s into a little yard,
shut the gates very carefully, threw off the wood that covered
the bags, carried them into his house, and ranged them in order
before his wife, who sat on a sofa.

His wife handled the bags, and finding them full of money,
suspected that her husband had been robbing, insomuch that she
could not help saying, "Ali Baba, have you been so unhappy as
to______." "Be quiet, wife," interrupted Ali Baba, "do not
frighten yourself, I am no robber, unless he may be one who
steals from robbers. You will no longer entertain an ill opinion
of me, when I shall tell you my good fortune." He then emptied
the bags, which raised such a great heap of gold, as dazzled his
wife's eyes; and when he had done, told her the whole adventure
from beginning to end; and, above all, recommended her to keep it
secret.

The wife, cured of her fears, rejoiced with her husband at their
good fortune, and would count all the gold, piece by piece.
"Wife," replied Ali Baba, "you do not know what you undertake,
when you pretend to count the money; you will never have done. I
will dig a hole, and bury it; there is no time to be lost". "You
are in the right, husband," replied she; "but let us know, as
nigh as possible, how much we have. I will borrow a small measure
in the neighbourhood, and measure it, while you dig the hole."
"What you are going to do is to no purpose, wife," said Ali Baba;
"if you would take my advice, you had better let it alone, but
keep the secret, and do what you please."

Away the wife ran to her brother-in-law Cassim, who lived just by, but
was not then at home; and addressing herself to his wife, desired her
to lend her a measure for a little while. Her sister-in-law asked her,
whether she would have a great or a small one? The other asked for a
small one. She bade her stay a little, and she would readily fetch
one.

The sister-in-law did so, but as she knew Ali Baba's poverty, she
was curious to know what sort of grain his wife wanted to
measure, and artfully putting some suet at the bottom of the
measure, brought it to her with an excuse, that she was sorry
that she had made her stay so long, but that she could not find
it sooner.

Ali Baba's wife went home, set the measure upon the heap of gold,
filled it and emptied it often upon the sofa, till she had done:
when she was very well satisfied to find the number of measures
amounted to so many as they did, and went to tell her husband,
who had almost f