had
been in his childhood? He looked at Hermione's downcast face; at the
perfect figure displayed by her tightly fitting costume of gray; at her
small hands, as she stood still and tried to thrust the point of her
dainty parasol into the crevice between two stones of the pavement. He
gazed at her, and was seized with a very foolish desire to take her up
in his arms and walk away with her, whether she liked it or not. But
just at that moment Hermione glanced at him with a smile, not at all as
he had expected that she would look.

"I think we had better go back to the shop," said she. So they turned,
and walked slowly towards the narrow door.

"These Orientals are so full of wonderful imagery!" Chrysophrasia was
saying to Professor Cutter as the pair came in. "It is delightful to
hear them talk,--so different from an English shopkeeper."

"Very," assented the learned man. "Their imagery is certainly
remarkable. Their scale of prices seems to be founded upon it, as
logarithms depend for their existence on the square root of minus one,
an impossible quantity."

"Dear me! Could you explain that to Marchetto? It might make a
difference, you know."

"I am afraid not," answered the professor gravely. "Marchetto is not a
mathematician; are you, Marchetto?"

"No surr, Effendim. Marchetto very honest man. Twenty-five pounds,
lady--ah! but it is birindji--there is not a Pacha in Stamboul"----

"You have said that before," observed the scientist, "Try and say
something new."

"New!" cried Marchetto. "It is not new. Any one say it new, he lie!
Old--eski, eski! Very old! Twenty-five-six pounds, lady! Hein! Pacha
give more."

"I fear that the traditions of his race are very strong," remarked
Chrysophrasia, languidly examining the embroidery, a magnificent piece
of work, about a yard and a half square, wrought in gold and silver
threads upon a dark-red velvet ground; evidently of considerable
antiquity, but in excellent preservation. "Paul, dear," continued Miss
Dabstreak, seeing Patoff enter with Hermione, "what would you give for
this lovely thing? How hard it is to bargain! How low! How infinitely
fatiguing! Do help me!"

"Begin by offering him a quarter of what he asks,--that is a safe rule,"
answered Paul.

"How much is a quarter of twenty-five--let me see--three times eight
are--do tell me, somebody! Figures drive me quite mad."

"I have known of such cases," assented the professor. "Eight and a
quarter, Miss Dabs