“Upon a certain morning when one Abdullah (who was my boon companion and the next merchant in importance to myself) decided to mark his best pipkins at ten dinars the dozen I happened most prudently to have offered my own at eight and a half dinars to my favourite customers.
“And all this while I lived upon my hidden hoard.
“Poor Abdullah came to me in a sweat, very early the next morning, and after some meaningless compliments and many pauses, asked me to go into partnership. ‘For’ (said he) ‘though he admitted he had not my capacities, yet he had a long experience in the trade, a large connection and many influential friends in the allied lines of pipkin brokerage, pipkin insurance, pipkin discount, pipkin remainders, and—a most important branch—the buying and selling of imaginary pipkins.’
“He could—he anxiously assured me—be of great service as an ally, but he was free to confess that if he continued as he was he would be ruined; for, to tell the truth, he had already come to the end of his resources and had not a dinar in the house.
“I heard him out with a grave and sympathetic countenance, heaving deep sighs when he touched upon his fears, nodding and smiling when he spoke of his advantages, patting him affectionately when he professed his devotion to myself, and assuming a look of anguish when he spoke of his approaching ruin.
“But when he had concluded—almost in tears—I told him in tones somewhat slower and graver than my ordinary, that I had one fixed principle in life, bequeathed me by my dear father, now in Paradise, never to enter into partnership; no, not with my nearest and dearest, but ever to remain alone in my transactions. I frankly admitted that this made me a poor man and would keep me poor. It would be greatly to my advantage, in the despicable goods of this world, to have at my disposal Abdullah’s marvellous experience, his great array of family and business connections (to which my wretched birth could make no claim), and above all his genius for following the market. But the goods of this world were perishable—especially earthenware—and the sacred pledge given to my sainted parent counted more with me than all the baked mud in the world.
“As I thus spoke Abdullah’s breast heaved with tempestuous sobs, provoked by the affecting example of my filial piety, but also, I fear, by the black prospect of his own future.
“I could not bear to witness his distress. I hastened to relieve it. Though my vow (I said) forbade me solemnly to enter into partnership, yet I could be of service to him in another manner. I would lend him money at a low rate of interest to the value of half his stock upon the security of the whole. Times would change. The present ruinous price of pipkins (by which I myself suffered severely) could not long endure. He would lift his head again and could repay me at his leisure.
“He thanked me profusely, kissed my hand again and again, and gave me an appointment next day to view his merchandise and draw up the contract.
“I visited him at the hour agreed. The public notaries drew up an inventory of his whole stock, including his house and furniture, his prayer beads (which I was interested in, for they were of a costly Persian make), his dead wife’s jewels, all his clothes, his bed, and his pet cat—an animal of no recorded pedigree but reputed to be of the pure Kashmir breed. I carefully noted all flaws, however slight, in each pipkin of his warehouse and set all such damaged goods aside as a makeweight. The sound pipkins I made no bones of but accepted frankly at their market value, and when the whole was added up the valuation came to no less than 20,000 dinars. Yet so hidebound in routine were the inhabitants of the place that Abdullah—if you will believe me!—had actually set his business stock down in his old books at fourfold that amount!
“As I had had to carry on, I had not now left by me my full hoard of 10,000 dinars. I had but 8,000 left. Yet I was in no difficulty. Half 20,000 is 10,000—but there would be deductions!
“The costs of all this inventory and mortgage were, of course, set down against my valued friend Abdullah, but since he had not the ready cash wherewith to pay the notaries, their clerks, the demurrage fees, the stamps, the royal licence, the enregistration, the triplicates, the broker’s commission, the …”
“Pray, uncle,” cried the youngest of the nephews, “what are all these?”
“You must not interrupt me, my boy,” answered the great merchant, a little testily, “they are the necessary accompaniments of such transactions. … Well, as I was saying, the broker’s commission, the porter’s wages, the gratuities to the notaries’ servants, the cleaning up of the warehouse after all was over, and a hundred other petty items, I generously allowed them to be de ducted from the loan; for our Prophet has said, ‘Blessed is he that shall grant delay to his debtor.’ That very evening, with every phrase of goodwill and expressed hopes for his speedy recovery of fortune, I counted out to my dear friend Abdullah the full balance of 16,325 dinars and one half dinar, and left him overjoyed at the possession of so much immediate wealth.
“But, alas! no man can forecast the morrow, and all things were written at the beginning
