“The Saint spoke next in a more benevolent and softer voice, bade me be seated cross-legged before him, and adopting the same attitude pronounced the following remarkable words:
“ ‘The Just, the Merciful (Whose name be exalted!), has given to different men different aptitudes. The fool attempts that of which he is incapable. The wise man recognizes his limitations.’
“In the silence that followed I turned these weighty phrases over in my mind and recognized excerpts from the Proverbs of Mar-Hakim, whose wisdom has been collected by the Persians, and has been famous since the times of the second Omar.
“After a short interval the voice continued:
“ ‘In mutual appreciation and in mutual benefits each acquires profit. The shortsighted forfeit advantage by too much grasping.’
“These words, which were chanted rather than said, I recognized to be from a totally different collection of popular sayings, formerly current in Arabia, and reduced to writing in the first century of Hegira by the learned of Rasht. It was clear that I was in the presence of a man unusually well-informed, and my conviction was confirmed when after yet another solemn pause the voice continued as though in conclusion:
“ ‘In acquiring money there is profit, but in letting it slip there is none at all.’
“This last jewel of wisdom I immediately recalled as part of yet another collection, to wit, the Sacred Books of the Jews; and from this further example of immense erudition my estimation of the Being possessed of it arose to the clouds.
“After such a preface I might have expected further general statements of a moral nature from my host, when suddenly I perceived a total change in the tones of his voice and a similar change in his attitude. He put off the preoccupation of religion. He took on the tone of familiar intercourse proper to temporal affairs. He smiled genially and entered upon a conversation such as one might enjoy in the bazaar of any city or in the private hospitality of any merchant.
“ ‘There are some,’ he said, ‘who would have blamed your conduct; and in a sense I do so; for I cannot excuse your passage of four whole days without a thought of heaven. But then, we are all agreed that the driving of a trade, especially if it be remarkably rapid and lucrative, is a very worthy occupation, and it is one of my regrets that my professional devotion to the Other World has curtailed my own activities in the same line.
“ ‘I am visited by thousands of respectful worshippers. The small amounts of alms which they graciously leave with my treasurer might easily be increased by various commercial activities.
“ ‘Indeed, I have from time to time attempted to establish such in this camp, but I regret to say with no success. I opened a canteen here but two years ago where refreshments were sold to the new arrivals at from three to five times their value. But the evil servant to whom I entrusted the management of this concern decamped with the whole of the profits. I obtained the satisfaction of having him put to death by a distant friend, but I was never able to recover his ill-gotten gains.
“ ‘At another time I entered into a contract with certain brigands who hold the passes of the mountains. It was clearly understood between us that they should hold up the worshippers returning from my shrine and that one-half of the ransoms they collected should be paid into my chests. But from that day to this I have not received a penny.
“ ‘On yet another occasion it occurred to me that I might fix a regular tribute to replace the voluntary alms which, though considerable, leave room for improvement. But the alarming falling off in receipts and the dwindling of my income made me withdraw the order within six months of its issue.
“ ‘All these experiences combined, my dear Mahmoud,’ said he familiarly (thus showing that he knew my true name and disturbing me not a little), ‘have convinced me that I have not what you men of affairs call “a business sense.” I may have a latent talent, I may even have a genius, for religion. When I tell you that I sometimes pass three days without changing my position of prayer and without taking food or drink, the whole performance watched by a great crowd of astonished faithful, you will agree that I am not without capabilities of my own. But I am reluctantly convinced that what the Giaours call “a good nose for a deal” is not one of them.’
“Here I began to interrupt him with the usual compliments, and would have assured him that any man of ability had but to train himself for affairs to do as well as another, when he genially stopped me with a gesture and said:
“ ‘No, my dear Mahmoud’ (again the use of my name disturbed me), ‘whatever else we are let us not be hypocrites. Let us frankly acknowledge our limitations. You, as I am now convinced, know how to sell and to buy, and have all the qualities for discovering the dearest and the cheapest markets. Much as I have desired to attain to the same faculties I have failed, and at my age (which, though it is not the 110 years reported, is at any rate well over sixty) it is too late to change. I will therefore make you what is called, I believe, in your world, an offer.’
“(With what relief did those words fall on my ears! I did not realize for the moment how greatly it was to his advantage to have begun by frightening your unhappy uncle and what an opportunity this had given him for negotiations!)
“ ‘I will make you a proposition. Think carefully over it, and at the end of a reasonable time give me your decision. I offer you two alternatives. The one is that you should continue your trade subject to the supervision of my agents, and that when you have reached a total
