. Fakrash," he said aloud, "I've done
nothing--nothing at all--and if I had, I couldn't possibly accept any
reward for it."

"What are thy names, and what calling dost thou follow?"

"I ought to have introduced myself before--let me give you my card;" and
Ventimore gave him one, which the other took and placed in his girdle.
"That's my business address. I'm an architect, if you know what that
is--a man who builds houses and churches--mosques, you know--in fact,
anything, when he can get it to build."

"A useful calling indeed--and one to be rewarded with fine gold."

"In my case," Horace confessed, "the reward has been too fine to be
perceived. In other words, I've never _been_ rewarded, because I've
never yet had the luck to get a client."

"And what is this client of whom thou speakest?"

"Oh, well, some well-to-do merchant who wants a house built for him and
doesn't care how much he spends on it. There must be lots of them
about--but they never seem to come in _my_ direction."

"Grant me a period of delay, and, if it be possible, I will procure thee
such a client."

Horace could not help thinking that any recommendation from such a
quarter would hardly carry much weight; but, as the poor old man
evidently imagined himself under an obligation, which he was anxious to
discharge, it would have been unkind to throw cold water on his good
intentions.

"My dear sir," he said lightly, "if you _should_ come across that
particular type of client, and can contrive to impress him with the
belief that I'm just the architect he's looking out for--which, between
ourselves, I am, though nobody's discovered it yet--if you can get him
to come to me, you will do me the very greatest service I could ever
hope for. But don't give yourself any trouble over it."

"It will be one of the easiest things that can be," said his visitor,
"that is" (and here a shade of rather pathetic doubt crossed his face)
"provided that anything of my former power yet remains unto me."

"Well, never mind, sir," said